V-chip developer Najmul Siddiqui received an Order of Ontario.

He is the man who brought the V-chip — parental control technology — to Canadian television sets, helping parents control what their young children can access. Founder of Tri-Vision Electronics, Najmul Siddiqui is a Canadian success story. Awarded the Order of Ontario last year, Siddiqui currently devotes much of his time to playing doting grandfather to his seven grandchildren, and serving as a member of the board of directors for the Islamic Centre of Markham. He is actively involved in fundraising to build education and community wings for the Islamic Centre, with an aim to build a holistic guided centre that will help steer the youth of today in the right direction.

Why did you start Tri-Vision in 1986?

As an engineer, I had an extremely well-paying job with Litton Systems, working in a managerial post with engineers. However, the idea that I was working on — technology that would eventually be used in war missiles — irked me. It was emotionally disturbing for me to continue working because it didn’t align with my purpose to serve God and humanity. But it prompted me to quit my job and start Tri-Vision. Initially, I worked out of my basement, repairing and refurbishing TVs and converters. Eventually Tri-Vision Electronics had more than 200 products with its design and name.

What is the secret behind your success?

Starting Tri-Vision Electronics was a well-thought-out decision. I personally believe that if the decision is yours, you put 100 per cent of your heart and soul into it, chances are you’ll do well.

There is a very popular saying: “Success leaves a clue.” But the way to achieve success has to be followed in its entirety. You can’t pick the bits and pieces that suit you. First, you have to make up your mind as to what you want to do. It has to be something like playtime. That is what will help you work around the clock, go to bed at 2 a.m. and wake up feeling fresh and energetic at 5 a.m. Second, you have to focus on the task at hand as something that has to work. It helps you focus on solutions instead of problems and helps you move ahead in a positive direction in life.

What was the most difficult moment you faced in your career?

One year I lost $8 million. I spent all the money in making and advertising 100,000 units of a certain product that didn’t move off the shelves. For a few days, I didn’t know what I would do. But it was during that time, when I was looking for a solution that I came across what I would do next — promote the V-chip parental control device.

We signed more than 200 licenses with TV manufacturers and set-top box manufacturers, and I became so intent in producing these that I completely forgot about the loss I had faced.

In your philanthropic venture with the Islamic Centre of Markham, you are aiming to positively guide youth in your community. Why is this important to you?

The youth of today are full of energy. And their energy needs to be channelled in the right direction for the benefit of society. They have to be kept occupied in some way. And they need support in that direction.

I believe the biggest challenge today for the youth is the environment. The requirements for daily living have changed drastically. In our times, we were happy with the basic necessities — a stove and a fridge. A microwave and TV were considered a luxury. Telephones didn’t change every two years. Philosophies were different. We had the ability to live more within our means. That has changed. The youth today want to live to their maximum capacity. But they may not be able to afford everything they want. They need more flexibility.

It’s not that you will never get what you’re looking for. But you need to have a little bit of patience and be more humbled in terms of acceptance.

Sherri Kajiwara is curator at B.C.’s Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre. Photo by Sandra Minarik

When Sherri Kajiwara moved to Canada from Japan, she was just three years old. She spoke no English whatsoever, which would be a challenge for any newcomer, but even more so for a child who was being sent to Canada for adoption.

“My adoptive parents tried to have their own kids and couldn’t, and I was living with my brother and grandmother in Japan,” says Kajiwara. “In Japan, there was an old tradition, going back hundreds and thousands of years, where if one family had many children and another family didn’t, often the younger children were given up for adoption to the family that didn’t have any children. It was along those lines that my adoptive family and birth family were brought together.”

Kajiwara’s grandmother was raising her and her older brother, but because she had so little support to help with caring for the children and an ailing husband, she decided to have the children adopted, for the chance of a better life.

Although Kajiwara was supposed to be adopted alongside her brother, she ended up coming to Canada by herself, leaving behind everything she had ever known. Despite being so young, Kajiwara says that the transition didn’t faze her. “I spent my first year in Canada in Lethbridge, Alberta. I don’t remember much of it at all,” she says. “But I was very outgoing and soon I had all the neighbourhood kids following behind me singing Japanese songs. I remember it as being very welcoming. It was probably an easier place to transition into than a large city.”

Because her adoptive parents promised her grandmother that they would keep up her Japanese language and heritage, the family moved a year later to Vancouver, where they felt there would be more opportunity to access Japanese traditions and culture. Kajiwara says her adoptive family worked hard to ensure that she felt a strong connection with her birth country and today she feels she has a firm footing in both places.

“My Canadian family was very open-minded and brought me back to visit Japan many times. They wanted me to know my brother as my brother,” she says. “When I first went back, I had lost a lot of my Japanese; I could understand him, I couldn’t argue back, and I didn’t like that at all! I wanted to win the arguments with my older brother, so that gave me the motivation to relearn the language. By the time I graduated the University of British Columbia here, I was fluent.”

Since 2010, Kajiwara has been further immersed in Japanese language and culture, working at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, in Burnaby, B.C. (The word “Nikkei” is derived from the term nikkeijin in Japanese, which refers to Japanese people who emigrated from Japan and their descendants.) And, for the past year, she has been the director and curator of the museum.

The Japanese community has a long history in Canada, and the Nikkei Centre officially opened on September 22, 2000, to commemorate its place in the Canadian mosaic. The date of the museum opening is a significant one, as it is the anniversary of the Canadian government’s formal apology for how Japanese Canadians were treated during the Second World War.

The centre itself is home to a Japanese cultural centre, a museum, a community centre and a Japanese garden. “When I first moved to Vancouver, the Nikkei Centre did not exist, which is interesting, because this is definitely the type of facility that would have fulfilled all of the obligations my adoptive parents made when they adopted me, so it’s interesting that I’ve come full circle,” she says.

As curator and director of the museum, Kajiwara takes care of the exhibits and, along with her team, co-ordinates education programs, museum programs, the archives collections and research.

The Taiken Exhibit, which is a permanent feature at the museum, documents the rich history of Japanese-born immigrants since their arrival in Canada. This includes stories of the first settlers who came in 1877, the hardships of the early pioneers, the struggles of the Japanese Canadian community during the war years and how they rebuilt their lives in the 1950s.

Kajiwara says that until the end of the Second World War, Japanese Canadians faced a lot of adversity, including prejudice and racism. “There was definitely an anti-Asian sentiment and certainly the Japanese were not the only ones that faced this prejudice,” she says.

“My aunt [in Canada] was apparently extremely intelligent and quite ambitious and she wanted to go to university to get her teaching degree. But her father, knowing the racism, knowing the reality of the economy at the time, knew she wouldn’t be able to get a job after university and so he encouraged her to go to sewing school instead, so she would have a skill to support herself.”

Fortunately, Kajiwara says that attitudes have changed considerably since the end of the Second World War and, today, the view that Japanese Canadians are a longstanding and integral part of Canadian culture is the norm. She says Canada’s openness to diversity is also apparent when you consider the variety of people that come to the Nikkei National Museum. “We get the whole spectrum coming to visit us! We have Metro Vancouver residents, Japanese Canadians from all over the country, as well as new immigrants to Canada,” she says. “The Japanese in Canada have a high intermarriage rate, so it means that we are in many, many cultures in Canada. The Gladstone Japanese Language School is also in the building so there are many young families who come here to educate their kids in the language and culture.”

With Asian Heritage Month being celebrated in May, Kajiwara says the museum is proud to be hosting the final award dinner and gala for the ExplorAsian celebrations in Vancouver. “Asian Heritage Month is important to celebrate because where we are situated is so multicultural and we have so many different Asian cultures here. It’s all about awareness and education, and if there is broader attention paid, even if it is just for one month, then that awareness will increase across the board. But, hopefully, people will appreciate that here at the Nikkei Centre, we are Asian heritage 24/7, 365 days a year!” she says with a warm laugh.

And Kajiwara is forever grateful for her own journey to Canada. “I believe it has given me more opportunity and that is exactly the vision my grandmother had. She felt it would be easier for a young girl from a broken home to be able to move ahead in life and get a better education and have better opportunities here,” she says. “I like Canada because there is much more equity between the sexes, it’s more liberal and has freedom of speech. Having said that, there is a beauty to the etiquette, the culture, the grace and the politeness of Japan and I’d like to think I could embrace the best of both.”

When asked the secret to their success, many immigrants will credit the love and support of their spouse. So Canadian Immigrant has picked five inspiring immigrant power couples who not only have each other’s backs, but have become unstoppable duos working together in Canadian business, philanthropy and the arts.

Praveen and Anuja Varshney.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL POWER COUPLE

Praveen and Anuja Varshney

Finding a balance between a career and family life is a struggle for many of us, but the Varshney family seems to have a handle on their busy lives. Praveen and Anuja Varshney, who were born in India and Kenya respectively, were first introduced to each other by their families in a very traditional, Indian way.

“At first we weren’t interested, but when we finally met, at a family friend’s wedding … five days later we were engaged!” says Praveen. Twenty-four years after that first meeting, the Varshney’s success story hinges on how they’ve worked hard together to create the perfect work/life balance.

Although the Varshneys are both trained chartered professional accountants, once they were married, Anuja decided to leave 9-5 work and focus on raising their two kids, while Praveen has made a name for himself in the venture capital world, building upon the success of the Vancouver company, Varshney Capital Corp., that his dad, Hari Varshney, established. Praveen has further built up a reputation in supporting socially responsible and environmental friendly startups.

Over the years, Praveen and Anuja have gone from strength to strength, much like Hari and his wife, Madhu, who are the ultimate example of an immigrant power couple. They also follow the senior Varshneys’ lead in giving back to the community. Praveen and Anuja serve on numerous charitable boards, including the Varshney Family Charitable Foundation, where Anuja serves as executive director.

Factor in their two now-teenaged children with their own busy schedules, a puppy, and their extended family, Praveen readily admits that the biggest challenge they face as a couple is, “we tend to overschedule ourselves and the kids, and having so much family around, especially with parents getting older, it takes more time to ensure everyone’s needs are taken care of.”

He adds: “We often ‘divide and conquer’ through strong communication to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.”

Anuja agrees with her husband that the secret to their success lies in supporting each other and putting family first. “Family is everything to me. I can’t even describe it,” she says. “I feel so lucky.”

Subhas (Sam) and Uttra Bhargava.

THE PHILANTHROPIC PAIR

Subhas (Sam) and Uttra Bhargava

For Subhas (Sam) and Uttra Bhargava, good deeds are something that have always propelled them as immigrants and as a couple.

The Bhargavas came to Canada from India and quickly made a life in Ottawa, Ontario. Sam attended McGill University and a successful career in engineering followed. Equally, his wife, Uttra, was busy forging her own life’s work, establishing two large daycare centres. She was also the primary caregiver for her quadriplegic daughter, who had been the victim of a drunk driver at 23 and passed away 16 years later.

