So much to gain from more diversity in our communities

It’s certain that economic growth in the province, and particularly the county, will be dependent on population growth. And our aging population doesn’t have the wherewithal, to put it delicately, to fulfill that need.

The Ivany Report was clear that “there are only two ways to grow the population significantly over the medium term: expanded international immigration, and substantial net inflows from inter-provincial migration”; and interprovincial flows are likely to continue in the reverse direction for some time to come.

As for increased levels of international immigration, some may harbour concerns that large numbers of new arrivals from “non-traditional” parts of the world may stir up racist elements in our communities, and that this would be too high a price to pay, even for the hoped-for economic growth.

On the other hand, there is much to be gained by extending a welcoming hand to people from distant lands. For example, last week I was given a fine box of chocolates for my birthday produced by the Syrian Hadhad family in Antigonish, their new home.

When the family arrived in Canada two years ago, they were determined to rebuild their chocolate business that was bombed in their home country.

And they vowed to give back to Antigonish after the community raised thousands of dollars to help them in leaving behind their refugee camp. Just weeks after their arrival, they began making chocolates in their kitchen and selling them at the local farmer's market.

Their company, “Peace By Chocolate”, now employs 25 people, and is in the process of hiring 25 more. Demand is so high for their high quality, and beautifully packaged product, that the chocolate makers now work day and evening shifts to meet growing sales. And word of their success, and the generosity of the local community, has spread beyond Canada.

This encouraging story comes as no surprise, given what I have learned about the kindness of communities in this part of the province; and it reminded me of the culture I left behind in Wales, when I emigrated to Canada in the sixties.

I grew up in Cardiff, the Welsh capital, with about the same population as Halifax. As a major seaport in the past, shipping boatloads of Welsh anthracite coal around the world, it quickly became home for many workers from overseas, creating a healthy ethnic mix in South Wales.

Immigrant families of many of my school-mates made their homes there, with new generations acquiring as thick a Welsh accent as you could wish to hear. The major contributing factor back then was the welcoming, non-judgemental Welsh culture that continues to this day… and I clearly see those same qualities in the people of our province, particularly in Cumberland County. Isn’t that why we love it here?

see, Wales has always been an underdog to England, with its power center in London, in very much the same way that some of us think of Halifax - that larger population centre a two-hour drive to the east of us, as London is coincidentally distant from Cardiff.

And South Wales has in the past been as financially challenged as our county with higher levels of unemployment and lower family incomes. I believe these similarities between our two populations have influenced both our respective values and the way we treat others, no matter where their origins.

I also believe this will influence how we in Cumberland County welcome new arrivals into our community, and bring success in great measure, if the recent Welsh experience is any guide.

For example, a 2011 census of Cardiff's population showed the ethnic make-up to be almost 20% non-white, made up of Caribbean, Asian, and Middle Eastern immigrant families, representing almost 53,000 people residing in the city. This diversity has been celebrated in a number of cultural exhibitions and events and is said to have contributed to a major reinvention of the city of Cardiff.

Perhaps as important, statistics capturing the number of racially motivated hate crimes in England and Wales from April 2016 to March 2017 showed that South Wales had the fewest such crimes by far of the twelve regions tracked, despite the racial diversity in Cardiff, its major population centre. Can this be attributed to an inclusive, welcoming culture? I believe so.

If that was not enough evidence of Cardiff’s revitalisation, the National Geographic Magazine ranked the Welsh capital as one of the world's top 10 summer destinations for 2011, stating that: “Historically a city of castles and coal, Wales’s capital is emerging as a modern sports-entertainment destination”.

Can this be attributed in some small part to the energy and entrepreneurialism the new arrivals brought to the city in recent years? And was that made possible by the openness to change and the generosity of the local population, that we can learn from? Again, the answers to both those questions are very clear to me.

So, lets build on the good work we have already achieved in welcoming immigrants and refugees and plan to do more as we prepare to reinvent our own corner of the world.

Alan Walter is a retired professional engineer living in Oxford. He was born in Wales and worked in Halifax. He spends much of his time in Oxford, where he operates a small farm. He can be reached at [email protected].