The ribbon has been cut on the new location of the multicultural centre in Timmins, which also has a new name.
It’s now at 85 Pine St. S., under the banner of the Northeastern Ontario Multicultural Centre.
Executive director Deborah Robertson says the new name better reflects the scope of the area it serves with settlement services for immigrants.
“Anyone born outside of Canada can come in and access our services,” she explains. “We support people one-on-one, family units, we have a service specific to school age children, the settlement work in schools program as well, which is relatively new for us here in Timmins.”
Robertson says the centre sees well over 300 newcomers a year, and that number is steadily growing.
The executive director is herself an immigrant. She moved to Canada from England 17 years ago and married a Northern Ontario man. She says learned experience certainly helps guide our perspective. While that helps with her work in immigrant services, she says she can’t speak for all immigrants, each of whom has a different experience.
“Yes, I’ve been through the immigration process. I was very lucky to have a lot of support when I came in, so it is a pleasure to be able to help provide that same.”
The centre is affiliated with one in North Bay and provides services in Kirkland Lake and Temiskaming Shores.