Now retired, the Bhargavas dedicate much of their energy to giving back to the community, including supporting the Ottawa Hospital. Their donation of $500,000 created the Suruchi Bhargava Chair in Spinal Cord Research, named after their daughter. This followed a previous donation of $1 million toward Parkinson’s disease research, which Sam’s father suffered from.

Between the two of them and all of their charitable endeavours, they seem to lead a busier life than ever — and that’s just the way they like it. They are both actively involved in their community, serving on many boards, including the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa.

One thing that stands out about the Bhargavas is their wonderful sense of humour and ability to see the lighter side of life. After so many years together they finish each other’s sentences and most of those are with a warm chuckle.

When asked if they think marriage is the key to a happy life, Sam says, “I could not think of any other way to live life! It’s always been teamwork, in our 52 years of marriage. We feel more powerful together.”

Uttra adds, “In our culture, we say it’s not two, it’s 11, because we have each other’s strength. Together we can be so much more.”

Frank and Nelia Tonido.

THE ARTIST DUO

Frank and Nelia Tonido

They say a picture says a thousand words, and in the case of Frank and Nelia Tonido, painting and creativity are the glue that hold this couple together.

Originally from the Philippines, the Tonidos are visual artists who call Mississauga, Ontario, their home. As well as raising their family in Canada, the couple, who have been married for 47 years, find that the secret to a long and happy marriage is to challenge each other when it comes to their work, while still remaining independent.

“We both have our own styles and sometimes when Frank gives me advice or tells me what to do and it doesn’t suit my liking, I’ll just do my own thing,” says Nelia with a chuckle.

However, she says that being married made her journey as an immigrant easier: “Being married and coming to Canada was very helpful. It’s not like having to build a new life on your own.”

Nelia, who took up painting later in life, paints both watercolour scenes and is also an expert in the delicate art of 3D cake decorating. She is also the president of the Philippine Artists Group in Canada, an organization that puts on regular exhibitions, showcasing the work of Filipino artists who now call Canada home. Nelia says that living an artistic life is one that goes hand-in-hand with her immigrant journey.

Frank, a realist painter, agrees. After obtaining his bachelor of fine arts in Manila, he first worked in advertising as an artist and illustrator, before becoming a full-time artist. Frank loves to paint in all mediums and, like his wife, he is a longtime member of the Philippine Artists Group. For him, marriage is just like a beautiful painting; there is always hidden depth and much more than first meets the eye. “Marriage isn’t perfect. There will be challenges. But being married means you have a companion in life and that means you have to learn to compromise,” he says. “Sometimes you will have different ideas on the same things — the trick is, you have to be ready to listen.”

THE SUPERMARKET PAIR

Cindy and Jack Lee

T&T Supermarket, Canada’s largest Asian grocery chain, started from one couple’s ambition to feed their family traditional foods in an easy and accessible way. The rest, as they say, is food dynasty history.

The T&T food story began when Cindy Lee, an immigrant from Taiwan, shopped for her young family in Vancouver’s Chinatown, trying to source ingredients from her home country. She often shopped with her young children in tow, trying to navigate the cramped quarters of the small stores with no amenities. It was after one particularly disastrous shopping trip with her kids and nephew that fate intervened.  With no washroom facilities available, Lee’s young nephew wet himself. “That memory really gave me a feeling we should give the customer a more pleasant shopping environment,” Cindy said.

Fortunately, her husband was a food importer and already knew that side of the food business. He was also into real estate development, and the couple opened one of their first two T&Ts in his new development project President Plaza, in Richmond, B.C.; the other in Burnaby’s Metrotown shopping centre.

The couple faced many challenges early on, especially with opening two stores at the same time, but persevered. Under Cindy’s leadership as CEO, the T&T brand rose to success and expanded across Canada. The secret? The store’s ability to seamlessly blend the East and West: the bright, cheery aisles of a North American supermarket with ample parking and bathrooms, combined with shelves stocked with a wide array of Chinese and Asian goods.

Jack also credits teamwork. “Teamwork is very important. Our team, led by Cindy, was a big part of our expansion from wholesale to retail,” he said in a recent interview in VanCityBuzz. “We established a good team to carry on a good dream.”

Jack also stresses the important of work/life balance. “It’s important to balance your business life and your personal life. Reserve one day a week to spend good time with your children and family. If you can do this, you can recover your spirit and your health.”

The Lees eventually sold the business to Canadian supermarket giant Loblaw in 2009, and Cindy stepped down in 2014, passing on the CEO baton and legacy to her daughter, Tina.

THE FOODIE COUPLE

Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala

One of Canada’s best-known immigrant couples has turned their passion for good food into a culinary success story.  Restaurateur Vikram Vij and his wife, Meeru Dhalwala, both born in India, have a common goal in creating unique Indian food and sharing it with the world.

“She and I both felt the same way  that we needed to do something different and unique,” Vij has said.

With that dream in mind, in 1994, they opened their first restaurant, Vij’s, in Vancouver. Dhalwala ran the kitchen and created recipes for their new venture. Despite humble beginnings, word of their authentic and delicious cuisine spread, with one New York Times critic describing the restaurant as, “easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world.”

Since then their venture has blossomed into their own little foodie empire, with two co-authored cookbooks, and several restaurants, including Rangoli and My Shanti, a food truck, Vij’s Railway Express, and a line of frozen curries. While Vij focuses more on the business side if things, it is Dhalwala who still runs the kitchens. Together, the pair have certainly cooked up a great Canadian success story.

Wade Ligang Yang signing copies of his book, The Footprint of a Realtor.

Sponsored Content  Wade Ligang Yang came to Canada 10 years ago from China, and already he’s one of the most successful real estate agents in Ontario. While he has made a name for himself in the Greater Toronto Area’s real estate industry, not everyone knows that he actually has a PhD in environmental economics from Beijing.

“There was a time when I tried to avoid bringing up in conversations my academic background — my doctorate degree in environmental economics — because in Canada, we must all begin anew,” says Yang. “But it is very difficult to do new things in a new country when you are already middle aged.”

Yang is being modest; not only did he become a successful realtor in just a few short years, but he is now also an author of a thoughtful and provoking book, The Footprint of a Realtor.

Footprint of a realtor

The Footprint of a Realtor is an anthology on real estate and environmental protection, but it is also a reflection of his life as a successful immigrant. “It talks about my feelings of rebirth after much struggle in a new and unfamiliar country,” says Yang.

On June 30, 2016, more than 100 businesspeople plus quite a number of politicians and media gathered at the Monte Carlo Inn in Markham, Ontario, to celebrate the official launch of The Footprint of a Realtor. Each of the speakers praised Yang for his achievements and his book, which is believed to be the first book on real estate ever written by a Chinese-born real estate agent in Canada.

From diverse perspectives, open-minded thinking, and with elements of both the arts and sciences, Yang shows his analysis of the complexity in real estate transactions, real estate brokerage professional norms, as well as green (environmentally conscious) housing. He also correlates the conclusions of his research to various professional concerns including the property value assessment system, the multicultural community and market decision-making mechanisms for the real estate industry. Also touching upon sustainable development, the book is a perceptive text that encourages the green development trend of the industry.

Learning by doing

Beyond his academic background, Yang has 20 years of urban development and environmental management experience, doing first-hand research on the environmental management of companies in Japan and Myanmar.

After immigrating to Canada in March 2006, however, he had to face the challenges that many newcomers experience, including starting his career over from scratch.

In an attempt to quickly settle in, he concealed his academic background and started working various survival jobs, including supermarket grocery clerk, warehouse shipper, greenhouse farm labourer and translator (for the Mandarin-speaking labourers and the Japanese-speaking superintendent), and factory worker, until he resolved to become self-employed.

At first, he did cleaning, renovation work and landscaping, before becoming a realtor. Thanks to his unwavering conviction and perseverance, he found a perfect career for himself in his new world.

Now he works at Re/Max Imperial Realty, the fastest growing branch of the international real estate company in the world.

At the office, Yang is dubbed the “Little Bee” for his busy work ethic to which he responds with a laugh: “Not ‘little’ bee, but ‘old’ bee!”

Wade Ligang Yang with Richmond Hill municipal councillor Godwin Chan at his book launch.

Finding stability as an immigrant

Looking back at his journey so far, Yang has this to share: “In Canada, many immigrants find their previous experience worthless. They are confronted with extreme pressures. Much is to be learned, and many people give up trying to improve.” But a good life in Canada is not out of reach. “You need to find your specific targets, persevere and eventually you will reap the fruits of your struggles.”

Since he gained his licence as a realtor, Yang has won countless awards, including the Gold Award, President’s Award and Top Producer Award. But he maintains a sense of humility, never exaggerating his achievements nor exploiting them for excessive advertising. He does not like to be called a “senior agent.”Instead, he spends more of his time and energy on studying business knowledge and providing exceptional customer service.

“To young people, a decade may seem like a long time,” he says, “but ever since I entered my fifth decade of life, I felt like time truly flies, and I dare not waste it. The harder you work, the more you live! I treasure all the precious moments of life — learning by doing, learning to think, striving to better oneself, sharing my experiences and learning with others.”

Learn more about Wade Ligang Yang at yelt.ca.

Pratap Reddy.

Indian-born author Pratap Reddy captures the immigrant experience, highlighting all the rewards and frustrations facing a newly arrived immigrant to Canada, in his new book entitled Weather Permitting and Other Stories.

According to Mississauga-based Reddy, “It was all the new and unexpected challenges I had to face as an immigrant, which both stimulated and inspired me to write these stories. The publication of the book is truly a dream come true, however clichéd as it may sound. I’m happy and excited about my first book, a collection of stories woven around fictional characters who are new to Canada.”

Reddy likes to describe himself as an underwriter by day and a writer by night.  He along with his family moved to Canada from India a little more than a decade ago. Like most of his compatriots he arrived with a lot of hope along with some anxiety. He went through the hardship and disappointment which immigration entails, and he has distilled these feelings into these stories, but never losing sight of the positive aspects of immigration.

“Nothing prepares you for the uncertainties and challenges you encounter in the first few month after you arrive. The difficulty in finding suitable jobs, made all the more difficult without Canadian work experience, the non-recognition of your educational credentials,  non-availability of affordable daycare are just a few of the obstacles a new immigrant faces. To add to all these worries is the extreme weather of Canada, which a new immigrant especially from a tropical country has to learn to grapple with. ”

From immigrant to published author

Reddy’s stories have been published in magazines and anthologies in Canada, India and the U.S.A. He has been awarded the Marty by the Mississauga Arts Council in 2008. He is also a recipient of grants from the Ontario Arts Council.

