Blog

By Anuttama Dasa

The tradition of distributing Vaishnava literature in Canada dates back to 1896, when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur sent a treatise on Lord Caitanya to McGill University in Montreal. Decades later, Srila Prabhupada himself visited Canada multiple times, beginning in 1968 with Montreal and later Toronto. His presence inspired a generation of devotees to carry forward the mission.

One milestone came on Thanksgiving Day in 1971, when the Vancouver devotees distributed the first large b

From September 5–7, 2025, over a hundred ISKCON leaders from across the United States and Canada gathered at ISKCON of Houston for the annual Leadership Conference. With the theme “Growing with Purpose,” the three-day event blended meaningful association, organizational vision, and practical leadership skills. The atmosphere was one of unity, shared mission, and commitment to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision.

ISKCON Houston provided unparalleled hospitality during the visit under the leadership of the

Official Statement Regarding Incident at ISKCON Toronto Rathayatra Parade

By ISKCON Communications North America

On Saturday, July 12th, during the annual Rathayatra parade organized by ISKCON Toronto, multiple eggs were thrown from a residential balcony onto the public street where thousands of parade-goers had gathered. One egg struck a female participant on the hand, causing localized swelling. Several other eggs landed on the ground, creating alarm among those nearby.

The incident was imme

By Suniti Devi Dasi

Premkishor Das (Dr. Prashant A. Jani), a dedicated member of ISKCON Thunder Bay and Director of the Vedic Cultural Centre, has been awarded the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism 2025. This is one of the highest civilian honors presented by the Government of Ontario. Conferred upon only 20 individuals across the entire province each year, the award recognizes outstanding, long-term contributions to community development through volunteer service.

This

By Radhapriya

Over the past several months, ISKCON Toronto has actively participated in three meaningful interfaith engagements, strengthening connections with other faith communities through dialogue, collaboration, and compassionate service.

On April 26, 2025, ISKCON Toronto welcomed a delegation of Catholic leaders and scholars to the temple as part of a continuing Catholic-Hindu dialogue initiative. This gathering included guests such as Father Daniel, Father Joseph, Father Prakash, Brian, A

Bhaktimarga Swami and leaders of Zone 1 cut a cake to honor the event.

The 2024 Zone 1 Leadership Conference, held from November 8th to 10th in Edmonton, Alberta, brought together over 60 leaders from more than 25 ISKCON centers across Canada and six northern U.S. states. Under the theme “Think Big, Do Big, Act Small,” the conference focused on a shared vision for ISKCON’s growth and mission, guided by Srila Prabhupada’s principles and the spirit of Krishna Consciousness.

Inspired by Bhaktimar

ISKCON Halifax devotees gathered outside the newly acquired property.

ISKCON Halifax, Nova Scotia, has moved from dormancy to dynamism over the last seven years through committed leadership, spectacular public festivals, and engaging Sunday programs. With this explosive growth, the community has now acquired Atlantic Canada’s first temple, which is 7,700 square feet in size and sits on nine serene acres.

History of ISKCON Halifax

From 2007 to 2010, under the shelter of Bhaktimarga Swami, ISKCO

It’s hard to imagine a more challenging year for Saranagati Village than 2024 which brought the devastating July wildfire that destroyed homes, outbuildings, machinery, and most of the forest surrounding the village. Without traditional insurance (because they are an off-grid community), the residents have depended chiefly on the largesse of devotees worldwide and the kindness and generosity of their local community.

Traditionally, they cook thousands of prasadam cookies to share with locals du

Devotees in Toronto, Canada, have been actively engaging in building relationships with government officials and faith-based organizations throughout 2024. Here are some of the events from the past year, shared by Vallabh Hari Das, who serves as Interfaith Coordinator for the ISKCON Toronto Temple, in addition being the Chair of Reimagining Rath Yatra, and Emcee for major ISKCON events across Canada.

Diwali and Bandi Chhor Celebration at Parliament Hill, Ottawa

Devotees were welcomed to a Diwali

At the Hindu Sabha Mandir, a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, there was an incident during a temple event. Pro-Khalistan movement protesters held a demonstration outside the temple, which escalated into violence. It is unclear what led to the protest turning violent and who initiated the violence. Today, ISKCON Communications North America released a statement condemning the incident:

Statement on Attack of Hindu Sabha Mandir in Canada

November 4th, 2024

The International Society for K

By Partha Dasa and Uttama Dasi 

After 109,512 arotikas, 328,560 sticks of incense, and over half a million food preparations offered, Sri Sri Radha Madana-mohana marked the 50th anniversary of Their installation in a grand 3-day festival in Vancouver, Canada.

On Saturday morning, courtesy of Golden Dancer (Caitanya Mahaprabhu) Tours, devotees took a historical bus tour of the early temple locations in Vancouver.

At the site of one of the first temples in Vancouver, Bala Krsna Dasa related how sa

By Radhapriya

On Saturday, April 20th, temple leaders from across Southern Ontario gathered at ISKCON Brampton for a day of collaboration and camaraderie. About 30 representatives from 11 centres came together to exchange ideas, strategies, and experiences.

Bhaktimarga Swami was in attendance and was so inspired by the unity that he called the gathering “honey and harmony” and penned a poem entitled “The Meeting.” (see below). The program kicked off with kirtan, followed by a tour of the temple

In a recent article, Canada Immigration News (CIN) reported significant growth in the immigration of religious minorities to the country. While it focused on Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, the phenomenon is true across Canada. “The proportion of Canada’s population that identifies as being Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh has more than doubled in 20 years.” ISKCON Temples across Canada are not only centers of worship and service but also provide meaningful connections for these new immigrants navig

Last week members of ISKCON, took part in the conference on Biological Diversity (COP15) to the United Nations (UN), being held in Montreal, Canada, December 7-19th. The conference’s goals are to discuss protection planning of the natural world by international governments and interested parties for the next decade.

ISKCON members presenting at the conference were: Gopal Lila das UN Co-chair of the UN Multifaith Advisory Council, and Rasa Bhakti dasi, Gauranga das both from the Govardhan Eco Vi

A 50th installation offering to Sri Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinatha

In 2019, the Building Improvement Committee (BIC) at ISKCON Toronto embarked on a monumental task of revolutionizing the facilities and spaces within the temple to accommodate the growing community and to ensure that the building is efficiently serving the needs of the devotees. Thus, theTemple for the Future Renovation Projectwas born.

Initially, the renovations started with a new and beautiful accessible washroom on the main

By Radhapriya

On Saturday, November 27th, over 50 leaders from across Canada got together for the annual Canadian leadership conference to present, strategize, and generate ideas for the future. Centers from the West Coast such as Sarangati to the East Coast such as Halifax were represented. The all-day conference, organized by Vrnda Dasi, Canadian Zonal Supervisor, was split into two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Because of the ongoing pandemic, this year’s conference w

By Radhapriya

As most of you are aware, the pandemic continues to rage on and is now engulfing India. The situation is extremely dire and getting worse by the day as the second wave of the pandemic has hit India even harder than the first wave. This predicament is also heavily affecting ISKCON devotee communities in India and around the world.

The ISKCON Governing Body Commission held an emergency meeting on April 30th to determine what ISKCON can do to help. In discussions with ISKCON leaders,