Throughout its young history, Whistler has been known for attracting newcomers to the community from around the globe. And yet, for all the contributions immigrants make to Canada’s ski mecca, “they remain largely unnoticed even now,” according to the Whistler Multicultural Society (WMS).
That’s why the society and Whistler Welcome Centre are teaming up to celebrate Welcoming Week from Sept. 9 to 18, a week that is celebrated both globally and nationally to “recognize and celebrate the people, places, and values that help everyone feel welcome and that they belong in their local community, no matter where they come from,” the WMS said in a release.
This year marks Welcoming Week’s 10th anniversary, and the third year that it has been formally celebrated across Canada.
“Making newcomers and immigrants feel welcome is especially important in the Sea to Sky communities where we rely so much on them to keep our businesses open,” the WMS said. “During Welcoming Week it’s time to focus on embracing the many new residents who move here from all over the world and choose our communities to live and work in.”
In the 2016 census, roughly 21 per cent of Whistler’s permanent residents identified as immigrants—which still doesn’t capture the entire newcomer community, as foreign seasonal workers would not be counted in the census.
To mark the week, the Whistler Welcome Centre is hosting a screening of the award-winning 2021 drama, Minari, which stars Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) and tells the story of a family of South Korean immigrants who move to a small Arkansas farm in the 1980s in search of their version of the American Dream. The film screens at the Whistler Public Library on Friday, Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon. It’s free to attend, but registration is required. Register here.
The WMS is also challenging community members, businesses, and local clubs and organizations to show their support for newcomers and immigrants who have chosen to make Whistler home by sharing a photo holding a sign saying “I’m a Welcomer” on social media. To learn more and officially accept the Whistler Welcoming Challenge, visit wms.wmsociety.ca/Whistler-Welcoming-Challenge-2022.
The Whistler Multicultural Society is a non-profit supporting immigrants and newcomers to Whistler grow their social skills, local knowledge and experience to “ensure their success and participation in our community while fostering intercultural awareness, understanding, and interactions in the wider community of Whistler.” Organizers of the annual Whistler Multicultural Festival, the WMS also runs the Whistler Welcome Centre out of the library, providing a space where immigrants and newcomers can find a sense of belonging, make new connections, and receive information and support around things like language training, citizenship applications, and finding employment. Last year, the organization took over the contract to deliver settlement services to immigrants and newcomers in Whistler and Pemberton from the Sea to Sky Community Service Society.
Find more information at welcomewhistler.ca.