One of Pratap Reddy’s short stories is called Ramki and the Christmas Trees where an electrical engineer, worried that he is unable to find a job in his field, takes up a surprising assignment to guard Christmas trees in the middle of winter. Another story in the collection is The Toy Flamingo and it tells the tale of a young man who discovers his parents aren’t who he thought they were.

“I love reading, and therefore I love to write. I have devoured books right from the time I was a child. And it has always been my secret wish to become a writer, a purveyor for absorbing and creating entertaining stories. It took me many, many years to become one, and I wonder if I would have become a published author had I not immigrated to Canada,” says Reddy, who enrolled in a creative writing program at the Humber School for Writers. “Like hundreds of fellow immigrants, I’d like to say that all the challenges and frustration one faced after coming here have been well worth the while.”

Weather Permitting & Other Stories is available online at GuernicaEditions.com, and also online at Chapters and Indigo, and Amazon.

Beatriz Pizano of Aluna Theatre in Toronto. Photo by Alessandro Shinoda

For Beatriz Pizano, the prospect of a leg amputation in her early 20s meant far more than just the loss of a limb. The Colombian-born Pizano had a passion for dancing. “Dancing was an incredible feeling of flying through space, expressing my feelings without words,” she says. But cancer had invaded her leg, and the doctors saw no alternative to chopping it off. Divorced and alone in her new country of Canada, she mourned the demise of her dream. “Dance was the only thing I understood,” she says. “I found myself really lost.”

But defeat is not in Pizano’s vocabulary. “I don’t give up; I’m very stubborn,” she says. Pizano took charge of her treatment, refusing to allow the physicians to amputate. Instead, she urged them to find other treatments to heal her leg. A year of physiotherapy helped her to walk again, but she couldn’t dance anymore. So she took an acting class at a local college, and a lifelong love affair with drama began. “Maybe I can’t dance, but I can still use my body to convey images on stage,” she says.

This adaptability to misfortune defines Pizano’s journey. “You never lose anything in life; it just transforms into something else,” she says.

Pizano learned this lesson as a young child growing up in Colombia. Her mother died when she was young, and she was adopted by her uncle and aunt. Pizano realized that she couldn’t change what had happened, but she could choose how she responded. “You either don’t do anything, or you take the losses and understand how precious life is,” she says. This early tragedy also opened her eyes to the pain of others, a sense of empathy that would serve her well when she began playwriting. “You can recognize someone who’s suffering — that’s what art is made of,” she says.

Pizano adapted to her new life with her new parents, who paid for her to attend the best schools and enrolled her in dance class. At age l9, she fell in love and left Colombia to follow her new husband to Canada.

The move here was tough for Pizano. She missed her family, with whom she could only afford to talk monthly for three minutes. It was hard to make new friends. “In classes, I would sit with people I saw in the corridors, and they wouldn’t say ‘Hi.’”

Then Pizano faced another crisis when her marriage dissolved after only one year. She had to support herself for the first time in her life. Though she had never once cleaned a house, she made some quick cash as a housekeeper. “I made myself independent pretty fast,” she says.

Her hard work as a housekeeper and then research assistant helped Pizano pay her way through university, studying psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Her classes taught her about the complexities of the human psyche, something that would later help her in her artistic endeavours, delving into complex characters as an actor and playwright.

A few years after graduating university and overcoming her health crisis, Pizano decided she had nothing to lose and decided to try finding work as an actor. But her accent as well as her olive-coloured skin made it difficult to find jobs. The few roles she was offered depicted Latin Americans as stereotypes: a maid, a wife of a mafia criminal or a girlfriend. She was always supposed to scream and was invariably killed. But she wasn’t offended by these roles. “I didn’t have the knowledge to be humiliated,” she says.

That complacency didn’t last. At age 39, Pizano was hired as an interpreter for a Canadian crew shooting a documentary about human rights activists in Colombia who were being represented inaccurately by traditional media. That’s when Pizano started to write her own stories and her own characters. “The war zone changed my life,” she says. “It opened my world to the responsibility to portray people truthfully.”

Start of Aluna Theatre

This drive for authenticity led Pizano to write her first stage trilogy about women and war. First, she wrote an autobiographical piece, For Sale, about a Colombian woman living in Canada, who reports on the war zone in her native land. The second play, Madre, focused on a Colombian woman with Alzheimer’s disease, who tries to recall her wartime past. The third play, La Comunión, detailed the struggles of a Colombian girl soldier who flees to Canada.

But Pizano knew she couldn’t mount a play without a theatre, so she decided to open her own. She created Canada’s first Latin American theatre in 2001, as a response to the misrepresentation and under-representation of cultural diversity on Canadian stages. She named it Aluna, after a Colombian tribe’s mythological mother of creation.

Celebrating 15 years this fall, Aluna’s plays combine dance, music and the visual arts, often encouraging new hybrids of theatre evolved from a rich collaboration of experiences and performance traditions. But Aluna’s chief distinction is its mandate to embrace and empower myriad voices, cultures and stories, particularly those of women and Latin American artists. In this way, it also creates opportunity for Latin American actors as well as Spanish-speaking audiences in Canada. Some plays are written in both English and Spanish, while others are written in one language and performed with subtitles in the other tongue.

All of Pizano’s stories come out of a deeply held idealism that human beings can connect to each other and live in harmony. “I can’t write for hire — only if the story is burning in me,” she says. When she feels strongly about her theme, the play almost writes itself. “My characters speak in my head,” she says.

Injustice is one of the chief inspirations for her plays, using laughter and tears to educate her audience about inequity. “If we lecture people, we don’t get through to them, but if the heart opens, you can show them things,” she says. Ultimately, she uses theatre to dispel cultural biases. “I hope the plays open a little window into allowing someone to not be afraid of approaching another human being,” she says.

Recognizing Beatriz Pizano

Pizano and her plays have been showered with recognition. She has won 11 Dora Awards, the 2009 winner of the prestigious John Hirsch Prize for Direction, the Ken McDougall Award for Direction, the Chalmers Fellowship, the Urjo Kareda Award and the Metcalf Performing Arts Internship. So the few critical opinions don’t phase her. “You can learn from everything, even a horrible review,” she says.

Pizano is eager to pass on her hard-won knowledge to the next generation of artists. That’s where Aluna Theatre’s Young Panamerican Vo(i)ces training program comes in. The group offers a forum for Latin American youth to learn the tricks of the theatre trade. Many of them have been accepted into acting schools as a result. Pizano is proud of her graduates. “They’re my kids — I love them,” she says.

Today, Pizano is grateful for the challenges that she’s faced along the way. “There are beautiful teachings in traumas. I wouldn’t want to lose any of the things that have happened to me,” she says.

“Life is magical,” she adds. She is currently producing an international festival of plays connecting the Americas through the arts, RUTAS panamericanas, slated for performance Oct. 5-16 in Toronto. Showcasing Canadian, indigenous and Latin American artists, the festival features performances, master classes, cabarets, concerts, film, art exhibits and a multi-day conference.

Meanwhile, Pizano continues to perfect her craft. “I’m always studying with the next mentor, trying to get better,” she says. Her romantic partner, Canadian scenographer Trevor Schwellnus shares her aspirations. “He is the love of my life, my partner in this dream,” she says.

Pizano’s advice to Canadian newcomers reflects her positive outlook. “If you come with good ideas and work hard, this country listens,” she says.

Calgary’s Miroslav Reljic. Photo by Jose Soriano

What inspires Miroslav Reljic to want to empower people as CEO of his own leadership coaching business, Reljic Coached, in Calgary? It could be a result of being raised by a schoolteacher in Croatia who taught him about compassion and helping others. Add to that the experience of surviving a brutal civil war. “I had a great childhood. My parents never talked about us being Serbs. It didn’t really matter,” says Reljic. But when the war broke out in 1991, his life changed fast. “Families were separated, and best friends became their worst enemies.”

On Aug. 5, 1995, at 5 o’clock in the morning, Reljic’s family and 200,000other Serbian people were forced to leave Croatia. “The only possession I had when I left Croatia were flip flops, a T-shirt, shorts and the family album,” he says. “We lost everything, but we were grateful that we survived.”

By 1995, Reljic was studying economics at university first in Kosovo, then in Serbia. “I excelled in my studies and I won the prestigious Serbian National Railway scholarship that paid for my tuition and living expenses.”

While working hard at his studies until 1999 in an era of continuing unrest, Reljic also worked diligently at something else: trying to migrate to Canada, where his sister had moved in 1996. “Once a week, I would mail an application to the Canadian embassy in Belgrade, which over four years amounted to more than 200 letters,” he says.

“My persistence paid off when in June 1999 I was accepted as a refugee into Canada,” he says. His Canadian destination was Calgary where his sister lived. But when he first landed in Montreal on June 14, 1999, a jet-lagged Reljic mistakenly boarded a connecting flight to Halifax.

“Minutes before the takeoff, I said to a fellow passenger with a big smile: ‘Calgary?’ and he replied with surprise: ‘No, Halifax!’ I took my carry-on and I ran as quickly as I could to catch the flight to Calgary.”

Coming to Calgary

His sister helped him in his initial settlement, and referred him to Calgary Catholic Immigration Society and Immigrant Services Calgary for help. “I spoke limited English, a few words such as ‘Hi’ and ‘Bye.’ It was frustrating because I couldn’t express myself. However, I was adamant to learn English and go back to school and finish my economics studies.”

He found a couple of survival jobs, including one cleaning offices. “I remember cleaning offices on the 26th floor at the Bow Valley Square downtown and I told myself that within five years I will be working in an office like this.”

His prediction was almost spot on. After graduating with a bachelor’s in economics in 2004 from the University of Calgary, he got his first office job in 2005. For a dozen years, he worked as a business analyst, trainer and management consultant for oil and gas companies, before he turned to coaching full time, helping other professionals who are transitioning in their careers or are dealing with leadership challenges. “In my work, I learned that if there is one thing that is certain, it is that there will always be change,” he says. “And the people best-equipped to respond to change, particularly in an economic downturn like we currently have in Alberta, are the ones who continually update and diversify their relevant skills and think ahead of others.”

Reljic himself updated his own skills with a diploma in coaching through the University of Cambridge in the U.K. “Education is an important personal investment that has helped me open many doors over the years,” he says.

Building resilience

Today, in his leadership and career workshops, and one-on-one coaching, he encourages his clients to build their resilience. “Building your resilience in a market like this is very important and that’s achieved by reflecting and understanding your own strengths and weaknesses.”

He shares this message with other newcomers as well, volunteering at organizations like Immigrant Services Calgary that had helped him upon his arrival. “For many newcomers, immigrating to Canada was their long-term goal. However, once they arrive, they sometimes overlook creating new long-term goals and fall into a trap of just surviving,” he says. “It is important to write down your new long-term goals and make them measurable with a set of short-term goals. Then celebrate your achievements, but also be ready to learn from your failures.”

