2017 Embracing Diversity Full Report

Embraced by the Community: Vicrum’s Story
A few years ago, Vicrum* and his family
moved from Toronto to a small town
in Huron County with a population of
approximately 1,200. Although a lawyer in his
home country, when they immigrated he could
not practice in Canada, so he went back to
school, upgraded his English and studied to be
an IT specialist. This led to a job in the hotel
industry that provided him and his family with
the opportunity to prosper in their new country.
With hard-earned savings they bought a gas
station and a restaurant. They wanted to leave
the concrete jungle, the expense of daily life,
the rush, the stressful commutes for work
and shopping and the resulting loss of time
with family for the chance to once again see
the stars in the sky and appreciate the open
wilderness and freshness of the country. The
family knew from their previous experience
living in a Canadian “small town” and having
previously visited Huron County, that this
community, close to, but not itself a large city,
could be home. Now, when friends and family
visit they don’t want to leave. They are happy
to spend a few days in the family’s beautiful
backyard, surrounded by open space and a
friendly community.
Highly adaptive and open to new experiences,
the family is actively involved in a community
that Vicrum describes as becoming more
like family than neighbours. And while they
may have less money to invest they make a
decent living and have created employment
opportunities in a community that has not just
accepted them, but embraced them. Their
24 Newcomer Experiences
restaurant is a favourite amongst the local
population and even attracts people from
smaller communities in the area. They have
ensured that the restaurant continues the
traditions of the community, supporting
families with the passing of loved ones,
wedding celebrations and other milestones
in the community.
His greatest challenge is finding employees.
He’d like to do more in the community, but
being unable to find employees means he
must spend more of his time in the business
and cannot take on other pursuits. He would
be happy to hire other newcomers, but the
community doesn’t attract many new people.
Vicrum believes big city people aren’t aware of
the benefits of living in a smaller community.
He believes that the government could be better
at building awareness of the opportunities for
a rich quality of life in smaller communities.
Providing support to interested newcomers that
want to pursue business opportunities in smaller
communities would go a long way. He believes
that assistance in business planning, small
business loans, and programs to assist in
writing resumes and speaking English would
help attract more newcomers to rural areas.
*Name changed to protect the privacy of the respondent.