Canada has been shaped by people who came from all over the world to build this country. WOW offers a platform for us to celebrate this history and the future it will help…

Alex Munter, Chair of the OLIP Council and President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre
The work and expertise that OLIP brings to our community is so important as it helps us to build bridges and break down silos.  I look forward to our continued work together. 

Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa
OLIP helps to unite and share scarce resources for greater impact by working together in the field of student education.

Walter Piovesan
Associate Director of Education, Ottawa Carleton District School Board
The City of Ottawa will continue to play a lead role in the implementation of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy, just as we did in the founding of OLIP.

Steve Desroches
City Councillor and Deputy Mayor of Ottawa
The target beneficiary of the work of OLIP is the whole community. In this short period we have planted together important seeds for Ottawa’s development.  

Dick Stewart
OLIP Council
We are very pleased to have done the “Opportunity Cost of Not Investing in Interpretation” report – it is so important to have clarity on these challenges and…

Hindia Mohamoud, Director, OLIP
The OLIP Council is committed to leadership.  In only a few years, we have a common vision and priorities, and are up to the task of implementing the Ottawa Immigration Strategy.

Salimatou Diallo
OLIP Council Vice Chair, Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario
My nomination is an indication that our hard work in building Canada is recognized. All we do is to serve the community in return for embracing us when we needed it.  

Mehdi Mahdavi
Ottawa Immigrant Entrepreneurship Awards Nominee
All the WOW events that I went to were great – WOW does give a sense of a community trying to improve its attraction and retention!

Caroline Andrew
Professor, University of Ottawa
I was happy to see integration to Algonquin territory and indigenous culture related programming in 2014 WOW. Please continue to involve local Aboriginal organisations and…

Linda Manning
WOW 2014 participant, Senior Fellow, University of Ottawa

2017 Welcoming Ottawa Week Calendar of Events is Now Live!

June 2, 2017

Here is an update on Welcoming Ottawa Week:

Calendar of Events
We are pleased to present the extraordinary line up of Welcoming Ottawa Week (WOW) events this year!  Our online events calendar is now live on our website and a print calendar will be available soon.  If you would like to receive copies of the print calendar please contact Hodan Egale at hodan@olip-plio. ca or 613-232-9634, ext. 318.

This year’s WOW is comprised of  more than 70 fun and engaging events that enable participants – newcomers or long-term residents alike – to express themselves and to connect through fun and engaging experiences that may produce lasting impressions and relationships.

The WOW Calendar of Events caters to many diverse interests – there will be something for the foodies, sports enthusiasts, and artists among us; but also for story tellers, film critics, community and social developers, and business executives.

A big thank you goes to all of the organizations, civic groups, and individuals that are hosting WOW events in 2017. Your time and dedication are truly appreciated. Each and every event this year will go a long way towards building a more vibrant, prosperous, and inclusive national capital.

Immigrant Heritage Walking Tours
As part of 2017 WOW, the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership, Heritage Ottawa, the City of Ottawa and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have partnered to offer a series of Immigrant Heritage Walking Tours. These 12 tours showcase the contributions of immigrants towards the economic and social development of Ottawa’s neighbourhoods.  Sign up today for one of these free tours!

Welcoming Ottawa Ambassadors
This year were pleased to receive so many exceptional nominations for Welcoming Ottawa Ambassadors Awards.  The recipients of the awards will be announced on June 20, at the 2017 WOW launch event, co-hosted by Mayor Jim Watson and OLIP.

Welcoming Ottawa Ambassadors are Ottawa residents who, in interacting with immigrants or refugees, have demonstrated the human qualities of openness, positive curiosity, friendship and connection across differences that can be so enriching, but is not always there or easy to achieve in our busy lives.

Help Spread the Word about WNow that we have a fabulous line up of WOW events, we need your help in publicizing WOW. Visit our website at welcomingottawaweek.ca for useful tools and information.OW

Help us get the message out about these wonderful events by using these hashtags: #WOW17, #SAO17, #Ottawa, #OLIP-PLIO and by following us on social media:

Facebook.com/OttawaLIP    twitter.com/OLIP_PLIO

Join us in participating in Welcoming Ottawa Week activities, with your families, colleagues, friends and neighbours.  Together, we can make Ottawa the most welcoming city in Canada – and why not in the world!

For more information, please contact Hodan Egale at hodan@olip-plio. ca or 613-232-9634, ext. 318.