Rural communities, on average, tend to not see as much multiculturalism as urban communities.
Let’s face it: We’re mostly white. Despite that trend, Simcoe County is changing.
As I look back on 2019, one story in particular leapt to the front of my brain, when back on a cold February day, I met up with two individuals at the Collingwood Public Library.
On Feb. 5, Barrie Police Service, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) executed a number of search warrants in Barrie and Wasaga Beach related to a labour human-trafficking investigation. As a result, 43 victims were safely relocated.
After reporting on the initial bust, two of the victims reached out through a Spanish-English translator to ask me to tell their story.
It was a first for me as a reporter – I had never done an interview through a translator before – but the story of the two victims stuck with me long after the interview was over and sticks out in my mind as one of the most important interviews I’ve done in my 10 years in the news business.
Our outlet was the only outlet nation-wide who got interviews with current victims of the ring. There were times during our interviews when the translator asked for a short break so she could digest what she was hearing.
I marvelled at “Juan” and “Lisa’s” gratitude. Despite everything they had been through since coming to Canada, and despite that week being one of upheaval and great emotional stress, they both felt they still needed to take time to show appreciation for everyone who had helped them.
I also marvelled at the outpouring of support from the community. I had emails in my inbox almost immediately after the story came out from community members offering money, donations and even full-time jobs, asking me to be put in contact with these people who only had the clothes on their backs.
This led me to write a follow up story about two months later, especially when I discovered the visas of the victims were in jeopardy.
In May, four people were charged in relation to the ring, and the matter is currently making its way through the courts.
Last I spoke with Juan and Lisa, their visas were approved for another year with the OPP keeping the option open for another extension depending on the trial. They were both happy with that outcome.
There were also many stories I covered throughout this year that shone a light on the many positive stories in our communities of newcomers doing incredible things, and strides toward making Simcoe County a more hospitable place for immigrants.
Right now, about 62,000 immigrants call Simcoe County home. To put that in perspective, Simcoe County is home to about 500,000 residents total.
I covered the County of Simcoe’s Newcomer Recognition Awards in 2018 and 2019, and was so moved by the stories I heard, I insisted on writing about all the winners. The normal protocol for covering award events is to highlight one or two.
This led to me inquiring about doing a story about English Conversation Circle groups popping up at libraries county-wide, including a very popular one at the Barrie Public Library.
Nearly 300 participants representing 37 countries walk through the library’s doors to support each other through the challenges of immigrant life in Canada, and I was lucky to speak with some of them about how much the program has helped them.
When the City of Barrie opted to paint a rainbow crosswalk on Simcoe Street in July, I was introduced to Celio De Andrade who, along with his husband, had moved to Barrie from Brazil in 2018. He shared how much the crosswalk meant to him as a symbol of support and community after fleeing from his country which wasn’t nearly as accepting of the LGBTQ community.
This added another perspective to the hotly debated issue that I felt hadn’t been heard previously.
I wrote other stories on immigration in 2019, including the Simcoe County Library Co-operative winning an award for its Immigrant Hub project and the formation of the Ethnic Mosaic Alliance, who are pushing forward to see a multicultural centre built in Simcoe County.
The face of Simcoe County is changing. New immigrants with new stories are coming to the area every year to explore what our beautiful area has to offer.
I hope to have the opportunity to tell more of those stories in 2020 and beyond to encourage a greater understanding of our fellow humans, and to bridge gaps between cultures.
