Huron County, Ontario – From September 13-22, the County of Huron will celebrate Welcoming Week with a series of seven events held throughout the area. Welcoming Week is an annual opportunity to recognize and celebrate the people, places and values that help everyone feel welcome and give them a sense of belonging in their local community, no matter where they come from.
“New residents of Huron County are a vital part of our community. They bring fresh perspectives and new ideas, starting businesses, and contributing to the vibrant diversity that we all value,” said Immigration Partnership Manager, Mark Nonkes.
Four Huron County Library branches will host the following Meet Your Neighbour events in September. Meet Your Neighbour events are an opportunity to meet new people in the community and learn about some of the community’s organizations.
Meet Your Neighbour events:
- Brussels – Thursday, September 12, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Wingham – Saturday, September 14, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Clinton – Tuesday, September 17, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Seaforth – Wednesday, September 18, 7 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The Huron County Museum will host a film screening of the movie Ru, a film about a Vietnamese refugee family who moves to Quebec’s countryside in the 1980s. The film will be followed by a panel discussion reflecting on the local response to the Southeast Asia refugee crisis of the 1980s. Panellists include Suvany Pravong, whose family arrived in Brussels in 1980 from Laos, Wendy Martin who formed close social ties with a Lao family upon their arrival in the community, and Dave and Sally Walker who hosted Lao refugees at their home.
The event will take place on Thursday, September 19, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Huron County Museum, 110 North St., Goderich. Sign-up is encouraged as seating is limited.
The Goderich Community Garden and Huron County Immigration Partnership are teaming up to organize a cooking demonstration, where food lovers will learn how to turn tomatoes into tomato chutney and kale into kale chips. The event will be led by Immigration Partnership co-chair Pam Somers, who will share a recipe her grandmother imparted before her family left Pakistan. The event will take place on September 14, in Goderich from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The Township of North Huron and the Huron County Economic Development department are organizing a job fair to help connect job seekers and employers as part of Welcoming Week. The event is planned for Wednesday, September 18 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Wingham Columbus Centre, 99 Kerr Dr.
“During Welcoming Week, I invite all residents of Huron County to welcome new neighbours. By working together, we can achieve greater prosperity and make Huron County the kind of place where diverse people from around the world feel valued and want to put down roots,” said Huron County Warden, Glen McNeil.
For more information about these events and Welcoming Week in Huron County, please visit https://www.huroncounty.ca/welcoming-week
About Welcoming Week
Welcoming Week is an annual campaign and celebration to showcase the movement of communities striving to be more welcoming places for all, including immigrants. Welcoming Week is an international event and led by Welcoming America. Huron County has celebrated Welcoming Week annually since 2021.
About the Huron County Immigration Partnership
The Huron County Immigration Partnership works with a network of organizations to make sure Huron County is a welcoming community where newcomers to Canada feel supported, at home and integrated in all spheres of their life. The Immigration Partnership is funded with support from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.