Mapping the Resettlement

Based on the log book donated by Chief Warrant Officer Randall of the Canadian Armed Forces, Archives and Special Collections has designed three interactive maps. The maps display information on 4,467 Ugandan Asian refugees who flew into the Montreal-Dorval International Airport and were transported to a reception centre at Longue-Pointe, Canadian Forces Base Montreal.

Each map features a zoom tool in the bottom left-hand corner. Dragging the map in any direction will shift which region of Canada is in view. When viewing the map hold down the shift key and select a specific boxed area on the map to zoom in to that region. Hovering over each of the points on the maps will reveal demographic information including the name of the city.

The three maps are embedded here, or available at the links below:

Resettlement of Ugandan Asian Refugees November 1972

The first map shows where Ugandan Asian refugees were resettled across Canada. The five largest resettlement cities were:

  1. Vancouver (1,034)
  2. Montreal (480)
  3. Toronto (440)
  4. Winnipeg (205)
  5. Ottawa (124)

The map can be sorted to compare select cities:

In the “Search in 130 Categories” box on the right-hand side (left-hand below) of the map, type the city of interest. Then check the box and select apply. Repeat the process for as many cities of interest. If you select the tear drop icon in the top right of the same box it will recolour the cities based on population size of Ugandan Asians. To return to the default setting select the tear drop again. Placing your mouse over any of the cities will reveal the name of the city as well as the number of refugees who resettled there.

Destination City of Ugandan Asian Refugees September 1972 – November 1972

The second map shows where refugees resettled across Canada over time. Canadian charter flights arrived between September 28th, 1972 and November 9th, 1972. Dots or bubbles on the map grow over time as more Ugandan Asian refugees resettle in various cities across Canada. The map can be paused at any time and can focus on specific regions by using the zoom in or out tool in the left-hand corner of the map.

Surname of Ugandan Asian Refugees and Destination City

The third map displays the city of resettlement for Ugandan Asian refugees based on their last name upon arrival. To search for a specific family name, select the “Search in 572 Categories” box on the right-hand (left-hand below) side of the map and type the name. Then check the box and select apply. This will display where all individuals with the specified last name were resettled across Canada. You can repeat this process to search for multiple families at once.

Additional links to the maps hosted on carto.com:

The Uganda Collection maps were created by Rebecca Bartlett, GIS and Digital Resources Librarian, Carleton University and Shezan Muhammedi, Advisor for the Uganda Collection.