To help showcase the community’s diversity, the Chatham-Kent Local Immigration Partnership is marking its third-annual Chatham-Kent Welcome Week.
A flag-raising took place Friday, with King Street closed to traffic in front of the civic center for several community booths.
Tracy Callaghan, co-chair for Chatham-Kent LIP, said the pandemic altered plans in previous years and that she was pleased with the latest response.
“This will be the bigger launch that we’ve had,” she said. “It feels great. It’s nice to meet people in-person. But it actually brings a little more attention to the issues.
“I think it’s important to showcase this and show the benefits of newcomers and what they have to offer.”
CK LIP consists of 39 community organizations working collectively to make the community welcoming for new immigrants.
Callaghan said there are labor market gaps that provide opportunities for newcomers, who then buy homes and give back to their communities.
Jarnail Gahunia, president of the Kent Sikh Society, and his wife, Inder, vice-president of the Chatham-Kent Asian Cultural Association, were on hand for Friday’s event.
Coming to Canada in 1973, Jarnail said he settled in Chatham and “fell in love” with the city.
“I try to do my best to make my contribution,” he said, noting the efforts of local cultural associations to assist people during national and international disasters.
“We are all the human race, as one.”
CK Welcome Week is also a chance to highlight Chatham-Kent being designated as Canada’s first welcoming community by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in 2016.
For a full list of events, which include seminars, tours and social activities, visit www.chatham-kent.ca/CKWelcomeWeek
Follow CK LIP on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ChathamKentLIP) and Twitter (@ChathamKentLIP) and use the hashtags #CKWelcomeWeek2023 and #CKImmigrationMatters