Reljic is clearly passionate about coaching others, be it recent arrivals or high-level global executives. “My life purpose is to help others unlock their full potential so they can reach their goals and increase their performance at the individual, team and organizational level,” he says.

“My personal goal is to become Canada’s top leadership and career coach within the next five years and for my coaching company Reljic Coached to become a recognized brand in life, leadership and career coaching.”

Miroslav Reljic is the keynote speaker at the Career, Education and Settlement Immigrant Fair in Calgary on Oct. 17, 2016. Register for the free fair at canadianimmigrant.ca/careerfair/calgary/sessions.

Shahid Wazed.

It was just 13 years ago that a young Shahid Wazed came to Canada from Malaysia. He studied for his master’s degree in electronic commerce at Dalhousie University in Halifax, where he mastered internet marketing for recruiting top talent. He has been in Edmonton now for four years, and has established himself as a go-to expert on recruitment, personal branding and social media. In addition to working with the City of Edmonton, he’s a sought-after speaker and the founder of the Personal Branding Summit coming up on May 26, 2017, in Toronto.

What has your immigrant experience been like?

Mixed. There are a lot of good people in Canada, which is great. Also, there is discrimination. To move past discrimination, I had to establish myself as an expert in my field and that helped me get the opportunities that I get today.

What’s your role with the City of Edmonton?

My role is around developing strategies to recruit top talent from various social media platforms. I also take care of recruitment advertising channels and various recruitment projects that are often the first of their kind in Canada, such as mobile apply and hiring manager podcasts.

How did you become an expert in social media so to speak?

By learning the use of social media for a defined purpose since 2010 and that involves countless hours of reading, going to multiple conferences, and putting the knowledge learned into practice every day.

What excites you about it?

People engagement and the speed. One’s career can literally change within a few seconds because someone (i.e., a recruiter or a business partner) reached out through social media.

What is the future of social media? Will it become more and more important?

The world of social media will become noisier. On the other hand, in-person engagement will become more and more important with social media serving as a vehicle to create those in-person moments. For example, use social media to set up a coffee meeting with a recruiter or a hiring manager or even an influencer in your city!

What is the best social media tool for professionals?

LinkedIn is still the most popular social media platform for professionals to connect with each other to create opportunities.

How can professionals make the most of it?

Pick your topic, work on becoming an expert on that topic and then amplify your expertise through the use of social media. Go create some noise — but only after you know what you’re talking about!

Becoming a paid speaker is something that many people dream of. How did you do it?

Picking a topic, becoming an expert in that topic, and then speaking for free when starting out. Once I became known for my topic, I then started charging for my time on the stage.

I speak throughout Canada and the U.S.A. And most recently I travelled to Australia for a speaking engagement, which was great!

Come hear Shahid speak in person at our Career, Education & Settlement Immigrant Fair in Edmonton on Oct. 19, 2016. Register here at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/careerfair/edmonton/sessions.

Pramod Udiaver, CEO of Invisor. Photo by Saajid Motala

Being on a stalled GO train is one of Invisor CEO Pramod Udiaver’s most vivid memories after immigrating to Canada from India by way of Dubai, 15 years ago. The train was stopped because the doors wouldn’t close due to a technical issue. “I was thinking about back in India — there are no doors,” says Udiaver, explaining the significance the seemingly mundane, everyday occurrence had on him. “[It is a] great example of things we take for granted here that many people don’t have access to.”

Two years earlier, in 1999, Udiaver and his wife, Maithili, got their first taste of life in Canada while visiting family here. The couple heard positive stories about the Canadian immigration experience, which prompted their decision to apply to come to Canada when they were expecting their first child. The immigration process went quickly, and Udiaver landed in Toronto in January 2001 — “at the peak of winter,” he says, laughing — just shy of his 30th birthday.

“What we really liked about Canada was the openness, the diversity,” says Udiaver. “And, in general, I think the economy has always done really well relative to many other parts in the world.”

Settling in downtown Toronto at first, Udiaver faced two initial challenges: getting a credit card and renting an apartment. In both cases, he found that he needed an established credit history in Canada, which he didn’t have — a hurdle many newcomers face, he says.

He was expected to come up with 120 per cent of the credit limit on his credit card, and to pay several months’ rent upfront versus just the standard first and last. “It’s really about establishing yourself from a financial perspective, even establishing a credit history,” he says. “I wouldn’t say it was a barrier in my case … but for many folks that come from different parts of the world, [it can] be very challenging.”

Finding a job came next. Udiaver says he was lucky; within days of landing in Canada, a friend connected him to a headhunter looking to fill a job at TD Bank in the wealth management area. Udiaver’s credentials — having worked in Dubai at KPMG and for the ANZ Banking Group — made him a solid candidate. He landed the job, and quickly moved his family to Mississauga, where he still resides today. “Oftentimes, immigrants wait a long time to get a job in an area that [they]’re looking to work in,” says Udiaver. “I happened to be there at the right time.”

After more than a decade of working in banking positions including vice-president of risk management and vice-president and director of investment management, Udiaver had a personal experience that inspired an idea and a desire to venture out on his own as an entrepreneur. He went into a bank one day to get a vehicle loan, and, while there, the associate informed him he was now eligible for financial planning services. Curious, he asked what made him “eligible” at this time and not before. The associate replied that the balance on his two children’s registered education savings plan (RESP) accounts and his registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) were now high enough that an advisor would be happy to help. It was this conversation that planted the seed for creating Invisor, an online financial service for investment portfolio management.

“Why should someone wait until they get a certain amount of money before they get access to professional advice?” he questioned. Digging deeper into the issue, he discovered that there were close to 14 million households in Canada that weren’t being targeted by financial advisors because their focus was on the less than one million households that were of high net worth. His entrepreneurial vision started to take shape: launch an investment portfolio management service that “really helped all Canadians irrespective of how much money they had,” and leverage technology to do it.

In 2014, he quit his job, partnered with Dan Poole, whom he studied with while pursuing a master’s of business administration at Queen’s University, and co-founded Invisor. The company, which is now headquartered in a spacious 2,000 square-foot office in Oakville, Ontario, opened for business in May 2015.

Udiaver says he couldn’t have taken the leap without the support of his wife, who went back to work when he started Invisor, or his valuable mentors. One of those mentors, Ashok Bhatt, a chartered business valuator and financial entrepreneur, says Udiaver demonstrated his entrepreneurial ability when he gave up a good paying job to take a huge risk. “That required guts and belief for what he started.”

Udiaver says it is still “early days” for Invisor, which has received favourable press coverage, but he is optimistic that the market will catch up to what he sees as a service that’s ahead of the curve.

“The business model is still new to Canada, not a lot of familiarity,” he says. “When people think about advice, they think about sitting across a table with somebody; they don’t think online. Just [like] in the 1990s when online brokerages first started, people didn’t understand the concept very well in terms of them being able to trade by themselves using technology. But it changed. It took a few years, but it changed. We think this is exactly what’s going to happen with this as well.”

Pramod Udiaver’s five top financial tips for newcomers

Reflecting on what he could have done differently after immigrating to Canada, Pramod Udiaver, CEO of Invisor, offers five tips for newcomers to Canada based on his own experiences. He says given the many challenges immigrants face when arriving in a new country, these things don’t often come to mind, at least not at first, but can make a significant difference in long-term financial success.

1. Start early

One of the first things that I like to tell people is to start saving and investing as soon as you can. Saving and investing can happen together especially with business models like ours. You don’t have to think that you have to save first to get to a certain level and then start investing. How do you do that? You have to think about paying yourself first, before you pay your bills. Save, even if it’s a small amount. It brings you a lot further along as time elapses because compounding comes into play. Your savings will grow and your growth will grow.

2. Invest wisely

It’s about being in the market; it’s not about trying to beat markets. A lot of people when they think about investing they think about buying and selling, and buying and selling, so as much as you would like to buy low and sell high, because technically that’s the right thing to do, it’s not easy. Even professional money managers are not that successful. Spread out risks; don’t try to pick spots in the markets. This can be achieved pretty easily these days. There are very good investment products that are cheap and well diversified, keeping you in the market at a very low cost. Successful investors are those that invest with a long-term mindset.

3. Benefits? Yes, please

Make use of any employer benefits that you’re offered. It’s surprising to see employee participation still at about 70-75 per cent at the most on average. There are still quite a few people that don’t avail themselves of those benefits. Literally, you’re leaving money on the table because it’s free money. Employers are going to match you if you save. Pay attention, talk to HR and figure out what’s available.

4. Open an RESP

I would encourage immigrants to think about opening RESP accounts for their children. There is a lot of sales focus here: a number of scholarship trust providers with salespeople go out and try to sell these products that often are not the right products for the client. And a lot of immigrants subscribe to it because they get sold on the products. So my advice is to think through all the choices. Consider talking to a registered financial advisor; not just a sales person.

5. Get properly insured

People like to keep their insurance with their employer because their employer offers it, not realizing that when they leave the job, they no longer have that coverage. And at that time when you want to get new coverage, you’re older and most likely going to pay more than what you would have if you had that insurance on your own from the start. It’s always important to think about how much coverage you and your family needs and where you have it to make sure you have sufficient coverage for, not just your life, but in the event that you need another source of income if there’s a disability or critical illness issue that comes up.

— Sidebar edited by Priya Ramanujam

Losel Tethong is co-founder and co-owner of Toronto’s Propeller Coffee Co. By Saajid Motala

Walk into the spacious 50 Wade Ave. address of Toronto’s Propeller Coffee Co. and the hip elegance of the place hits you like a breath of fresh air, accentuated, of course, with the delicious aroma of their brew. Rows of long wooden tables are occupied by millennials typing away at their laptops, reading newspapers or just chatting over a “cuppa.” Propeller Coffee has quickly become a coffee destination of choice for the community in the Bloordale neighbourhood — a popular artists’ hub. Co-founder and co-owner Losel Tethong blends right in with his charming smile and passion for coffee culture. He has dedicated his career to creating the perfect cup of joe, at least since 2013, when he left his career as a sustainability consultant for Fortune 500 companies to get into the coffee roasting business.

“There is a greater move toward specialty coffee now,” says Tethong, who was born in a Tibetan refugee settlement camp in India and raised in Victoria from five years old. “The third wave [a movement to produce high-quality coffee that is seen as an artisan or craft beverage, with improved processes in harvesting, storing and roasting] dictates that we let the beans and origins of the beans speak for themselves. Like with wines, people are interested about where their coffee comes from. They obviously demand a higher quality product now,” he says.

Tethong would know a thing or two about quality; Propeller was named 2016’s Micro Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine, which is considered a top award in the coffee industry.

