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 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
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
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
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
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 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
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 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

Welcoming Ottawa Week 2019

Welcome to the Welcoming Ottawa Week (WOW) 2019 web page! Here you can find news about the seventh annual WOW, which takes place from June 17 to 30, 2019, including information about the planned events and tools to help you if you are an event organizer.

WOW is an annual, week-long series of dialogues, cultural and celebratory events, sports activities, documentary screenings, and other fun events designed to convey the genuine welcome and hospitality of Ottawa to newcomers. It provides opportunities for quality interactions among residents, long-term and new.

See the WOW19 Calendar of Events

WOW Event Categories

Educational Activities: campaigns that raise awareness about newcomers’ settlement, integration and contributions (including social media campaigns); learning seminars and workshops, film screenings, or book launches addressing aspects of newcomer integration in community life.

Community Engagement:  public forums, dialogues, town halls, workplace discussions, neighbourhood celebration of diversity, youth engagement activities, or school debates on topics related to immigration, multiculturalism, pluralism, equity and diversity.

Arts & Entertainment:  arts/photo exhibits, dance/fashion shows or poetry/music sessions showcasing artistic and intellectual contribution of immigrants and refugees or reflecting on the human experience of migration.

Formal Events:  leadership engagement events, events by embassies or local diplomatic corps, discussing topics related to international migration and resettlement efforts, gala’s that bring attention to or raise funds for humanitarian crisis in the world.

Sport Activities: sports events with immigrant populations or workshops on sports favoured by minorities in Ottawa such as soccer, cricket, Tai Chi, yoga, etc.

Please use #WOW19, #SAO19, #Ottawa, #CndImm and @OLIP-PLIO on social media to highlight WOW 2019.

Contact

Please contact Nyamulola, nyamulola@olip-plio.ca, 613-232-9634, ext. 318 for any further questions.