Editorial - Canadian Friends

By Dale Sproule

I was born and lived most of my life in Western Canada. Neither Victoria nor Edmonton had large immigrant populations when I was growing up. So when I moved to Toronto six years ago, it was a bit of a culture shock for me, even though I was born in this country. I found myself living in Little India and working with Italians, Portuguese, Hungarians and Persians and I was very happy to learn about their cultures. My little world expanded quickly.

In 2002, I was hired as editor at an industry publication. One of my co-workers was a Persian man, who, with his wife, was struggling with many of the problems and issues that face newcomers to Canada. I came to understand and to be outraged by many of their difficulties. I assisted as much as I could, simply by giving advice, helping him with English and lending a sympathetic ear. This helped more than I could imagine. As his first real Canadian friend, working within a culture I understood completely, I discovered that my knowledge and guidance could make a real difference.

Wouldn’t it be nice, I thought, if everyone had a Canadian friend to help them understand and fit into their new culture. And so, the seeds of Canadian Newcomer Magazine were planted. We hope that you will come to consider us your Canadian friends.

Dale Sproule
Editor

CNM