Seed to cup

Salt Spring Coffee co-founders Robbyn Scott and Mickey McLeod. Photo courtesy Salt Spring Coffee

Californian-born Robbyn Scott, co-founder of Salt Spring Coffee agrees that people have become more discerning about their coffee choices. “I remember when we first opened in 1996 on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, I observed customers taking a sip of our coffee and literally stopping in their tracks —  they would come back into the café and ask me what I put in their coffee — it was so flavourful!” she laughs. Like Tethong, she acknowledges that while there will always be a soft spot for the Canadian staple — Tim Hortons — the demand for quality specialty coffee is on the rise and here to stay.”

There is so much that goes into conjuring up that perfect cup, Scott explains. “Attention to detail is the key — from the way farmers grow their coffee, how they pick and then process the bean, how that bean is stored and roasted, ground, what water temperature is used to brew and even if the machine is clean or dirty — it all makes a difference. From seed to cup: it has to be a unique experience for the consumer,” she says.

Sustainably good

Beyond taste, there is also a trend toward healthier, sustainable choices. Roasters like Tethong and Scott are both leaders in this, as is Martha Bowen, CEO and founder of Latin Organics, a direct and fair trade coffee company in Vancouver that uses beans from her native home of Colombia.

“In the last 10 years, as consumers have become more educated in regards to healthier choices, there has been growth in the organic coffee industry,” Bowen says. “Drinking coffee and being mindful should go hand in hand. If you are going to spend $4–5 in a cup of coffee, it better be the best. Not only the beans, but the whole preparation process. Smaller coffee shops know this and they try to keep themselves avant-garde in the subject.”

Coffee love

Canadians’ love affair with coffee is without question. A recent Euromonitor survey had some eye-popping statistics — out of 80 countries, Canada ranked number one in coffee consumption, when counting up how many litres of coffee per capita were consumed.

Canada also scored third highest for the total amount of brewed coffee consumed both inside and outside the home — an average of 152 litres per person. Clearly, this country loves its java, no doubt in part because of the often cold weather.

“It is used as a comfort beverage. It makes people think that they will be able to survive the cold journey ahead if they have that black cup of java in their hands,” says Bowen. “The West Coast may not have the colder temperatures seen in the rest of the country, but there is a lot of rain. Here, coffee has become a way of life. You carry your mug with you, wherever you go.”

She adds: “In Vancouver, it is almost like a fashion statement; you have your rain boots, your rain jacket and, of course, your coffee as you rush throughout your day.”

Coffee is also about community. “Propeller is surrounded by an eclectic mix of high tech companies, local artisans, business owners and residents. We are known for our customer service and we also support new cafe businesses by providing consulting services and supplies to set their business up. It all lends to building a close-knit community — a socially aware community that knows its brew,” Tethong says.

Brewing coffee the Colombian way

Latin Organics owner Martha Bowen. Photo by Paul Joseph

For those who want a simple and easy way to make coffee, there is always the Colombian way. You boil your coffee — no fancy gadgets needed. Just a stainless steel smaller pot, to be used only for this purpose. Grind your coffee beans coarse. Place two teaspoons per cup into the water. Measure one cup per person of water. Once the coffee is in the water, bring the water to a boil. Let the coffee rest from the heat. Filter the grinds. Leave only the coffee. You can drink as is or add milk. Colombians like to drink a café con leche: half milk, half coffee.

With this recipe, you can also make a Colombian tinto. Just add brown sugar to your taste and serve it in a small espresso cup. It is like having candy in a cup!

— Martha Bowen

Manwar Kwan, RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant winner (2014), is now a Top 40 under 40 in Edmonton.

Alberta-based activist and 2014 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award winner Manwar Khan has been named to the Avenue Magazine’s “Top 40 under 40” list of the most influential young leaders in Edmonton. The award presentation ceremony was held on Nov. 1, 2016, at Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton.

Khan, a Government of Alberta employee, has been an active community advocate against violence and bullying since witnessing and intervening to stop a deadly attack against a fellow commuter on an Edmonton LRT train in December 2012. He is leading a movement in Alberta as an anti-bullying activist to create awareness against bullying and to encourage people not to be bystanders when they see such type of incidents taking place. Endorsed by Governor General David Johnston, who awarded Khan the Caring Canadian Award last year, the Alberta-wide campaign sees victims and heroes telling harrowing stories that will hopefully turn silent bystanders into active ones. He also takes his message to schools, where his most important audience waits.

His anti-bullying campaign, Do Not Be A Bystander, has hosted more than 15 rallies in cities across the Alberta, garnering support from mayors of both Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge.

“I share this award with my family, friends and all the people who are making positive differences in Albertans’ lives.” Khan says

Soulafa Al-Abbasi has always been good with people. The Syrian-born immigrant’s flair for networking coupled with her dynamic leadership qualities has held her in good stead in her professional life in Canada — she was recognized as one of Top 50 Atlantic Canadian Leaders under 40 in 2015. She explains why there is no greater skill to be acquired for a newcomer than top-notch communication skills.

You came to Canada for your master’s degree?

Yes, I did my master’s in development economics from Dalhousie University in Halifax. I always knew that I wanted to be Canadian. I have great admiration for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the way this country has been constructed. It’s very powerful.

After your studies, you stayed on in Halifax?

I later on was vice-chair of Fusion Halifax, a youth organization focused on improving city life. I was always interested in working with people — forming bonds and connections.

You have always lived in big cities — being born in Damascus, going to high school in Riyadh and then studying in Cairo — how was Halifax different?

It is definitely a small city (laughs), but the upside of that is that you get to know everyone. You form strong working relationships and you become a part of a tight-knit community. I was able to do a lot of good work there. I worked extensively at the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia as an employment specialist, before moving to Alberta.

What excites you most about your current role at Canmore and Area Health Care Foundation?

My main job is to raise funds for [health care in] Canmore and that means working with different people with very different personalities. The challenge is to understand people; for this, one’s social IQ needs to be high. I have to be strategic in my dealings with people and pull in various resources in order to create fruitful partnerships and also use my contacts to align various interests.

You stress the importance of communication skills for immigrants.

It is the single most important skill for people to be successful in Canada, or anywhere in the world, especially for newcomers who tend to be unsure of themselves when they first get here. They should try to learn the language before they come here and keep working on it. That’s how they will feel less isolated, by interacting and meeting with new people.

Volunteering has also helped you advance your career here…

That’s how you show your value to the community you live in. It is a great way to dispel any misconceptions or stereotypes that people may harbour about immigrants. Work hard at your day job, but find time to lend a helping hand in your community.

Any other tips?

Take ownership of your life in Canada — that is the way to feel Canadian.

Iranian-born author Marina Nemat. Photo by Saajid Motala

It was only in the safe haven of Canada that Marina Nemat finally allowed herself to break down. It was a few hours after her mother’s burial. Nemat sat down beside her grieving father and began to say some words of comfort. Before she had a chance, her dad swivelled to face her. “Your mother forgave you before she died,” he told her.

Nemat understood. Her mom had always blamed her for going to prison in Iran years ago and making the family suffer before coming to Canada. Nemat’s reaction was visceral. Since her discharge from Evin Prison 16 years earlier, she had never felt fury. But the dam had broken.

“Suddenly I felt this tsunami of anger just rising in my chest until I thought I would vomit,” says Nemat. She began to respond, but she was way beyond words. “What came out of my mouth was a horrific, blood-curdling scream.” She couldn’t breathe, so she ran into the yard. And collapsed.  That’s when she finally faced the hard truth. “I realized I couldn’t live the charade that everything was normal. I was not OK.”

Before her imprisonment, Nemat had been a feisty teenager who pulsed with power. “I was a loudmouth,” she says. She swam in the Caspian Sea in the moonlight, danced to the Bee Gees and flirted with boys. But she possessed a deeper side as well. Though her parents mostly talked of mundane things like the weather, gardening and food, she pushed back by tackling serious issues. “I decided to go against what I learned, which was a big body of silence,” she says.

It was this strident spirit that landed her in deep trouble during the Iranian Revolution of l979, when 16-year-old Nemat whirled from naive youngster to socially aware citizen.

“After the revolution, the meaning of cool changed from wearing the nicest dress to reading books on social justice,” she says. Then one day she went too far. She challenged her calculus teacher to teach math instead of propaganda. A few weeks later there was a knock on the door and two guards stuffed her in a car and locked her away.

Nemat’s brain was shackled along with her body. When she was dragged into the torture room, she felt disconnected from her physical being. She observed her feet being lashed with cables, felt the pain, but no accompanying emotion. And though she suffered through the execution of her friends, was raped repeatedly and had to face a firing squad, she never panicked. “I was ridiculously calm — like I was in a coma, “she says. It was only much later, after talking to a psychiatrist, that she would understand that the numbness was a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder, and protected her from an unbearable reality.

Though Nemat was released from the penitentiary in 1984, her mind remained under lock and key. Nobody ever asked her about it. At her first dinner home, the family talked about the weather. “Prison could not be named, because mentioning it meant opening a can of worms,” she says. Instead, her family hinted that she had to move on. An emotionally paralyzed Nemat played along, stuffing her unresolved agony even further into oblivion.

Fleeing to Canada

When Nemat, her husband and their toddler fled to the safety of Canada in 1991, she appeared to adapt seamlessly to her new home. “I looked and acted normal,” she says. She was fluent in English and found work quickly at Swiss Chalet. Nemat gave birth to a second son and was a dedicated homemaker. “I walked my children to school, cleaned the house and provided home-cooked meals every day,” says Nemat, whose parents later followed to Canada. She dressed well, styled her hair elegantly and never confronted anyone. But she felt empty inside. “I was a perfect robot.”

Nemat’s breakdown after her mother’s funeral marked the moment when that false façade was shattered, and the suffering she hid away years ago came rushing back. It felt as though her heart had died and been shocked back to life. “It was the moment I came alive.”

But becoming fully human again was tough. “When the leg falls asleep and then blood returns, you’re in tremendous pain,” she says. The same thing happens to the mind. When the numbness wears off, you’re no longer protected from unpleasant sensations. Nemat developed chest pains, nightmares and hallucinations of her mother wrapped in a shroud.

Prisoner of Tehran

That’s when she began writing her memoir, Prisoner of Tehran, which was published in 2007. She poured all her misery onto its pages, recounting her forced marriage to her prison guard, who died protecting her from a bullet. Writing helped Nemat to process the raw recollections that rose to the surface as her brain thawed out. “When you create order out of chaos, it helps you deal with it,” she says. The book received the “Human Dignity” prize from the European parliament.

As Nemat came to terms with her past, she rebuilt an authentic life. While her relationship with her husband, who was unaware of her first marriage, had been based on a lie, they grew closer after he read her book. Emotionally bonded to the world, Nemat recovered her old vitality. As her book was published in 29 countries, she began travelling around the globe to talk about her life and to bear witness to human rights abuses of others.  “Suddenly I had become visible as the person I really was, not as the person the world wanted me to be,” says Nemat, who wrote a sequel, After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed in 2010.

