On December 28, 2000, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, in accordance with an agreement with the Orthodox Church in America, decided to establish a Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Toronto.

The opening of the parish was a response to the long-standing requests of a significant group of Russian-speaking residents of Toronto, who had moved here over the past 10-15 years from former Soviet republics that experienced serious upheavals and difficulties. These people realized that they did not want to lose their spiritual connection with their homeland, its religion, history, and culture. They understood that without their native church and community, it would be difficult for them and their children to survive in a foreign land. Families of Russian-speaking immigrants, uniting in a group of more than a hundred people, wrote a letter to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia, requesting the establishment of a Russian parish in Toronto.

After coordinating this matter with the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church resolved to establish the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church and the parish of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, in Toronto, appointing Archpriest Sergey Rasskazovsky as its rector.