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FUSION
FUSION People. News. Information.
VOLUME 17, ISSUE 3 2020
Group Publisher Sanjay Agnihotri
Editor Ramya Ramanathan rramanathan@metroland.com
Editorial Design Safi Nomani
Digital Media Developer Kamil Mytnik
Sr. Ad Manager Ricky (Kawaljit) Bajaj rbajaj@metroland.com Tel: 905 273 8170
Assistant Manager Laura Jackman ljackman@metroland.com
General Inquiries: info@canadianimmigrant.ca
Circulation/Distribution Inquiries: ljackman@metroland.com
ISSN 1910-4146
Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher
Publications mail agreement number: 40065097
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 3145 Wolfedale Road Mississauga, Ontario, L5C 3A9
Printed on recycled paper.
Toronto Circulation 30,000 copies Vancouver Circulation 15,000 copies Calgary/Edmonton Circulation 5,000 copies
CATHERINE ADDAI With hustle and heart By Ramya Ramanathan
Tell us about yourself
and lead stylist of Toronto-based clothing label Kaela Kay, which she describes as a lifestyle brand for the modern woman who wants to express her inner colours in an outward way.
With a degree in health informatics, Addai worked in the corporate sector for a decade. In 2017, she quit her job to focus on running her business full-time. Over the years, she has taught herself to sew, design, manage people, be a businesswoman – all with no formal training; as she says with simply “hustle and heart”. She has turned her passion into a successful six-figure clothing company.
In April 2019, she opened her flagship retail store Kaela Kay Fashion Boutique & Design Studio to offer her customers a place to connect with the fabrics, enjoy the shopping experience, express their personal style, and immediately buy and wear African print fashion and creative fashion. She has won many international and Canadian fashion awards.
I am a designer and CEO of Kaela Kay. I’m also a wife and mother to three fabulous kids. I was born in Ghana and my family moved to Amsterdam when I was three and lived there till I was seven. My mother and I moved to Canada and I remember turning seven here in my new country. We came to Canada because we had family here already and knew we would get family support.
Tell us about the work you do. What inspires you?
As a fashion designer and business owner, I am striving to build a brand and a business with purpose and stability – one garment at a time. My clothes focus on using prints native to Ghana but fashioned into modern North American attire. My team consists of three seamstresses, an assistant and a marketing representative – currently all positions are held by women, a fact that is very important to me. I’m inspired by women, working moms, boss babes who are striving to be better and build the lives they want to live – and do it all looking fabulous. I’m inspired by my heritage and Ghanaian roots as well as my Canadian upbringing and exposure to fashion and style. I want, through my brand, to share my heritage in the prints and share North American fashion through the styles – a beautiful
Canadian Immigrant is published five times a year in print. Canadian Immigrant welcomes submissions, but is not responsible for unsolicited material. Canadian Immigrant is a publication of Metroland Media Group, a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Entire contents property of Canadian Immigrant.
canadianimmigrant.ca
TORONTO 3145 Wolfedale Road, Mississauga Ontario, L5C 3A9
Tel: 905 273 8111, Fax: 905 277 9917 G hana-born Catherine Addai is CEO, designer
blend.
How did you get started as an entrepreneur? What are you currently working on?
I literally fell into it. My mother bought me a sewing machine and I started sewing for myself and a few friends – the rest is herstory. I’m currently working on a very special but super private project for August as well as a fall collection. I am learning to navigate the future of fashion in a pandemic. My boutique has reopened [after COVID-19] and I’m also focused on bringing clients back in smoothly and safely.
What is your advice to other immigrant entrepreneurs?
For me, Canada has been a great place to start my business especially one with such a cultural focus. My brand, my aesthetic and style has been very well received and growing. There are also a lot of great resources and support, some geared towards immigrant women in business. So far, whatever information I’ve needed or looked for, I have found the resource for. Visit government sites and find out about available programs and go for it.
news Canadian Immigrant launches industry-specific Web Conference Series
Canadian Immigrant has launched a new Web Conference Series – free, live, industry-specific virtual events, sponsored by Windmill Microlending, to assist newcomers with information and inspiration in their specific professions.
With more than one million immigrants coming to Canada in the next few years, and many more arriving as students and temporary workers, it is important to help newcomers integrate and succeed in Canada. With the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 in terms of what the near future holds, Canadian Immigrant has chosen to support newcomers with an engaging and insightful virtual series, as we have temporarily put our inperson large-scale signature fairs across Canada on hold.
