St. John’s Marks World Refugee Day with City Hall Ceremony Honouring Newcomers’ Resilience
The City of St. John’s and the Association for New Canadians held a ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday to mark World Refugee Day, celebrating the contributions and resilience of refugees who have made Newfoundland and Labrador their home.
World Refugee Day, observed annually on June 20, honours the strength of people forced to flee their home countries. The event was designed to highlight refugee success stories and the ways newcomers enrich local communities.
Diversity as a Community Asset
Hussein Banisad, senior manager of the association’s Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada program, emphasized the value refugees bring to the region.
“Diversity is very important when we see people are adding to our community in many different ways,” Banisad said at the ceremony.
Sharing Personal Stories
Alhafez Osman, originally from Sudan, arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2022 after fleeing conflict in his home country. He told CBC News that giving refugees the space to share their experiences is essential.
Osman was among several newcomers who spoke at the event, reflecting on the journeys that brought them to Canada and the lives they are building in the province.
