“Oh, it’s a big change”: rural Saskatchewan embraces multiculturalism

REGINA – “The Indian restaurant is just across the street, so you can smell the spices.”

The Southwest Newcomer Welcome Centre in Swift Current is surrounded by world cultures, explained Icashiana de Gala, the centre’s executive director.

“You go to the back and there’s a Filipino store.”

And an Asian marketplace.

“A Mexican store just recently opened,” she added, explaining there’s food, there’s language and there’s new business in the growing city.

“There’s diversity now,” she said proudly.

Thousands of immigrants have moved to the southwest since 2005 when the oil industry left job gaps in manufacturing and the service industry. Since Saskatchewan started booming, many employers have relied on foreign immigrants to fill job vacancies – not just in the city centres, but also in smaller communities. And that’s reviving rural Saskatchewan, de Gala said.

Throughout the province, ‘gateway’ welcome centres like the one in downtown Swift Current help to provide services for newcomers in small communities. The effect of immigration is so pronounced, places like Maple Creek, Frontier and Shaunavon offer English as a Second Language classes.

“Before, it was so lonesome here,” said Edna Davidson, co-owner of a new Filipino grocery store in Swift Current, called Me-Mart. “I felt I wanted to go back home, it seemed I did not belong here.”

But now?

“I’m so happy,” she smiled.

De Gala explained, “Having a community of Filipinos here help Filipinos to adjust – and stay.”

Even smaller towns without established immigrant communities, are finding they can be just as welcoming.

“Once the international program started, it breathed new life into the community,” said Kristy Sletten, the principal of Chinook School in Hazlet, Saskatchewan.

In 2006, the village – whose surrounding population is only around 300 people – began targeting students from other countries in an attempt to increase enrollment. Since then, the enrollment has doubled and their community is thriving.

“I want to study English,” said Hanako Furukawa, a grade nine student from Japan on why she came to the community.

“Curling. That’s different. I’ve never played it before,” said Ana Sofia Trujillo Arzate, another grade nine student from Mexico on what she enjoys most about life in a rural community.

The two are both on a 10-month exchange from their home countries.

“Our kids’ opportunity to have access to all of these different cultures has also been such an amazing experience,” added Sletten, noting it’s given the students from Hazlet global connections and challenged the stereotypes of what is rural Saskatchewan.

“There’s a lot of stuff that’s the same as here and then there’s stuff that’s different and she teaches me Spanish too,” said the Arzate’s classmate, Dakota Cooke. “We’re really going to miss her when she goes.”

And even though they’ll leave, the hope is maybe one day, they too, like other newcomers from around the world, might come back to stay.

However, a program like this takes determination from the community.  Those 300 community members have hosted dozens of students in their homes. The students certainly feel they are welcome.

“The people are really nice,” said Arzate. “And just awesome.”

She added quickly, “I told my parents I wanted to stay another year.”

“My classmates are kind and very helpful,” said Furukawa.

The international program has also had a profound effect on the community as a whole.

“Now to see people from other cultures doesn’t phase our kids, whereas before it might have been one of those things that would cause, you know, an adverse reaction, maybe staring and those types of things,” said Sletten.

Unfortunately, those types of reactions do still exist. Since 2005, 14 per cent of immigrants to Saskatchewan have settled in rural communities. And while an influx of just a few families in a small town can help that community survive, it can also help something else survive – intolerance.

“It’s more impactful because of the size of the community,” said de Gala. “You’re kids attend the same schools, you go to the same groceries. So even if you have this small experience with racism and you see that person everyday, it can be hard.”

Edna Davidson moved to Swift Current from the Philippines in 1987 and knows what that’s like.

“You can see from people, uh, sort of racism. That’s what I feel. Before, they’re just kind of ignoring you. You say hi, hello, and they just look at you like that,” she said imitating the averted eyes and curt greetings she received from residents.

Now a Canadian citizen, she said it took a long time before she felt welcome.  That’s not the kind of experience normally associated with friendly Saskatchewan communities, but Davidson said the southwest is now living up to its reputation.

“But now, they say hello, how are you? Things like that. Oh, it’s a big change.”

A big change, and a big part of the success of programs like the one in Hazlet where everyone can experience the community-connectedness of small-town Saskatchewan, regardless of where they’re from.

Part 1 

Part 2