News

There was a wonderful snapshot in two parts from Global Regina News ("Oh, it's a big change": rural Saskatchewan embraces multiculturalism) reminding us of the welcoming nature of Hazlet, approximately 65 kms northwest of Swift Current. The village is involved in an International school program, hosting students from around the globe, who desire education with English instruction. The recent flood of immigration to Saskatchewan compares to the influx of new citizens at the turn of the 20th century. They brought their dreams and cultural practices to the "Last Best West". Then, as now, newcomers were greeted with suspicion and fear. Hazlet's experience involves having foreign high school students immerse themselves in the lives of rural Saskatchewan families. Each group has learned to appreciate the other's habits, teachings, seasons and belief systems. "Our kids’ opportunity to have access to all of these different cultures has also been such an amazing experience,” added Kristy Sletten, Chinook School principal, noting it’s given the students from Hazlet global connections and challenged the stereotypes of what is rural Saskatchewan." (Global Regina News interview) The Global News story goes on to examine the arrival of so many cultures into small cities or towns and the candid revelations of immigrants regarding the support or alienation they met.  An 1987 immigrant to Swift Current called it a 'sort of racism' - being ignored, not having their greetings returned. Why did they move here? Simply put, it was the pull of Saskaboom’s economic development. It was a families' desire to improve their living conditions. In some cases people were fleeing persecution and horrendous human rights violations in their home countries. It was the very reasons people moved here at the turn of the 20th century. Sometimes governments courted citizens of particular countries believing they could adapt to the environment and the land. Immigrants' reception wasn't always favourable in 1911. And as much as we like to believe we're enlightened a hundred years on, it hasn't been entirely successful now. At least we hope now that mutual misunderstandings and fears have a short shelf life. It might be this global family thing. But I remember a tale told by an RAF recruit who moved from his home in England for training in Moose Jaw. While here he fell in love and married before shipping out to the India and Burma campaigns. His Moose Jaw bride was a daughter of Hungarian immigrants. His marriage caused a rift with his parents. His counterpoint was that if her brothers were good enough to fight alongside, she was good enough to marry. (Somewhat of a backhanded compliment, but in terms his parents could understand.) "War was the great equalizer", he told me. UNESCO's 2003 definition of intangible heritage / living heritage reads, in part: ... "This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity." Community connectedness may not be enough for achieving world peace, but it's a start right here in Saskatchewan.