Catholic Centre for Immigrants – Ottawa

Volunteer just like family member

In Turkish culture, the term “teyze” mean an incredible aunt, sort of a half-mother. After Omer Livvarcin moved from Turkey to Ottawa in September 2016 with his spouse and two sons, little did he know he would find a “teyze” in the form of Murielle Lemay. “We first...

Video showcases refugee lives

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has produced a wonderful and heart-warming video featuring several refugee families. Some of the people you see in the video were clients of the Catholic Centre for Immigrants. The video was produced for World Refugee...

Matching up with mentors

As with many newcomers to Ottawa, Majid Al Yamoory, turned to the Catholic Centre for Immigrants’ Matching Program for help in adapting and integrating into to his new life. Through this program, the 74 year-old civil engineer from Iraq was paired with Bruce Grant and...

Cleo becoming a family doctor

When Cleo was a little girl in Taiwan, she dreamed of being a doctor. She studied hard and one day realized her dream. But when she moved to Canada with her husband, that dream almost died … until she connected with the Catholic Centre for Immigrants. Thanks to our...

Wage increase to help newcomers

It was a packed house at the Catholic Centre for Immigrants when two Liberal MPPs stopped by to talk about the impact a new minimum wage will have on immigrants in Ottawa. Yasir Naqvi and John Fraser, along with CCI Ottawa Executive Director Carl Nicholson, spoke to a...

Newcomers at Race Weekend

Being an avid runner for almost 30 years, how would I remember one of my slowest races? Despite the pain I endured during the 10K at the 2017 Ottawa Race Weekend, it will come down as one of my most memorable ones. And it’s not just for the beautiful medal...

SYRIAN REFUGEES