On 20 January, the Estonian ambassador to Canada, Toomas Lukk, and the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Janet Austin, opened a new Estonian honorary consul’s office in Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada.
At the opening ceremony, Austin recognised Estonia’s digital development and noted in her speech that British Columbia – the westernmost province of Canada, with an estimated population of just over five million – could learn a lot from Estonia. She added that the activities of honorary consuls helped advance digital cooperation between British Columbia and Estonia.
Lukk said Estonia and Canada were like-minded countries when it came to digitalisation. “We share the understanding that the digital transformation is a chance to offer improved public services to the people and boost entrepreneurship,” he said, according to the Estonian foreign ministry.
The honorary Estonian consul in Vancouver is Evaleen Jaager Roy and the deputy honorary consul is Evi Olga Mustel.
The first Honorary Consulate of Estonia in Vancouver was opened in 1999 by then-foreign minister Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Harry Jaako served as the first honorary consul in Vancouver for over 19 years until he transitioned the post to Evaleen Jaager Roy and Evi Olga Mustel in early 2019. In January 2019, Jaako was bestowed the Order of the White Star, IV Class from the Estonian president, Kersti Kaljulaid, for his work as the honorary consul of Estonia in Vancouver.
In addition to Vancouver, Estonia has honorary consul’s offices in Toronto, Halifax, Québec and Edmonton. The Estonian embassy in Canada is located in the capital, Ottawa.
Cover: Vancouver skyline. Photo by Lee Robinson (Unsplash).
