The New FACE of Guelph
by NAOMI POWELL

Guelph Mercury (Ontario, Canada)
November 27, 2004 Saturday Final Edition

GUELPH

The first thing that struck Rodolfo Hennigs when he walked into a
recent salsa dance at Guelph’s eBar wasn’t the blasting horns or the
timba beats.

It wasn’t the scrape of the guiros or the flickering lights.

It was the dancers.

“There were Chinese people, black people, Vietnamese people –
everybody dancing the salsa,” the Chilean native said, opening his
arms up wide to describe the scene. “I couldn’t believe it. Guelph is
not the place it was 20 years ago. Just look around you. Everything
is changing.”

In the last decade, Guelph’s visible minority population has grown
from 8,340 people to more than 12,380 people – an increase of 48 per
cent, the latest Statistics Canada census data shows.

More than 50,000 people are expected to arrive in Guelph over the
next two decades, pushing the total population from 115,000 to beyond
the 165,000 mark. A significant portion of these new Guelphites will
likely be visible minorities – many of them new Canadians.

“This could be a spillover effect from Toronto,” said Harald Bauder,
a professor in the University of Guelph’s geography department.

Although many immigrants traditionally made their first homes in city
centres, the last 20 years has seen more new Canadians choosing to
settle outside the Greater Toronto Area where real estate is cheaper
and competition for jobs is not as fierce, said Bauder, who
specializes in immigration and labour markets.

“There is a trend of newly arrived immigrants arriving in the suburbs
of the city. I would not be surprised if they are coming to Guelph
now.”

Guelph’s growing industrial sector – where many new Canadians find
their first jobs – and the city’s proximity to Toronto, Waterloo
Region and Hamilton make it an attractive community to live in. The
University of Guelph is also an important draw because of its
renowned agriculture and food science programs, said Sheila Nicholas,
director of Guelph’s St. George School for English as a Second
Language Training.

“Many come for work, many come because they have family and friends
here,” Nicholas said. “And you can feel it in the city. When I was a
kid there was one Chinese family in town and they owned the local
Chinese restaurant. Now you walk downtown and you see Greek, Indian,
Afghan restaurants. There is so much diversity.”

The city has seen substantial growth in its Chinese, Korean and south
Asian populations, which have all increased by more than 50 per cent.

The Latin American population is one of the fastest growing groups in
the city – having swelled from 290 people in 1996 to 750 people in
2001, the latest available census data shows.

That’s an increase of 159 per cent – a phenomenal growth.

Spanish language masses are held every second week at St. Joseph’s
Church and, for the first time, this year’s Santa Claus parade
included a Latin American-themed float. It carried new Guelphites
from Guatemala, Colombia, Nicaragua, Argentina, Chile, Cuba and the
Dominican Republic.

“You can expect even more Spanish-speaking people to arrive,” said
economist David Foot, author of Boom, Bust& Echo, a study of Canada’s
demographic profile.

“Countries with the highest number of people in their 20s tend to
have the most moveable populations. In the 60s and 70s that was
southern Europe. In the 80s and 90s it was southeast Asia. Mexico and
South America will be the next place.”

When Hennigs first arrived in Guelph in 1981 “everyone was very
white,” he said.

“This city was a lot less colourful then,” said the 50-year-old, who
had married a Canadian before moving to Canada with her. “I felt very
different. And people weren’t as tolerant then. The first time I
heard a racist remark was in Guelph. I was shocked.”

Embarrassed by his limited ability to speak English, Hennigs found a
job at a leather tannery and retreated into a shell.

“In the factory I just worked, I didn’t have to talk,” he said. “That
was good because I was afraid of being laughed at if I tried.”

Hennigs eventually became a machinist, working in the trade until he
opened the Salsateria restaurant in downtown Guelph four years ago.
Although it took him a long time to gain confidence in his language
skills, he now loves meeting new people and sharing stories.

“Guelph is more welcoming than some places, but I still think there
should be more support for newcomers,” Hennigs said. “They need not
just material things. They need the emotional support.”

At the St. George School – where enrolment has grown from 100
students in 1984 to more than 1,500 in 2004 – students often act as
an informal support network.

“Coming to this school helps very much,” said Arusyak Abrahamyan, who
moved to Guelph from Armenia this year. “I’ve made some friends here
who are going through the same things as me.”

Like many immigrants, Abrahamyan arrived in Guelph only to learn that
her qualifications as a laboratory technologist were not recognized.
It was a shock for the 35-year-old mother of two, who says she was
told by Canadian officials that her knowledge would be a welcome
asset in the country.

“I get very anxious at times,” says Abrahamyan, whose husband is
doing post-doctoral work at the University of Guelph.

“I try to think optimistically but I even know doctors who are
working in factories.”

If the city is to take advantage of the breadth of skill and
experience new Canadians bring, it will need to provide the programs
necessary to support them, Foot said.

“These people bring linguistic skills to the table, they bring
cultural diversity. Let their expertise come forward and they’ll be
great examples for their peers.”

GUELPH FACT

The City of Guelph projects that more than 20,000 new jobs will be
created in the city in the next 20 years. About 46 per cent of those
jobs will be in the industrial sector, where many immigrants find
work.

AN ABORIGINAL MEETING PLACE

The aboriginal community is among the fastest growing groups in
Guelph, the most recent census data show.

The number of aboriginal people in the City of Guelph swelled from
540 people in 1996 to 830 people in 2001, an increase of 54 per cent.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” said Lois MacDonald, employment
development officer for Guelph’s Anishnabeg Outreach Centre.

“We are seeing more First Nations people coming here to escape the
high rate of unemployment and low rate of education on the reserves.
Mohawk, Onandaga, Ojibwa – they come from everywhere.”

Guelph is a historical meeting place for First Nations people who
used to trade their wares along the Speed River, MacDonald said.

“I think Guelph has always had a draw for aboriginal people,” she
said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress