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London·SERIES

Meet us at the London Multicultural Festival and tell us your origin story

Featuring newcomer stories ahead of the London Multicultural Festival.

CBC London is always looking for stories about people in our community whose culture makes the city rich

CBC Communications ·
This depics three people featured in the article.
From left, Sabna Altahir Osman Yousif from Sudan studies English to improve her conversational skills. Mixed media artist David Strauzz pays tribute to his parents who fled Czechoslovakia in the 1970s. Rasha Ramadan practices traditional Palestianian embroidery, passed on through generations. (CBC)

Newcomers to London contribute immensely to the rich tapestry that makes this city a vibrant place to live and work. CBC London is always looking for ways to tell their stories.

Below you'll find some of the articles that we've done so far. Does your family have an interesting origin story? How do you incorporate your culture into your life in London? We're interested in hearing about it.

Join the CBC London team at the London Multicultural Festival on July 13 for a family-friendly event showcasing our community's diversity. We're setting up an interactive storytelling booth and we'd love to meet you there. We've also got exclusive CBC items (while supplies last, so come early).

Check out this collection of stories to get a glimpse into the journeys of those who now call London home.

How long does a Canadian visitor visa take? 500 days later, these parents are still waiting

Every day, the number on the sign outside Alireza Azizi's London, Ont., home goes up by one digit.

The number represents the number of days he says he's been waiting for his Iranian parents' visitor visa applications to trudge their way through Canada's backlogged immigration system.

Alireza Azizi with his parents, Shakiba Babaei and Arzhang Azizi, who have been waiting 500 days for their temporary resident visa application to be processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Alireza Azizi with his parents, Shakiba Babaei and Arzhang Azizi, who have been waiting 500 days for their temporary resident visa application to be processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (Alireza Azizi)

Plans unveiled for newcomer housing in Old East Village as fundraising starts

London's Cross Cultural Learner Centre (CCLC) is hoping to start work this summer on a new apartment building in Old East Village that will be geared to newcomers.

The 247-unit complex is earmarked to be built on the current site at 763-773 Dundas St., between Hewitt and Rectory streets, next to the Aeolian Hall. 

A woman pulls a banner off a sign
Cross Cultural Learner Centre Board of Directors vice-chair Helene Berman unveils a sign that promotes the Doorways to Dreams campaign, which aims to fund a new 247-unit apartment building that prioritizes Canadian newcomers. (Kendra Seguin/CBC News)

How a circle of London women are finding healing through this traditional Palestinian art

Stitch by stitch, a woman carefully sews a deep magenta thread onto a tapestry, slowly revealing an intricate geometric design. 

There is chatting, and there is mint tea. But at the centre, a circle of women are gathering together to learn the traditional Palestinian art of tatreez.

woman stands with piece of tatreez embroidery
Rasha Ramadan says the traditional Palestianian embroidery is a kind of 'social healing.' (Michelle Both/CBC)

With affordability falling, is it time to rethink home ownership?

Owning his own home is a key part of Vishal Joshi's Canadian dream. But despite his efforts to pursue higher education, save up a down payment and work hard at his career, the economics keep moving the goalposts farther away. 

Newly married and 31, Joshi considers London, Ont., home but had to move to Brampton to get a job as a quality control manager for a manufacturer of sinks and faucets. 


Vishal Joshi would like to live in London, Ont., where homes are more affordable but his job is in Brampton, where prices are well beyond his reach.
Vishal Joshi would like to live in London, Ont., where homes are more affordable but his job is in Brampton, where prices are well beyond his reach. (Submitted by Vishal Joshi)

London's immigrants are more self-made than in other Ontario cities, report says. Meet two of them.

In 2018, Ozgun Papan Kasik and her husband left behind their stable jobs, sold almost all their belongings, and embarked on an over 8,000 kilometre journey from their home country of Turkey.

Now, in 2024, Kasik is one of many immigrant entrepreneurs who have earned London the distinction of having the highest proportion of self-employed immigrants of any major Ontario city.

Ozgun Papan Kasik, left, and Kay Habib on the right
Ozgun Papan Kasik, left, and Kay Habib both say the same resolve it takes to leave one's life behind and come to a new country could be why London's immigrant population is so invested in being self-employed. (Ozgun Papan Kasik, Kay Habib)

After nearly two decades in a refugee camp, this family of 15 found home in London

When some Canadian newcomers arrive in London, they seek out a piece of home from community groups and cultural clubs. 

But one newcomer family of 15 already has a sense of community by living under the same roof in their new Pond Mills home. 

Twelve people stand and sit on the steps outside of their home.
Some of the members of the family of 15 who recently moved from a Rwanda refugee camp into their new home in London's Pond Mills neighbourhood. (Kendra Seguin/CBC)

As newcomers to London region increase, so does demand for ESL classes

As Canada continues to accept thousands of newcomers every year and many make their way to the London region, the demand for English-language classes is also increasing, with a waitlist for some classes as educators struggle to keep up with demand. 

"I want to learn English to improve my skills, to communicate with people," said Sabna Altahir Osman Yousif, who is from Sudan and currently taking classes at the G.A. Wheable Centre. "I learn reading, writing, listening and speaking. I want to go to university to complete my studies."

A woman stands in front of a building. She is wearing a headscarf.
Sabna Altahir Osman Yousif is from Sudan. She arrived in Canada four years ago and two months ago sponsored her husband and child to come here. (Kate Dubinski/CBC)

He came to London, Ont., as a refugee. 38 years later, he's an Order of Canada appointee

A household name in London's music scene and the founder of the city's annual Sunfest music festival is among 78 recipients who have been given an appointment to the Order of Canada by Gov. General Mary Simon.

Alfredo Caxaj, 64, is being recognized for his contributions to arts and culture, and for promoting and celebrating diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism in Canada.

Londoner Alfredo Caxaj is executive and co-artistic director of Sunfest, an annual summer music festival that takes place in Victoria Park every July. Caxaj is among the 78 Order of Canada recipients.
Londoner Alfredo Caxaj is executive and co-artistic director of Sunfest, an annual summer music festival that takes place in Victoria Park every July. Caxaj is among the 78 Order of Canada recipients. (Submitted by Alfredo Caxaj)

London mural a tribute to his parents and every other immigrant who sacrificed for family

When the last drop of paint hits the bricks, David Strauzz's mural will depict a young couple side by side as they look ahead to a life together in a new country filled with hope and uncertainty. 

The portraits in spray paint are inspired by Strauzz's parents, who had to flee an oppressive communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1973. At the time, David wasn't yet born and his mother was pregnant with his sister. 

Mixed media artist David Strauzz with his half-completed mural on the wall of the Benz Gallery on Adelaide Street North. The finished work will feature a young man and woman looking at each other. The figures are inspired by his mother and father who had to flee Czechoslovakia in the 1970s for political reasons and start a new life in London, where David was born. .
Mixed media artist David Strauzz with his half-completed mural on the wall of the Benz Gallery on Adelaide Street North. The finished work will feature a young man and woman looking at each other. The figures are inspired by his mother and father who had to flee Czechoslovakia in the 1970s for political reasons and start a new life in London, where David was born. . (Andrew Lupton/CBC)

London's Argyle neighbourhood has a new nickname. Welcome to Little India!

Some businesses owners and customers are referring to London Ont.'s Argyle neighbourhood as the city's "Little India." 

Surrounding Fanshawe College, the east London community has become a one-stop shop for new immigrant families, along with international students.

3 men standing in front of a restaurant in London's Argyle neighbourhood
Londoner, Khush Singh, middle, has called these city home since 2019 and often travels to Argyle to find a taste of India. (Isha Bhargava/CBC)
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