More Vancouver Croats considering returning home

Their parents and grandparents left for Canada in search of a better life. Today, their children and grandchildren are increasingly dreaming of Croatia. The rising cost of living, a housing crisis and a hectic lifestyle are changing the outlook of Vancouver’s Croatian community.

Many are considering returning to their ancestral homeland, young people are seeking Croatian citizenship, and one family has already begun turning that dream into reality.

Vancouver, one of the world’s most desirable cities to live in, no longer offers the same appeal to many Croats. Behind its high standard of living lie rising costs, a growing sense of isolation and an everyday routine that leaves less and less time for family.

“Something is pulling us there. Now tell me why?”

Darko Jelić, president of NK Croatia Vancouver, is increasingly traveling to Croatia with his wife and makes no secret of his desire to return.

“My parents came here because life was difficult back home, and now we all want to go back. Why? Something is pulling us there. Now tell me why?” Jelić says.

His wife, Kristiana, adds that Darko’s heart is full whenever they are in Croatia.

Others in the Croatian community share similar feelings.

“I always say life is better in Croatia. You can go for a walk. Here, everything goes in a circle: work, home, cook, sleep, and the next day it’s the same thing all over again,” says Mimi Švorinić, who was born in Canada.

Her husband, Ivo, who arrived in Canada in 1968, sums up his feelings simply: “I am here, but I am there. I am there…”

One son has already returned, and the rest plan to follow

Zvonimir and Kristina Aničić are also considering returning to Croatia. One of their sons has already moved there, and the plan is for the rest of the family to gradually join him.

“Life has become very expensive here. I think people have started to appreciate those simple, beautiful things in life that they are now missing,” says Zvonimir Aničić, Canada’s representative on the Croatian Government’s Council for Croats Abroad.

Kristina is particularly moved by the small, everyday gestures she experiences in Croatia.

“You walk past someone, and young people, kids like mine, say, ‘Good evening’ or ‘Good day.’ It brings tears to my eyes because here, people won’t even look at you,” she says.

Young people want Croatian citizenship, but face an obstacle

More and more descendants of Croatian emigrants want to reconnect with their ancestral homeland and obtain Croatian citizenship.

Manjot Hallen, Croatia’s honorary consul, says he receives daily inquiries from Canadians of Croatian descent seeking information about their eligibility for citizenship.

However, Vancouver does not have a Croatian consulate general. Existing consular days cannot meet the community’s needs, while the honorary consul lacks the authority to perform all consular duties.

Meanwhile, economic ties between Croatia and Canada are growing stronger, alongside interest in Croatian products, business opportunities and learning the Croatian language.

Keeping Croatia alive thousands of kilometers from home

Despite the distance, Croatian identity remains strong in Vancouver.

At the Croatian Cultural Centre, built in 1986 through the efforts and sacrifices of Croatian emigrants, new generations learn the language, perform traditional folk dances and preserve their ancestors’ customs.

“It is a source of pride to see them learning the language and knowing where their grandparents came from,” says Ante Pocrnić, a member of the United Canadian Croats.

Croatian language classes, the Croatian Knights folklore ensemble, cultural associations and the Croatian Catholic parish all help maintain ties with the homeland.

The Croatian parish: The heart of community life in Vancouver

The Croatian parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary plays an important role in the lives of Vancouver’s Croats, bringing together people from different parts of Croatia and helping them maintain their connection to their roots.

Parish priest Fr. Slaven Milanović Litre says that while Vancouver is a city of diversity, the Croatian community shares a strong bond with its homeland.

“Vancouver is a city of diversity, with people from different ethnic backgrounds, and our parish reflects the diversity of the Croatian people. We come from all the regions where Croats live,” he says.

Faith, language, culture and a sense of community help generations of immigrants preserve their connection to Croatia.

From the Canadian Dream to a Croatian future

For generations, Croatian immigrants in Canada worked to build a better life for their children.

Today, their descendants are increasingly looking to Croatia as a place where they can build a different future — closer to family, connected to their roots and with more time for the things they value most.