Hostelling International – Canada (HI-Canada) is an organization providing youth hostel accommodation in Canada. It is a member of the Hostelling International federation.
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The Youth Hostelling movement began in 1909 by Richard Schirrmann, a German schoolteacher. Disrupted by World War I it was not until the 1930s that the concept reached other countries. Following the launch of youth hostel associations in several European countries in 1930–1932 the idea spread across the Atlantic Ocean. Canada was slightly ahead of the United States and the Canadian Youth Hostels Association was founded in 1933[1] (the American Youth Hostels Inc was not formed until 1934[2]). North America's first hostel opened in 1933 at Bragg Creek near Calgary, Alberta.
A National Office was established in Calgary but moved to Toronto, Ontario in 1941. In 1976 the name of the organization changed to the Canadian Hostelling Association[3] and to its current name in the 1990s.
Today HI-Canada's national office is in Ottawa and the association has 55 hostels[4] in all the provinces except Nunavut and the Northwestern Territories.[5] Over 270,000 overnight stays are recorded in Canadian hostels each year.[4]