Taiwanese Canadian Association of Toronto , the largest general-purpose all-agesTaiwanese organization in the Greater Toronto Area, was established back in 1963 and later registered as a non-profit organization in the Province of Ontario in 1975. The stated objectives of TCAT are: to promote the common interest and welfare of the members, to provide cultural and recreational activities for the Taiwanese community, and to better the inter-group relations within the context of Canadian multiculturalism. TCAT hosts cultural, social, and sport events throughout the year and also publishes three issues of TOGETHER magazines each year. Two divisions, namely the Formosan Cup Division and the Public Affair Division, were established in 1974 and 2009 respectively to focus on special events that promotes multiculturalism.
Missions
To assist with Taiwanese immigrants, who reside in the GTA, in adapting to the environment of Canada.
To gather members to serve local communities within the GTA.
To provide methods of communications between members and all three levels of Canadian governments.
To maintain and promote Taiwanese culture to the Canadian society.
History
TCAT was founded in the spring of 1963. Professor Assistant, Yi-Ming Huang, and two post graduate students at the University of Waterloo invited about 20 Taiwanese overseas students from Ontario and Quebec to Niagara Falls for a day trip. After dinner, one student suggested to establish an association with a mission to strengthen communication and supports among overseas students from Taiwan. In a unanimous decision, Dr. Yi-Ming Hung and Dr. Chien-Si Cheng were elected as the President and Vice President, respectively. A year later, TCAT had tremendous increase in memberships and Professor Jui-Yang Lin was elected as the President at the inaugural meeting in Cornwall. TCAT was registered as a non-profit corporation on October 22, 1975. Members in the early days had been devoting their time, effort, and money to Taiwanese democratic activities. Since then, the association has evolved and adapted to increasing immigrants; its events and activities become more diversified.
All TCAT members meet the following membership criteria:
Be 18 years of age or older, or with permissions of legal guardians for those under the age of 18
Agree with all missions of TCAT
Regular Member
Must meet all membership criteria
Must reside near the Greater Toronto Area
The member, his/her spouse or one of the parents was born in Taiwan
Regular members have the right to vote, be elected, recall and resolve.
Supporting Member
Meets all membership criteria
Does not meet the requirements of Regular Member
Must be nominated by two Regular Members
Must be approved by the BoD
Supporting Members have all the membership privileges except for the following: rights to vote, to be elected, to recall, and to resolve.
Honorary Member
Meets all membership criteria
Has made outstanding contributions to the Taiwanese Canadian community or TCAT, or made one time significant donation
Must be nominated and approved by the BoD
Honorary Members do not need to pay for membership dues, and have all the membership privileges except for the following: rights to vote, to be elected, to recall, and to resolve.
Divisions
Formosan Cup Division
The Formosan Cup Division of TCAT hosts a softball tournament that has been widely regarded as one of the premier Asian softball events in all of North America.
Public Affair Division
The Public Affair Division of TCAT seeks to work selflessly in recruiting members under the TCAT umbrella, with a focus on relatively younger members who are extremely proficient in English or French and have a strong desire for making a difference within our community. In addition, tPAD will strive to make a valiant attempt to slowly build a greater presence for the Taiwanese Canadians in our newly adopted country.
