ee eco AE RR epee ae ese a atoe c Terrace Review — Wednesday, March 6, 1991 B15 a aa i IMMIGRATION WEEK, MULTICULTURAL WEEK Jj ‘New town, new country, by Stephanie Wiebe Just over a year ago, Mandy Smith began a new life in Canada. From their hometown of Harrogate, North’ Yorkshire, England, Mandy’s sister and her. family were already well-settled in Terrace, and her husband Phil had come out a few months earlier. Like the classic scene where the arriving immigrant kisses the ground of a new land, Mandy too was excited about her new life here. "When I got off the plane, I fell flat on my face on the ice." The temperature then was forty below zero with the wind chill, but the Smiths have learned to love Terrace despite its weather extremes. The Smith family makes up a small portion of the 200,000 people who immigrated into Canada last year. According to Immigration Officer Morry Feldstein in Prince Rupert, uniting families like the Smiths is a valuable part of Canada’s immigration program. "With Immigration, family reunification is a very strong point," said Feldstein. Feldstein, working throughout the northern region of the province, was in Terrace last week, emphasizing the benefits of Canada’s immigration program program. "Immigrants strengthen the community" is the theme for British Columbia’s Immigration Week, March 4-10. Although it might seem that people like the Smiths could easily disappear into the government's statistics and new life files, Feldstein says that each immigrant’s case is examined individually, "because we’re dealing with people. It’s a very interesting job, to say the least." Of British Columbia’s north, Feldstein says, "It's a very multi- cultural area." The purpose of Immigration Week in British Columbia is to encourage public awareness and understanding of the contributions immigrants make to our society. In seven of the past 21 years, B.C. received more immigrants per thousand inhabitants than any other province in Canada. These immigrants provide many benefits to our province. Immigrants are ‘less likely to receive social assistance than Canadian-born residents, and tend to have higher incomes, thus contributing more in taxes. They often fill gaps in our labour market and create jobs through the consumption of goods and services, A high percentage of these immigrants are entrepreneurs, investors or self-employed business immigrants. For the Smith family, B.C.’s positive attitude toward immigrants is a welcome one. Mandy Smith says, "I like [B.C.] because it’s sort of a land of opportunity." She appreciates the school system and the freedom for her children. Husband Phil says, "I like the space." The Smiths, here on a work visa, plan to apply for Landed Immigrant Status soon. Mandy says, "Even though we’ll always think of England as our roots, we want to make Canada our home." Betty Bautista (lower right) is the Norinwest representative on the B.C. government's Advisory Council on Multiculturalism. She recently met in Terrace with (clockwise) Jane Dixon, Linda Lee and Sylvia Morales to discuss local cultural and race relations concerns. iy HERE TO STAY. Phil and Mandy Smith and children Emma (11), Jonathan (9) and bom-in- Canada, four-month-old Jamie are a recently-arrived immigrant family, one that settled in Terrace out of thousands that arrive in Canada every year with a wealth of rich cultural backgrounds. Canada World Youth recruits here Canada World Youth held their first-ever participant interviews in Terrace last weekend. Eleven applicants from throughout the Northwest gathered for a day of group activities to determine their interest in and suitability for the youth exchange program. Past participant Forest Phillips of Ter- race, past coordinator Lois Shan- non of Hazelton and past group leader Betty Barton of Terrace conducted the- interviews, In the past interviews were held Most of the problems associated with race relations and cultural discrimination in B.C. have been known for a long time. The North- west representative on a new com- mission struck by the government last year, however, thinks the group will be able to make a real difference where it counts — in the application of government policy. Betty Bautista of Prince Rupert, a primary grade school teacher of Filipino background, agreed to sit on the 21-member advisory council on multiculturalism because she believes it is a credible organiza- tion that will prompt positive action on issucs. "It was formed to implement the multicultural policy of the govern- ment,” Bautista said in a recent interview. The policy, consisting of nine points, was unveiled in Octo- ber 1990 and the council was formed in December. The group is now engaged in public hearings throughout the provifice to get a sense of the needs in each locality. "We feel there are still many problems to be identified,” Bautista in the lower mainland, making it expensive and difficult for appli- cants from the Northwest to get involved in the program. Canada World Youth, sponsored by CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) is entering its 20th year of exchanges involv- ing young Canadians and young people from developing countries, These young people, in groups of fourteen (seven from each of two countries, including Canada) have an opportunity to live and work in both countries and to learn about development through their life experiences, Evaluation of participant inter- views being held outside Vancouver will be conducted in April. If it turns out to be success- ful and economical, organizers hope that this process can be con- tinued in the outlying areas and that more young people will con- sider the program a viable pros- pect. Local member has hopes for multicultural council NEW GOVERNMENT POLICY SEEN AS KEY TO ACTION said. Some of the identified con- cerns include wider availability and better funding of English as a Second Language programs, addressing the problems experi- enced by immigrants, and news media perceptions of cultural minorities. "We're especially con- cerned about the point of view of youth, how to eventually make this a non-racist society," Bautista said, The advisory council will remain together for one year, issuing interim reports and a final report at the end of the term with recom- mendations to ihe government on how its multiculturalism policy should be implemented. The coun- cil’s scope is wide-ranging, includ- ing matters related to arts and cultural tradition as well as race relations and services. Bautista expressed hope that the council will continue past its current term as a permanent advisory body to government. In addition to its administrative budget the council also has $500,000 in funding available for community-based multicultural programs. Each community in the province is limited to two $25,000 grants during the year. Betty Bautista was born and educated in the Philippines. She has lived in Prince Rupert for 18 years and served with the Immi- grant Women and Visible Minorities group in Vancouver, the Filipino Association, the Folkfest Committee and the Committee Against Racism of the B.C, Teachers’ Federation. She invites anyone with concems about multicultural issues or ideas for community projects to contact her though the B.C, Advisory Council on Multiculturalism at 902-865 Hormby St., Vancouver, B.C., V6Z 2G3 or by telephone in Prince Rupert at 627-1386.