In our city’s history, immigrants have always played an important role. They build our economic prosperity, diversify our culture, contribute to our social vitality.

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 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
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
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
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 Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre is so happy to have joined the OLIP Health and Wellbeing Sector Table. It is clear that OLIP cares about immigrants and refugees and…

Wendy Tang, Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre
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
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 WOW seminar on immigrant women’s nutrition and health was a step in the right direction towards closing the gap between academic researchers and service providers.

Josephine Etowa
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Ottawa

Faces and Stories of a Welcoming City Photo Exhibit at the Bytown Museum – March 9 to June 3, 2018

January 9, 2018

The Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership is pleased to have its Welcoming Ottawa Ambassadors photo exhibit hosted at the Bytown Museum from March 9 to June 3, 2018.

The Welcoming Ambassador awards recognize Ottawa citizens who go out of their way to support newcomers in their daily efforts to make this city their new home.

Welcoming Ambassadors are individuals who, in interacting with immigrants or refugees, have demonstrated the human qualities of openness, positive curiosity, and the friendships and connections across differences that can be so enriching but difficult to realize in their busy lives.

The photos were taken by Nyamulola Kambanji.

These are the photos and stories of the 2017 Welcoming Ottawa Ambassador recipients in this exhibit:

Mike Brosseau – Mentors through the Matching Program

Jo-Annie Castonguay – Overcoming the Challenge of Finding the First Job 

Bruce Grant – Mentors through the Matching Program

Aaron Kabemba – Student Helps Newcomers from Syria Adapt to Life in Ottawa

Murielle Lemay –  “Teyze” Murielle

Claudine Revert-Gravel – The Importance of Friendship to a Newcomer

Murilo Torres – An Uber Ride and a Promise