2019 saw important milestones in the Filipino-Canadian community in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Here are the top five highlights of a year that took Winnipeg Pinoys to new highs and lows:
#1 — Canada has recognized the contributions made to this country by Canadians of Filipino descent by declaring June as Filipino Heritage Month.
On its inaugural in Winnipeg in 2019, there was a month-long barrage of activities including the Manitoba Filipino Street Festival and many others.
This celebration not only thrilled participants and Manitobans in general but also boosted the confidence of Filipino businesses who cater to this growing community.
#2 — An incident that shook Winnipeg’s Filipino community is the brutal home invasion that resulted in the death of a Filipino-Canadian teenager.
This senseless random act of violence is significant because it tramples on our notion of peace and security that many immigrants long for in our new home.
As a result, Filipinos in many areas in the city, in the spirit of bayanihan, organized neighborhood watches to be more proactive in improving safety of their respective communities.
#3 — The news in the summer of 2019 included a curious case of a Filipino immigrant who called the public’s attention to the issues of homelessness and joblessness in the city.
Allan Par’s story represents the possibility that an immigrant could fail to establish a better life here in Canada.
Again, the Filipino community found another reason to unite and support a kababayan in his wish to return to the Philippines.
#4 — The Filipino-Canadian’s desire to feel like home was quenched with the opening of Seafood City in Winnipeg in November 2019.
Not unlike the community’s very warm welcome of the iconic Jollibee, now with two stores in the city, Winnipeg Pinoys lined up early to get the earliest glimpse and taste of home.
#5 — Launched in 2018, the Filipino Bilingual Program of the Seven Oaks School Division was paused due to low enrollment.
Considering that Tagalog is already the second most common mother tongue in Winnipeg after English, this program allows children of both Filipino and non-Filipino descent to get an upper hand in learning a language that will be very important in the future.
To support or learn more about the program, click here.
All these five events, both the good and the bad, brought out the best in Pinoys in Winnipeg.
We look forward to the events in 2020 that would shape the Filipino community in Winnipeg and the rest of Manitoba.
