When Canadians coast-to-coast-to-coast reflect on how their country is viewed beyond its borders, terms such as diversity, inclusive, and welcoming come to mind quickly for many.
Well they should. Since the 36 original Fathers of Confederation affixed their signatures to the document that brought Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick together to form Canada on July 1, 1867, this country’s doors have been laid open to those seeking fresh beginnings in a new home, both by choice and as refugees fleeing war, famine and other calamities in their respective homelands.
So it that when Peterborough’s Canada 150th Anniversary Celebrations Committee sat down to map out the city’s June 29 to July 2 Celebrate At Home festivities, it was a no-brainer to fully include the annual Multicultural Canada Day Festival in the mix.
First staged in 2004 with New Canadians Centre (NCC) as the sole organizer, the celebration of all things international has been well ahead of the local Canada Day party curve for some time, last year delighting some 11,000 people in Del Crary Park.
On Friday (June 2) in Millennium Park, organizers rolled out a lively preview of this year’s 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. festival, highlighting its theme Bring People Together as well as two of the event’s enduring main attractions: international cuisine and live entertainment.
Chacho’s Bakery and Tre Ristorante — new food vendors this year — provided food samples while D’oh See Doughboyz — Curtis Driedger and Ken Brown with caller Ben Wolfe — pumped up its effort to lead Peterborough’s largest-ever square dance on the park’s Fred Anderson Stage.
“I think there’s something very magical about being in a space like Del Crary Park on a day like Canada Day with all your friends in the community,” said Yvonne Lai, NCC’s Director of Community Development, noting recent events south of the border surrounding immigration policies makes an inclusive event such as the festival even more poignant.
“In this community the response (to newcomers) has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve seen more than 300 Syrian refugees welcomed, about 200 government-assisted and 100 through private sponsorships. The number of people that have stepped forward to help them is more than 400. We did a calculation of the number of hours of volunteer time people have put in. It’s about 40,000 hours. In light of people wanting to do something that has impact in the face of this global wave of negativity, Peterborough has been a shining example.
“I think people have an impression that Peterborough is one dimensional and it’s really not. Newcomers are everywhere in all walks of life, in the classroom, in the workplace, and they’re sharing the experience of being a Peterborough resident with you.”
In addition to food vendors serving up Thai, Greek, Greek, Caribbean, Bangladeshi and other international delicacies, the noon to 2:30 p.m. stage show will feature performances by Wshkiigomang Women’s Native Hand Drum Singers, Curve Lake drumming group IR-35, singer Serafin Lariviere performing music from his bilingual music project, the aforementioned D’oh See Doughboyz, a martial arts demonstration by Shifu Rupert Harvey, and a number of cultural music and dancing performances representing Syria, India, Sri Lanka, Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
And for the fitness-minded, interactive demonstrations of cricket, Tai Chi, para-sports, Jiu Jitsu and Zumba will return, being staged from 10 to noon.
Also back is the popular mock Canadian citizenship test as well as the popular Kids’ Zone, presented in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Peterborough.
With some 130 volunteers involved in staging the festival, there remains a need for more help. Visit www.nccpeterborough.ca to sign up.
Also scheduled for Canada Day proper is the Peterborough Canada Day Parade, Peterborough Musicfest with headliner Kim Mitchell, and the day-ending fireworks display over Little Lake presented by the city’s two Rotary clubs.
Terri Lynn Johnston of the City Recreation Division also spoke Friday, reminding all that while the parade starts at noon from City Hall, activities begin much earlier at 9:30 a.m., including a free pancake breakfast, live music, and the Decorated Bike Contest. She noted there’s still room for parade entries. To register, visit www.peterborough.ca.
And Rotary members promised an extra special fireworks display following Mitchell’s performance, all in keeping with the significance of Canada’s milestone 150th birthday.
Sponsoring this year’s Multicultural Canada Day Festival are Canadian Heritage, Ontario150, the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Community Savings, Darragh Moroney of RE/MAX, Ricart Promotions & Recognition, and Rocky Ridge Drinking Water with media sponsorship from Corus, CHEX TV, Fresh Radio, The Wolf, Energy 99.7, and Country 105.
Eight years after community members came together in 1979 to sponsor refugees fleeing Vietnam’s Communist regime, the New Canadians Centre formed as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting immigrants, refugees and other newcomers in the Peterborough and Northumberland regions.
With a mission to “empower immigrants and refugees to become full and equal members of Canadian society, and provide community leadership to ensure cultural integration in a welcoming community”, the centre has identified respect, diversity, partnerships and dedication as its values.
To that end, over the years since, centre staff and volunteers have strived to offer programs and nurture partnerships to better meet the language, educational, employment and settlement needs of new Canadians. Located at 221 Romaine Street in Peterborough (at Aylmer Street), the centre’s services and resources is a lifeline for some 800 new Canadians annually.
To find out more about the New Canadians Centre and for updates on the Multicultural Canada Day Festival, visit www.nccpeterborough.ca.
All the Canada 150 celebrations over four days in Peterborough are free. Some events are subject to last-minute changes, and other events are weather dependent. For more information and for last-minute updates on Peterborough’s Canada 150th celebration schedule, visit www.peterborough.ca/ptbo150, www.facebook.com/PTBO150, or @Ptbo150, and search for the hashtag #Ptbo150 on social media.
