In the early 1970’s, approximately 500 Tibetans sought refuge in Canada, making them the smallest immigrant group in the country at the time.  Approximately 350 Tibetans settled in three main locales within Ontario; namely, Belleville, Lindsay and Toronto.   Upon adjusting to their new way of life and settling into this multicultural country, to which they now called home, the Tibetans sensed an increasing need to sustain their culture and heritage.  In 1978 they formed an organization called the Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario (CTAO).  On March 5th, 1980 the CTAO was formally registered and incorporated under the Ontario Corporations Act as a non-profit organization within the Province of Ontario.   The Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario is recognized as a formal organization by the Tibetan Government in Exile.  It is an official establishment, representing all Tibetans in Ontario (with the majority of members residing in the Toronto area), regardless of race, ancestry, colour, creed,  place of origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status, disability, receipt of public assistance, political affiliation, record of offences or level of literacy.