The North Bay & District
Multicultural Centre opened in January 2008 at 374 Fraser Street.
It came about as the result of more than two years of work by the
North Bay Newcomer Network, spearheaded by the Mayor's Office of Economic
Development.
The Centre was a project
of Young People's Press, a nonprofit incorporated organization, governed
by a volunteer board of directors. Young People's Press has a long
history of leading anti-racism and organizational change projects
across Canada. Since then the Centre was incorporated in its own right
with the same board of directors.
We are the federal government-delegated
provider of Immigrant Support and Adaptation Program (ISAP) services
and the Host volunteer program.
One-on-one job search support
will be provided and referrals may be made to other appropriate employment
agencies.
We offer a full range of
confidential settlement services and newcomer information. Drop by
and see us or phone ahead for an appointment.
Executive
Director
Don Curry
doncurry@nbdmc.ca
Don
Curry has lived in most Canadian provinces, England and Germany. A
former newspaper reporter and editor, he has been in North Bay for
30 years, working as a journalism professor and public affairs director
at Canadore College, vice-president of The Canadian Centre for Social
Justice, and executive director of The Canadian Ecology Centre, Young
People's Press and the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre.
Don and his wife Mary have two adult boys, Bill and Christopher, daughter-in-law
Amy and the love of their lives, granddaughter Megan. Don volunteers
in the community as a member of the board of North Bay General Hospital.
Acting
Program Coordinator
Deborah Robertson
deborahrobertson@nbdmc.ca
Deborah
Robertson emigrated to Canada from England in 2008 after working in
the book publishing industry in London. She immediately got involved
as a volunteer with the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre,
both in the office and as a Host program volunteer. Deborah is replacing
Program Coordinator Ann Welsh, who is on academic leave from September
1, 2009 through April 30, 2010. Deborah and husband Chris purchased
a home in North Bay and are active members of the community.
Office
Manager
Tara Gillies
taragillies@nbdmc.ca
Tara
Gillies spent her early years in Nigeria and has been with Young People's
Press for many years. She keeps our financial records and is the Iron
Lady of allocating office supplies. She designed this website, and
many others, and assists with special events. Tara enjoys an active
life in the country with her husband Mike and son Ryan.
Host
Program
Vindra Sahadeo
vindrasahadeo@nbdmc.ca
Vindra
Sahadeo came to North Bay from Trinidad & Tobago in 2008 and worked
at Nipissing University while volunteering at the North Bay &
District Multicultural
Centre, where she now works full-time. Vindra has an M.A. degree in
psychology and many years of experience as a high school and university
teacher. Vindra and husband Ram purchased a home in North Bay and
quickly became part of the community. Their daughter, Anusha, is a
student at Chippewa Secondary School.
Settlement
Program
Taslima Ahmed
taslimaahmed@nbdmc.ca
Taslima
Ahmed is originally from Bangladesh and can communicate in English,
Bengali, Urdu and Hindi. She is also able to read and write Arabic.
She is a graduate of the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, with a
Master of Arts degree in Sociology. She is also a graduate of the
Social Service Worker Program at Canadore College. The University
of Toronto evaluated her degree as a four-year Bachelor's degree in
sociology. She lives in North Bay with her husband, Ainul. Taslima
looks forward to helping you with your settlement needs, including
one-on-one employment assistance.
North
Bay Newcomer Network
Project Officer
Laura-Jane Coté
laurajanecote@nbdmc.ca
Laura-Jane
Coté took an early retirement from the Ontario Government to
return to North Bay. She held a number of senior management positions
with the Ontario Public Service and led a variety of initiatives aimed
at transforming service delivery across the environmental and human
service sectors. She works from the North Bay & District Multicultural
Centre for the North Bay Newcomer Network, a consortium of local partners
working on a variety of immigration issues in the region.
Settlement
Intern
Cindy
Collins
cindycollins@nbdmc.ca
Cindy
Collins is a recent graduate from Nipissing University with a B.A.
(Hons.) in Regional Planning and International Development. She was
born and raised in the beautiful city of North Bay. This past summer
she spent three months in Madagascar volunteering for a non-governmental
organization doing both humanitarian and conservation work. Upon return,
she continued volunteering at the North Bay & District Multicultural
Centre in the front office where she now interns as a Settlement Counsellor.
Cindy provides client services in both English and
French.
Outreach
Intern
Aaron Fallon
aaronfallon@nbdmc.ca
Aaron
Fallon is a recent graduate of Nipissing University and a born and
raised local to North Bay. Throughout his time at Nipissing University
he made many strong connections with his peers and professors while
participating in a multitude of school events. Aaron has a B.A. (Hons.)
in Sociology and plans to continue his education once he has furthered
his community service experience.
French
Outreach Intern
Jessica Boissonneault
jboissonneault@nbdmc.ca
Jessica
Boissonneault is a recent graduate of Canadore College's Advertising
& New Media program. Born and raised in North Bay, Jessica completed
high school in both official languages, graduating with her French/English
bilingual certificate. After moving to Niagara Falls, then later to
Barrie to attend post-secondary studies, Jessica found herself back
in North Bay with a newfound appreciation for the city's education
institutions. While attending Canadore College, Jessica's professors
encouraged her to develop her creative ideas, setting new benchmarks
for those students around her. After graduating, Jessica began freelance
advertising for nonprofit organizations, where she then met some of
North Bay's most dedicated professionals. Jessica is full of energy
and is excited
to now be a part
of NBDMC's growing team as a FedNor intern.
Francophone
Outreach Coordinator
Maryline Pillet
mpillet@nbdmc.ca
Maryline
Pillet emigrated to Canada from France in 2007. She began her Canadian
experience in Alfred, Ontario and later moved to Powassan. Maryline
is educated in a multiplicity of subjects, holding an M.A. in Language
and Italian Literature. Her professional experience is as far reaching
as her native country, with backgrounds in agriculture, coaching,
counseling, translating, and teaching. She is able to communicate
fluently in four languages; English, French, Italian and Spanish,
and is always ready to embrace new languages as opportunities to further
her life experiences.
For General Information
info@nbdmc.ca