Since 2019, hundreds of people have arrived in Thunder Bay from many parts of India, which has not only enhanced the city’s cultural diversity but has helped fill many jobs easing the labour shortage.
In celebration of Indian culture, A Taste of India will take place at the Italian Cultural Centre this evening with a sold-out attendance.
Akash Balaji, an executive committee and board member of the India-Canada Cultural Association of Thunder Bay, (ICCA), said the association was created in 1974 to foster cross-cultural understanding and preserve Indian heritage.
During the Taste of India celebration, a new logo and website for the ICCA will be unveiled.
Balaji said many Indian people are choosing Thunder Bay as their new home because the community is so welcoming.
“I, too, am an immigrant, and came here in 2019 as an international student,” he said. “I was welcomed and I felt the warmth in this community. I’ve been to Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Winnipeg, so many different cities, but the warmth and the belongingness that I felt here in Thunder Bay — I never had that experience ever before. The people in Thunder Bay are so, so nice, welcoming, and that’s one of the reasons I chose to make Thunder Bay home.”
Balaji added the people, the cultures, traditions, inclusivity and other factors are what’s attracting immigrants, especially Indians, to stay in Thunder Bay.
“The Rural Northern Immigration Pilot through the Community Economic Development Commission, was a huge success,” he said.
“A lot of people got permanent residence through that program, which created a lot of workflows to come into Thunder Bay, helping many employers, especially during the time of COVID.”
Balaji said another reason Thunder Bay is so attractive to Indian people is it’s cost effective to “make a life here”, especially for international students.
“When you convert the rupees into dollars, it’s a lot of money to pour into education,” he said. “The amount of fees that international students have to pay for their education, it’s literally three times more than the average Canadian would pay.”
He said to compensate for that, people choose Thunder Bay to pay one-third of the rent money instead of the higher rates in other cities.
“That’s one of the main factors that they choose to stay here, and eventually they get to know Thunder Bay is a beautiful city with beautiful people and so much inclusivity, supportive and small businesses.”
Balaji said usually people come here as a student first, most of them are married. They apply for spousal visa, bring their spouse here, and try to apply for permanent residency.
“Some people finish their studies, get a work permit, start working, get the permanent residence, and then apply for a permanent residence for their spouse in India. When the spouse arrives, they start a family,” he said.
“Typically, the family applies for visitor visas for the parents who are 50 years and above. They don’t get a permanent residency because they cannot live here and handle the cold and the weather. They visit here for a few months and then go back to India.”
Along with filling in the employment gaps, Indian people are starting up their own small businesses in Thunder Bay.
“When I came here, there were only two or three Indian businesses that were restaurants and the grocers. But after the COVID pandemic was over, I saw a lot of people striving to become entrepreneurs, creating their businesses and opening grocery stores,” he said.
Up to 270 people are set to attend the Taste of India celebration today. The evening will begin with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp and a traditional dinner. The crowd will be entertained by a variety of dance performances.
