2018 marks a milestone for the North Bay and District Multicultural Centre.

They’re celebrating their 10th anniversary.

After initial discussions about immigration to North Bay began in 2005 the need for a settlement agency was identified as a key priority and on January 1st 2008 the centre opened it’s doors.

They started with 2.5 staff at a location on Fraser Street and have grown to 10.5 staff, a prominent Main Street location, a satellite office in Timmins, diverse funding and coverage from Parry Sound to James Bay.

The centre has led initiatives like the creation of a Northeastern Ontario Immigration Portal, coordination of Syrian refugee initiatives in the region, ESL classes, immigration forums and more.

Executive Director Deborah Robertson has worked at the Centre for eight of the ten years.

Initially she was Program Coordinator before taking over the reins from founding Executive Director Don Curry when he retired in December 2015.

Originally from London, England, she remembers her initial contact with the Centre.

“I first walked into the Multicultural Centre as a client and was so grateful for the support and guidance that was provided,” she said.  “I then went on to volunteer before joining the team. The Multicultural Centre has grown so much over the years but at its core remains a caring, dedicated and knowledgeable staff. Strong community partnerships are also an invaluable support to the work that we do.”

Languages spoken by staff members include English, French, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and Arabic.

Newcomers served by the Centre speak a total of over 65 languages.

Volunteer board members for 2018 are Simon Blakeley, Natalya Brown, George Burton, Don Curry, Marcus Étienne, Gary Gould, Brian Marks, Susan Pratt and David Wolfe.

In addition the Centre has many active volunteers assisting newcomers.

 

Photo courtesy https://www.facebook.com/nbdmc/

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