Helping others closes Nemat’s own wounds. “Activism helps me to feel that what happened to me will make the world a better place,” she says. One of Nemat’s most satisfying cases was that of Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, an Iranian-Canadian shoe salesman who was also incarcerated in Evin. Nemat lobbied the Canadian government to help and accompanied his wife, Antonella Mega, to the U.K. and Italy to campaign for his release. Their hard work paid off.

Mega invited Nemat to Toronto Pearson International Airport to meet Ghassemi-Shall when he returned to Canada in 2013. “When someone actually comes home, we celebrate and it’s a reminder that what we do is not useless,” says Nemat.

Memoir writing at University of Toronto

Nemat also contributes her expertise in the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies, where she teaches memoir writing. Nemat discovered she was good at helping others tell their own sensitive stories. “It is tremendously rewarding,” she says.

Today, Nemat is unstoppable. “My life and vocation is to make trouble when I see injustice,” she says. She sits on the board of directors at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, an organization that provides advocacy, trauma counselling and settlement services for victims of torture, genocide and war. She is also the chair of the writers in exile committee at PEN Canada, a group that aids writers who come to Canada as refugees after suffering persecution in their countries. As well, Nemat works with her church to welcome newcomers to Canada.

“I’m extremely engaged — if I take on something, I get it done.”

The Bahls deliver food to seniors in Edmonton with their franchise Heart to Home Meals.

In a difficult job market, many people turn to entrepreneurship. That’s what Edmonton couple Chetan and Roshni Bahl did this summer, three years after immigrating to Canada with their infant son. Both Chetan and Roshni have backgrounds in hospitality — the Indian-born couple met while studying hotel management at the prestigious Shannon College in Ireland — and were hopeful about the opportunities they would find in Canada.

Moving to Edmonton, Alberta

“In 2012, when we were looking at coming into Canada, bigger cities like Toronto and Vancouver were obvious choices, but when I was looking at job websites, I saw that Alberta had 7,000 jobs altogether, whereas Toronto and Vancouver only had a few hundred,” says Chetan.

They chose Edmonton, and Chetan found work quickly as a restaurant manager, while Roshni stayed at home to care for their son. She started working part time at a hotel when he turned three, but, with the Alberta economy struggling, the couple decided to start their own business. After some research, they signed up as franchisees with Heart to Home Meals, a frozen meal service that caters to seniors who live independently.

Aging population sparks business idea

The Bahls saw the entrepreneurial potential in the idea because of the aging seniors demographic in Canada, combined with their own background in hospitality. “Food and customer service have always been so ingrained into our lives, and this opportunity to bring this delivery service to the seniors of Edmonton is very much aligned with our core values,” says Chetan.

They believe in the importance of taking care of extended and senior family members — a family value that was part of their upbringings in India. “Seniors are such an important part of family. I grew up in a joint family in India, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunt and uncle — 14 people in one house!” says Chetan. “It’s so hard to see how isolated seniors can get. When we go and do the deliveries, we do small chats. They wait every week for the driver to come so they can have someone to talk to.”

“We have also come to experience how difficult and cold the winters can be here,” says Roshni, “so we hope this service can alleviate any challenges for seniors, especially those with mobility issues.”

Although their business is only a few months old, Roshni adds, “It’s going great. We doubled our sales in just the fourth week. The people ringing us are very happy.”

Heart to Home Meals franchise

Being part of a franchise company has made their entrepreneurial dreams an easy transition. “Restaurants and food businesses are very difficult to get financing. Edmonton once upon a time had so many restaurants; they close every day. But when we described our franchise business to the banks, they were excited,” says Roshni.

The nutritionally balanced meals are prepared at the company’s plant in Brampton, Ontario, and are frozen and shipped to franchisees like the Bahls, who then deliver it to their clients. Clients can pick from a menu of 200+ items, which also accommodates diabetic and gluten-free meals. There are no commitments, and the prices are affordable (soups are $2, meals are $4.95 to $8).

The Bahls strongly believe in the Heart to Home Meals concept and encourage other immigrants to find their own passion in business. “If you have a nice product and believe in it, it will work,” says Roshni.

Hasan Namir struggled for years in reconciling his conflicting identities of being gay and Muslim. Writing his novel God in Pink helped. Photo by Elton Hubner

Hasan Namir was just 11 years old when he immigrated to Canada in 1998 from Iraq. The decision to leave Iraq was prompted in part because people were beginning to ask questions about the young Muslim’s sexual orientation. In strict Islamic countries like Iraq, being openly gay is not only frowned upon, it is illegal, punishable by imprisonment, corporal punishment or even execution.

Moving to Canada was no quick fix for Namir, however. As a teenager, he struggled with his sexual identity. He spent many hours locked away in his room, reading and writing, both of which gave him comfort when he found it hard to talk to his family, who still held very traditional views about sexuality, despite now living in a country known for its diversity and acceptance.

Coming out to his family took a lot of courage, he admits. “Coming out has been a struggle, especially within the Iraqi community, as they don’t accept me and I’ve been kind of outcast,” he says. “Unfortunately, I don’t talk to my dad anymore, or any of my aunts and uncles, and lots of other members of our community. But I’m very close to my sisters, and my mom and I are trying to build a bridge together.”

The enlightened 29-year-old doesn’t hold a grudge, however.

“I love my family,” he says. “The fact that they struggle with my identity is never going to change the way I feel about them. I understand that it’s very hard for them.”

Writing a new life: God in Pink

Despite the disapproval he has faced, Namir has made a wonderful life for himself as a happily married gay man; he and his partner, Tarnpal Singh Khare, live in Surrey, B.C. A graduate of Simon Fraser University who comes from a family of writers, Namir wrote a novel about his journey called God in Pink. Published in fall 2015, the novel made The Globe 100: Best Books of 2015 list and also received the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.

Set back in his war-torn homeland in 2003, God in Pink is a revelatory novel about what it means to be gay and Muslim. The novel’s narrative is split between two characters: Ramy, a gay university student, who is struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, and Ammar, a local religious leader, who in helping Ramy discovers he has his own demons to face. Namir says that although he drew upon his own life experiences to write the book, the characters took on a life of their own once he began writing.

Although tackling such a controversial subject in his novel was not easy, Namir says he is delighted with all the support he has received. “This was my first book and I’m so thankful to Arsenal Pulp Press as they fulfilled my number one dream in life, which was to publish a book,” he says. “I’m very thankful for all the people there who believed in me, as well as my friends and family who have supported and believed in me, every step of the way.”

Although Namir’s not sure if the book has made its way to Iraq yet, he says he’s had wonderful and encouraging responses from other Muslim countries. “The book was republished in Turkey and I was very impressed with how open-minded people were there and I got a lot of great feedback. Because of that, I’m hoping it will get translated into other languages, especially Arabic.”

Namir says he decided to write the book for many reasons, but one of the main reasons was very personal. “One of the people I wrote this novel for was my dad,” Namir says. “I don’t know if he’s read it yet and I don’t know if he’ll ever read it. I wanted him to be able to understand me. I love my dad so much and I know he loves me and perhaps one day, if he reads my book, he’ll be able to understand me better.”

Knowing only too well the courage it takes to come out, Namir hopes that the book also helps others who are coming to terms with their sexuality, as well as being a continuing platform for debate and dialogue. “I hope that it can help us all be more accepting of others.”

Acceptance in Canada

For Namir, Canada is a symbol of acceptance.

“Moving to Canada has been the most amazing thing for me. Canada means acceptance. We have an amazing Prime Minister now, who supports and is a guiding light, not only for the LGBTQ community, but for all kinds of races and people,” he says. “There’s a lot of support in this country, for people who struggle with their sexuality. I feel like living in Canada has definitely shown me what it’s like to be yourself and not to fear judgment.”

Namir adds that living in Canada has definitely helped him to reconcile his conflicting identities. “For me, trying to keep a balance between being a Muslim and being gay was definitely a struggle. However I’d like to think that now I’ve got a handle on both identities. Some people say you can’t be gay and Muslim. But I say ‘Yes, you can,’” he says with conviction. “I went to Toronto last year and visited the Unity Mosque and it made me really appreciate things so much more. They bring both identities together, through the belief that God loves everyone, no matter who you are, where you come from, or what your sexual orientation is. It made me believe that Islam is a beautiful religion that accepts all people, no matter who they are.”

Namir today is busy working on his next novel, Son of Sodom, which he says is going to be a lot more complex, and is also in the process of publishing a book of poetry.

“I think the best way to spread the message of love is through education and sharing stories like God in Pink. When people listen to or hear stories about other people’s struggles, it really inspires a deeper level of understanding. Gay people are just like straight people. We’re human beings. We’re not any different. Hopefully, one day, we can put aside the labels and all live as one.”

A passionate arts reporter, Aparita Bhandari poses with a public art installation in downtown Toronto.

Bangkok-born, of Indian heritage, Aparita Bhandari is a well-known culture reporter, published in leading Canadian dailies and magazines. Bhandari talks to Canadian Immigrant about life, culture and journalism in multicultural Toronto.

Tell us about your background as a journalist. 

I came to Canada in 1998 because my father was posted here as the Consul General of India. I managed to get into the Toronto Star’s year-long internship program, and that started me on my journalism career in Canada. After working at the Star, I started freelancing for a variety of outlets, including the Globe and Mail and the CBC, and have also since contributed to magazines such as Toronto Life, Today’s Parent and Maclean’s.

As a culture reporter, what do you write on?

I love covering stories that show how Canada’s various cultural communities, who are so well-represented in Toronto, express themselves through their artistic endeavours. These may be cultural celebrations, but more often are plays, books, musical performances and the like, which showcase the community’s heritage, but also what their experiences have been like as immigrants in Canada.

Give me an example of a story that focused on culture as well as the immigrant experience.

I remember I once did a series of stories for the CBC Radio show Big City, Small World, which looked at subway musicians. I spoke to a Chinese musician, who played an instrument called the yangqin, which is like a hammered dulcimer. This musician was a classically trained musician, and she told me about her initial hesitation to play in the subways.

Back in her home in China, people who played at subways or train stations were considered beggars. But she was amazed at the amount of respect she got playing at the subway stations in Toronto. I immediately understood the sentiment behind her thought process, and also understood what an immigrant struggle meant to her.

How do your own experiences as an immigrant help you add texture to your stories?

I have been lucky to have had a fairly privileged life in Canada. But I can certainly empathize with people who come from racialized or marginalized communities because I recognize some common elements in their experience and mine. Sometimes it’s just those shared experiences that speak loudest. It’s funny the number of times someone I am interviewing has looked at me and said, ‘You know what I am talking about, right?’”

What are some must-do cultural activities you would recommend to new immigrants in Canada?

