How a newcomer fair is connecting recent immigrants with services
A new one-day fair in Winnipeg is hoping to help newcomers feel more welcome and connect them with important services.
Shakib Mahmood arrived in Canada in December after leaving Afghanistan with help from NATO forces.
"So I had the privilege to adjust quickly because I know the language and have familiarity and have some friends as well here which are very close to me," said Mahmood.
Mahmood considers himself lucky, as not all newcomers have the luxury of knowing Canadian culture before coming.
Julia Yevzhenko arrived in Canada from Ukraine on June 8 to flee from the Russian invasion.
So far, she says the help she's received has made the transition much easier.
"Actually, there were a lot of volunteers that helped us, so we didn't get such situations yet. So everything is perfect," she said.
Assistance and help are key components of the Newcomer Welcome Fair and Multiculturalism Day celebration held in Winnipeg on Sunday.
The event, put on by several partner organizations, hopes to help connect newcomers, many from Afghanistan and Ukraine, with important settlement services.
"When people come to a new place, they need a lot of help to find housing, to find employment, create a resume. Those kinds of things and just general assistance navigating the system," said Emily Halldorson, Ukraine response coordinator for the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations.
The fair also acts as a way to welcome newcomers to the country and hopefully make them feel a little more at home.
"An event like this will mean so much to them because hopefully, we're able to let them feel that they are welcome, that you know, we embrace them as a community," said Perla Javate, co-chair of the Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba.
A sentiment Yevzhanko and her family have certainly noticed since arriving in Winnipeg.
"They really help [with] finding a job, finding a place, an apartment where to live, so it's huge help actually," said Yevzhanko.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.