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 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
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
I’m really impressed with the level of energy and commitment around the Health and Wellbeing table and look forward to continuing collaboration between OLIP and OPH.

Marcela Tapia
Ottawa Public Health
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
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
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 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 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
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

Welcoming Ottawa Week 2018

Welcome to the Welcoming Ottawa Week (WOW) 2018 web page! Here you can find news about the sixth annual WOW, 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.

Calendar of Events

View the 2018 WOW 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.

WOW Stories

News Release 2018 WOW:  More than 70 events planned for 2018 Welcoming Ottawa Week – June 18 to 30

Multicultural Colours: Art Workshop with Immigrant and Community Seniors

Welcoming Ottawa Mural Begins to Take Shape – By the Community for the Community

Exploring Magnet and partnership models to advance immigrant employment

Social Media

Please use #WOW18, #SAO18, #Ottawa, #CndImm and @OLIP-PLIO on social media to highlight WOW 2018.

2018 Welcoming Ottawa Week Chair

We are delighted to have Sarah Onyango as the Chair of WOW 2018. Read more about Sarah here.

Communications Toolkit for Event Organizers

A helpful toolkit has been developed for event organizations.

Contact

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