Get yourself a library card. That’s one of the first things. There is a wealth of information and knowledge there, and also libraries are incredible hubs of cultural activities — from writing groups to cultural performances.

Next, visit the museums in the city. This may seem like a no-brainer, but we take our cultural institutions for granted.

And look at the arts listings for your city. On any given weekend, there are a number of plays, performances, book readings, poetry sessions and so on happening. It may not seem like the most important thing to do as new immigrants are busy with jobs, getting their kids in school, but the arts are an important way to connect with the city.

You are clearly passionate about experiencing culture in your city.

Yes, I love that I can watch a perfectly executed thillana (a part of Carnatic music) or thumri (a genre of Indian classical music) one night, watch Bollywood or Korean films in the cinemas the next day, and hear authors from across the world read at the Harbourfront the following evening.

Actor Peter Keleghan’s Once An Immigrant follows his journey to Ireland. (CBC)

Is it possible for immigrants to let go of the country where they have come from and fully embrace the one they have come to?

That’s the question Peter Keleghan set out to explore when the award-winning Canadian actor and his big sister, Teresa, decided to take their mother back to her birthplace in Ireland for her 90th birthday last June.

Keleghan’s parents moved to Canada from England in 1957 and both describe their adopted homeland as the world’s best country. Yet his mother has refused to become a citizen while his father never looks back.

Keleghan, a TV stalwart with roles in numerous Canadian series as well as the soap opera General Hospital, invited a group of close friends for dinner one summer evening last year — all first-generation children of immigrant parents — and discovered the “ubiquitous” nature of Canada’s immigrant stories.

The candid and unscripted discussions of their experiences have formed the backdrop of the Montreal-born actor’s documentary Once An Immigrant, which premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBC-TV’s Firsthand.

“Where people came from is not as good as what they have come to. Behind it, we all want to make Canada better, more progressive and inclusive,” said Keleghan, a five-time Gemini Award winner, in an interview. “This is a love story for Canada.”

The trip “home” was emotional for Rita Keleghan, who was dismayed to see the historic post office in her hometown taken up by a McDonald’s restaurant, and the place she grew up in cut through by a new highway.

During the two weeks in Ireland, she caught up with her two sisters, Marie and Joan, as well as their baby brother, Frank, and his wife, Lil, to reminisce about the Ireland she left behind more than six decades ago.

Keleghan learned that Rita kept her Irish accent and refused to take Canadian citizenship in defiance against the British for their poor treatment of the Irish in the past.

“I would not pledge allegiance to the Queen. If you put a Canadian on the bill tomorrow instead of the Queen, I’m in there,” Rita said on camera. “I will go in and take my citizenship.”

By contrast, Keleghan’s father, Stanislaw Krakus, who was interned by the Nazis as a 10-year-old boy in hard-labour camps in Poland, claimed his Canadian citizenship as soon as he met the requirements. And it was the senior Krakus who encouraged his son to take up the less “foreign sounding” last name Keleghan to pursue an acting career.

A big challenge of doing documentary is the unscripted nature of the film, said the movie’s director, Michael McNamara of Markham Street Films.

“You just have to find those situations where you hope interesting things will happen,” said McNamara, who traces his Irish heritage to his grandparents. “There were constant surprises and we learned so much about the immigrant experience that I didn’t understand before,”

One of those surprises happened during Rita’s visit to her old stone schoolhouse, where she had an unexpected reunion with 93-year-old childhood friend Sally Hart. Later, after attending a service at a local church, she found the record of her baptism.

Keleghan also interviewed a young woman who recently returned to Ireland after going to school in Canada, reflecting on the most recent wave of migration after the Celtic Tiger’s economy crashed in the late 2000s.

A first-generation Greek Canadian and one of Keleghan’s dinner guests, actress Maria Vacratsis said it’s important to tell the stories of immigrants so their children won’t forget where they came from.

“Every time when we have a whole new wave of immigration to Canada, we see a backlash — sometimes from the actual immigrants who forget their heritage, turn around and ask what these people are doing here. It just never ends,” said Vacratsis, who has had roles in Degrassi: The Next Generation and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

“The more we know about ourselves and others, the more empathetic we can be. Otherwise, you lose your empathy. As Canadians, I hope we could keep that.”

The 44-minute documentary may not answer all the questions Keleghan raised at the onset of the journey, but it offers an undisputed conclusion.

“The truth is many of my first-generation Canadian immigrant friends and I have a lot to be thankful for,” Keleghan says toward the end of the film, co-written by Steve Lucas. “Maybe, this is how it works. It just takes a few generations for people to get comfortable here.”

Reposted from Toronto Star

Canadian Immigrant presents our fourth annual “Immigrant Women of Inspiration” special — for 2017, we chose the theme of immigrant women in the arts. In previous years, we have featured women in academia, entrepreneurship and female empowerment, but this year, we wanted to showcase how some extraordinary immigrant women are making lives and careers for themselves artistic paths.

Despite the challenges and stiff competition to make it in such creative fields, these five women — flamenco artist Rosario Ancer,  singer and TV host Ria Jade, visual artist Unaiza Karim, filmmaker Min Sook Lee and contemporary dancer Yvonne Ng —  showcase what a combination of talent, passion and determination can achieve.

While these women come from diverse cultural backgrounds, art forms and even generations, they all have inspirational stories — and advice — about pursuing their artistic dreams, and making an impact along the way.

 Here are their stories …

Rosario Ancer.

Rosario Ancer

Flamenco innovator

For Rosario Ancer, artistic and executive director of Flamenco Rosario Vancouver and the International Flamenco Festival, witnessing a live flamenco performance for the first time in her native Mexico set her soul on fire.

“The cry of the singer, the strum of the guitars, the female dancing — it really captured something that my soul was searching for,” Ancer explains. “I could not be at peace until I moved to Spain to study this complex art form.”

Move to Spain she did, staying there for several years pursuing a deep and meaningful education in all things flamenco, particularly on the theatrical side. It was there she also met her husband — a Canadian flamenco guitarist — and became a mother.

“We were both touring and it became too difficult as parents, so we decided to move back to Vancouver for two years, then to Mexico for three,” she says, adding that she launched a flamenco school and a performance group in her home country during that time. “In 1989, my husband really wanted to return to Canada, and I had to follow him.”

Though she left her family and, for the most part, her cultural background and heritage in Mexico, moving permanently to Vancouver sparked a creative flame in Ancer that has yet to be extinguished.

“That was July [when we arrived in Canada] and in September I started teaching,” she says. In 1990, she produced her first flamenco festival at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. From there “everything grew,” and in a few short years her Vancouver International Flamenco Festival moved to a larger venue at the Vancouver Playhouse. It celebrated 25 years in September 2016.

“It was hard at first because there wasn’t much of a flamenco community in this city,” Ancer says. “There were some people teaching the dance, but there had never been a school in Vancouver with a progressive approach to learning, nor a school where you could learn flamenco all year round with a mentor.”

Also challenging was warming Canadians up to the idea that flamenco is not simply a folk dance, but a rich, experimental and experiential art form.

“When I came here, most people viewed flamenco as entertainment performed in a Spanish restaurant. Yes, you can do that, but there is so much more to it,” says Ancer, who received the prestigious Lola Award in August from Vancouver’s Dance Centre. “I had to start the shift to get people to think beyond the clichés.”

One method she used to accomplish her goal was to choreograph works that were deeply meaningful to her and drew from her own life experiences — in her own words, “I felt the need to say something with my dance, both as a dancer and a creator.”

One of these works, Los Cuatro Vientos: The Four Powers, was inspired by the four directional winds that bring with them gifts and spur on the cycle of life. Ancer took the theme a step further, connecting it to immigrants who come to Canada from the north, east, south and west with skills, experiences and cultures to contribute. A second work, Mis Hermanas, tells the story of her own relationship with her sisters, who all remain in Mexico.

“Part of my heart is still in Mexico and part of it is still in Spain, but I am Canadian now and this country is also part of my identity,” says Ancer. “When something very personal becomes universal, when many people connect to it on different levels, this is what art is.”

Rosario’s success tips

“I think there is a bias when it comes to women, including immigrant women, who are driven to succeed at whatever it is they do. My advice is not to give in to the critics, who may call you vicious and stubborn rather than determined. You may have to fight a little harder than others, but have no fear. Always be yourself in your creations; if you do good work, meaningful work, eventually it will be recognized.”

Ria Jade.

Ria Jade

Songstress with heart

There are lots of fabulous singers around, but what separates those who just dream of being a musical artist and those who are living it? Talent? Sure. Connections? They help. Determination. Definitely.

But, perhaps most important of all, is the willingness to put yourself out there. Over and over again, even in the face of criticism and bullying.

Ria Jade understands all this well.

Born in the Philippines, Jade, 19, has been singing for what seems like her whole life. “There’s a picture of me at two years old singing karaoke in the Philippines,” she says with a chuckle.

Her love of singing only intensified after she came to Canada as a child. She sang her heart out on the local competition and performance circuit, especially within the Filipino community. But she was bullied for her efforts by kids at school. They also taunted her about her appearance and weight.

“They said, ‘you’re never going to make it,’” says Jade, who consequently struggled with anxiety and panic attacks, as well as body image issues that led to a battle with the eating disorder anorexia.

As she grew into a teenager, the multi-talented musician — she plays keyboard/piano, guitar and bass — began to better understand her mental health issues, and decided not to let the bullying keep her from her love of music. In fact, those tough times often served as inspiration in her own songwriting.

Jade has since produced and released her own music, with the unwavering support of her manager mom, Jackie Dee. She released an EP called Miss Volcano, in June 2016, with seven original songs available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify, and is currently fine-tuning a new single “Cherry Cola” that she plans on releasing very soon. She is often asked to perform her twist on alternative, blues, rock and indie pop at local events and venues, both in the Filipino community and more mainstream avenues like the Abbotsford Agrifair, Enchant Christmas Light Maze and the upcoming indie talent showcase RAW Vancouver on March 2, 2017.

Last February 2016, she was centre stage at Rogers Arena for the Balancing Our Minds (BOM) youth summit in Vancouver. There she sang her song “Snowflakes,” a touching melody about bullying inspired in part by the memory of Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old B.C. girl, who committed suicide after being severely bullied online.

“The song is about being fragile as a snowflake. We’re all so unique and beautiful and yet fragile,” says Jade who won a 2016 Music and/or Sound Award from Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for the song’s music video, which she also wrote and edited.

Motivated to help others dealing with mental health issues and bullying, Jade speaks out on the topic, and has even started a movement called Paint it Purple, to support mental health, equality, LGBTQ and empowerment. She’s planning a Paint it Purple Fashion Gala later in 2017.

“Since I was young, I always felt this drive to be out there for others and be vocal about what I care about,” Jade says.

Vancouverites might also recognize Jade as host of her own entertainment TV talk show, EveRIAthing on Shaw Multicultural Channel.

“I was performing at an event in the Filipino community and there were having technical difficulties with the equipment. So I just started talking to the audience so it wouldn’t be awkward. A  Filipino producer from Shaw Multicultural Channel saw me and asked me if I was interested in doing some hosting,” she says, adding it was just about being at the right place at the right time.

The busy songstress and TV host, who dabbles as a reporter on another Shaw TV show Indie MixTape, is also back in school, studying hairdressing. She says she wants to be able to support herself financially while she continues to pursue her music. “It’s such a competitive industry. While I hope to find a place in music, I don’t want to be struggling to support myself.”

Though she admits she’d love to be picked up by a recording label, Jade says, “I still have so much to learn. But I’m writing every single day, whenever I have free time.

“Everything has happened so far for a reason. Everything happens at the right time.”

Ria’s motivational tip

“I would definitely encourage people not to give up. Just because they say you can’t, prove that you can. Don’t be afraid to speak from your heart.”

Unaiza Karim. Photo by Saajid Motala

Unaiza Karim

Illuminating artist

Award-winning visual artist Unaiza Karim began her career as a secondary school teacher in the United Kingdom, teaching and providing in-class support to children of refugees. Life has come full circle for Karim in Canada. She, along with a group of private sponsors, was recently instrumental in getting a Syrian family to relocate to Oakville, a Toronto-area suburb.

“Earlier last year, myself and anyone I spoke to were just shell shocked by the images of the [Syrian] people having to leave their homes. We really thought we are living such comfortable lives and I don’t know how these people are managing given the things they are facing. We decided we couldn’t just watch this without doing something,” said Karim in a recent newspaper interview.

Her selfless actions are certainly inspiring. But Karim is also inspirational in her artistic pursuits, having carved a niche for herself in the art world, specializing in decorative arts from the Islamic tradition. Armed with a master’s degree in visual Islamic and traditional arts from the Prince’s School of Traditional Art in London, she has a special interest in the art of books and illuminated manuscripts. Today, the self-employed artist of Pakistani heritage is on a mission to make such art accessible to everyone.

“Illumination is a very specific skill. It’s about the art of the book itself — the binding, handwriting, calligraphy, and so on,” she explains. “Illumination is about decorating the writing and adorning the picture books with patterns in order to illustrate the stories. I focus on the decorative element of the book: the title, margin, top and bottom of page. I want to distill what I know to make it more accessible to people who have little or no knowledge of such a specialized art form,” she says.

Karim herself was inspired by scholar Martin Lings, the author of The Quranic Art of Calligraphy and Illumination, after attendinga lecture of his. On his advice, Karim sought out a classically trained teacher in Turkey who taught illumination at Istanbul’s Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.

Arriving in Canada in 2011, Karim started scouting out local markets and arts shows in Toronto to get a feel of the arts scene in the city.

“I set up my own classes,” she says. “I got together six to eight elementary school students and gave them an immersive experience in the arts. For example, one session would be Persian miniature painting or Ottoman art. We would sit on the floor and do drawing exercises. I did art sessions in schools, birthday parties and events at community centres.”

Her training as an educator further motivated her to devise programs for a wide array of people. “I discovered a huge interest in art by people who did not have any formal training, but wanted to have an experience. They wanted a day of relaxation — an artistic getaway if you please,” she says with a laugh.

Karim, a busy mother of two, recently wrapped up some interesting projects, including offering courses at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto on the floral forms decorating manuscripts in the museum’s permanent collection, and a range of freehand and guided drawing and painting techniques.

Having exhibited extensively including at the Gardiner in Toronto with a collaborative exhibit called Bullets to Butterflies (inspired by Noble Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai), Karim is looking to start on a new body of work this year. She is also planning an entrepreneurship-themed event for children where they can raise funds for a cause by selling handmade works of art.

“People are interested in experiencing something unique and if you find your niche and find innovative ways to get that out to the public, the possibilities are boundless,” says Karim.

Unaiza’s advice for artists

“Find other artists — you will be amazed at the amount of information you can find. Get to know your local neighbourhood, scout out what’s going on in the art world and be proactive.”

Min Sook Lee.

Min Sook Lee
Meaningful filmmaker

Min Sook Lee likes to ponder complex social questions like racism, inequality and nationalism, and she uses the art of storytelling to raise awareness of these ideas. As a documentary filmmaker, she gives a voice to the voiceless, and puts a spotlight on issues that have no easy answers. She’s an artist … she’s an activist.

Chatting with Lee, who also teaches a course on art and social change at the Ontario College of Art and Design University, is like taking a master class in the issues of migration, race and belonging in Canada — themes that are central to her latest film project, Migrant Dreams.

One of the Top 10 films at the 2016 Hot Docs Canada International Film Festival, Migrant Dreamsunmasks the hidden realities of migrant-labour exploitation. It shows the human face of the exploitation that often accompanies the temporary foreign worker program. Working stealthily, with a local activist named Cathy and members of the group Justicia for Migrant Workers, Lee uncovers examples of both mistreatment and environmental hazards.

“[I made] this documentary because I hope it is used as a tool for political change,” according to Lee. “At the same time, the women who participated in the film put their livelihoods at stake. And we were always mindful of this. But the goal is worth fighting for.”

She has focused on the topic of migrant workers in Canada previously, in her film, El Contrato. For this 2003 film, she received the Cesar E. Chavez Black Eagle Award for its impact on the rights of migrant workers.

Lee’s search for meaning in the stories she tells could be traced back to her own early immigration to Canada. She came to Canada as a young child from South Korea in the 1970s, and grew up in downtown Toronto in a working-class family. “I grew up behind the counter of the family store,” she says. “It’s a familiar immigrant story. My parents didn’t speak English. My sisters and I were a bridge between our parents and the country of Canada. We had to translate not just linguistically, but culturally and socially.”

Lee says her family faced a fair bit of racism and she struggled to find a sense of how she belonged in Canada, or whether she really did at all. “As I watched my parents try to navigate the Canadian system and facing economic and cultural challenges, while being themselves targeted by racism, I saw how disempowering it could be. That really informed my place in society.”

She says she didn’t see the stories of immigrants like her reflected around her. “Early on there was an idea of Canada where I didn’t belong and I wanted to challenge that. There is a cultural amnesia that is applied to how the Canadiana story is told and crafted,” she says, explaining it leaves out the stories of certain classes, indigenous people and recent immigrants from 1960s onward. “That, I think, really has been something for me to actively counter and address.”

The medium of documentary filmmaking is effective for telling such stories, but it’s not necessarily an easy artistic path.

“I’ve been working in documentary filmmaking for almost two decades,” Lee says, who explains that sometimes her films are in collaboration with broadcasters and other producers, and sometimes she pursues them as independent productions. “Certainly it’s challenging. We all struggle to find financing and support for our projects. Or then to get it distributed.” For Migrant Dreams, she raised money from multiple funding sources and then filmed for three years. The film was then picked up by Cinema Politica for distribution.

Lee is currently mulling over ideas for a new film on the topic of citizenship, but she has also made films on a variety of topics outside such themes of immigration. She has also investigated the world of policing and politics in Toronto her award-winning film Hogtown. As a mom of two, she wrote a film called My Toxic Baby, about chemical-laden baby products.

In addition to being an immigrant, she says, “I’m a woman, working-class woman, woman in arts and all these different parts of my experience inform my view of society and my approach toward storytelling.”

Min Sook’s takeway

“Find other artists like you with which you can share stories and build solidarity.”

Yvonne Ng. Photo by Brianna Lombardo

Yvonne Ng

Dance’s tiger princess

Dancer, choreographer, presenter, producer, curator and arts educator, Singapore-born Yvonne Ng wears many artistic hats. Of Peranakan Chinese descent,Ng moved to Canada in the late 1980s, where she completed an honours undergraduate degree in fine arts at York University. But, even before completing her degree, she co-founded dance company Dance Allegro, showing she would be a force to be reckoned with in Toronto’s contemporary dance community.

Since then, she has diligently nurtured an enduring career creating and performing works that reflect both her cultural heritage and her adoptive home of Canada, under her Tiger Princess Dance Projects.

This past November, Toronto’s DanceWorks premiered two of her newest works — a solo, In Search of the Holy Chop Suey, and a trio, Zhong Xin at Harbourfront Centre.

Her curiously named solo has a cool origin story. “In the 80s, there was a TV series called In Search of …  This TV series focused on searching for phenomena like the Loch Ness monster, the Holy Grail, Big Foot, aliens, UFOs and such. But they would never find the ‘thing’ that was the subject of that episode,” she explains. “For me, chop suey is a similar type of phenomena. The dish chop suey was created in the U.S.A. in the 19th century — its tangential relationship to Asia is the migrant workers from China of that time. As a kid in Singapore, I thought it was a Western dish and I coveted everything Western. For me, the ‘phenomenon’ that I am searching for in this choreography and performance is a meaningfulness in my own life.  I have come to believe that like the Loch Ness monster, UFOs or chop suey, the search may never yield one tangible complete thing, only fragments and glimpses.”

The award winning artist who received the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts – New Talent Award among many other accolades modestly acknowledges the mark she’s made on the contemporary dance scene in Canada. “Naturally, I hope my choreography will be seen as a contribution, but that is not for me to say,” she says. “Probably my most significant contribution has been as an organizer. I run a festival called dance: made in canada / fait au canada and I used to run a monthly series called Series 8:08. Those two programs alone have given paid work to hundreds of choreographers and close to 1,000 dancers over the last 20 years.”

She adds: “It is one thing to train as a dancer and perform in school shows, but to actually work professionally is a completely different experience.”

Ng is now busy preparing for the next installment of dance: made in canada / fait au Canada festival, which is set for August 2017. The festival lineup will be announced soon.

As an immigrant female dancer, Ng is often asked how to get established in Canada’s dance landscape. She has a four-point plan laid out for aspiring dancers who may also be new to the country.

“It begins and ends with what you bring to the job as a dancer. The things to keep in mind are:

1. Professionalism: that means coming to rehearsals prepared and leaving your cell phone in your bag.
2. Artistry: don’t be afraid to be yourself artistically. If a choreographer wants to work with you, they want all of you: your personality, your spirit, your individuality.
3. Technical excellence: you might be talented, beautiful and arrive on time, but that might only take you so far. It takes strong technical ability, adaptability to different aesthetic styles and grit to compete for work in this industry.
4. Presence: this is the “X” factor and it is something that is innate and difficult to define. Some performers are more compelling when they walk out on stage — it is a type of charisma,” she signs off.

More according to Yvonne …

“Another aspect of professionalism is networking and I would suggest that this has to be done with a true heart. You have to go out and see performances and connect with other artists and audiences.”