Through these webinars, participants can engage in a myriad of career and personal development experiences, guided and encouraged by subject matter experts from licensing bodies, educational institutions, professional associations, skilled facilitators, employers and even successful immigrants themselves.
Each web conference will cover one specific industry to make it as informative as possible along with a Q&A to dive deeper into the topics.
The first in the series was held recently, on July 23, 2020, specifically tailored to internationally educated nurses and featured key speakers from across Canada who are experts in the industry.
The next event in the series, brought to you by Osgoode Professional Development, is on August 13, 2020, and will provide information and advice to internationally trained lawyers, an overview of options available and a roadmap of how to get there.
The following event on August 23, 2020, brought to you by the Information and Communications Technology Council, will speak to opportunities available for IT professionals.
To learn more about upcoming topics, line-up of speakers and how to join, visit our website at canadianimmigrant.ca/web-conference.
Whether you’re looking to get accredited to become licensed to practice law in Canada, or want exposure to Canadian legal theory and practice, you’ll find the right program with the support you need at Osgoode.
Register for an upcoming info session webinar to learn more about your options at osgoodepd.ca/intl-options
Choose from graduate degree and non-credit programs, including:
LLM in Canadian Common Law
LLM in International Business Law
LLM in Tax Law
Online NCA Exam Prep
Certificate in Foundations for
Graduate Legal Studies
YUELI’s Intensive Advanced Legal
English Program
Select part-time Professional
LLM degree programs
Canada’s leading legal programs for internationally trained lawyers and law graduates
FUSION
Have you cast your vote in the 12th annual RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards?
Top finalists for our 12th annual RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards have been announced and voting is now underway. While the voting phase of these awards was initially postponed due to the pandemic, we are excited to be going forward with an online awards event. We received hundreds of nominations, and our judges have had the tough task of choosing the top 75 finalists from such an inspiring and deserving group of individuals. Now it’s your turn to help vote for the Top 25 by viewing the finalists’ outstanding stories and voting for your favourites.
These prestigious national awards have always been a symbol for diversity and the importance of coming together as Canadians. Now, more than ever, we need positive stories of Canadians from all walks of life, all cultures and all regions to show we are all in this together.
All the award winners will be announced on September 8, 2020, on canadianimmigrant.ca and in the September issue of Canadian Immigrant magazine. Each winner will also receive a commemorative plaque and $500 will be donated in their name to Windmill Microlending as part of the $50,000 donation.
This year’s media partners are CityTV, Toronto Star, Metro Newspaper, Metroland Community papers, Sing Tao and OMNI Television.
You can vote for up to three of your favourite finalists at canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 until August 7, 2020.
A message of solidarity and commitment to diversity and inclusion: Editor’s note By Ramya Ramanathan
At Canadian Immigrant, we tell many heartwarming stories of diversity and integration. We share success stories of newcomers who’ve made Canada their home. We speak to experts in various fields who share their advice based on their own experiences about how newcomers and immigrants can build vibrant new lives in their adopted home. But, at the same time, we don’t shy away from spotlighting challenges and issues here in Canada.
We are committed to drawing attention to and coming together as a community, not just during times like this, with the shocking murder of George Floyd, but talking about critical issues of integration, diversity and inclusion on an ongoing basis.
How can we stand in solidarity in fighting racism and discrimination? How can we empower our communities to share their stories? How can we ensure that we go beyond our commitment to diversity to focus on increasing inclusion – in community and social settings and in workplaces?
This does mean change. Often, gender is the only checkbox that is taken into account – and, it did take us a while to get where we are at (and we have far to go!). I have often heard from our community and personally, in boardrooms and meeting rooms, that there needs to be adequate gender representation. But, when the question of diversity and inclusion arises, often there is silence.
I have personally witnessed and heard of conversations around recruitment for senior leadership positions or boards or thought leadership councils: “We are colour blind” or “Immigrants won’t make the cut for senior leadership positions” – how do we deal with these situations? How can we bring these conversations front and centre? How do we ensure a diversity of voices at the table?
What we need to do is to admit that there are issues. And that it’s okay to not have the answers. But we have to start making a conscious commitment to educating ourselves and making change.
It is also clear that we need to focus on inclusion (not just diversity!) in social circles, political arenas and corporate settings. This means making sure that decision makers, senior management, boards, committees and thought leadership councils are all representative of the audiences we serve and the country we live in.
Tackling racism goes beyond taking a knee at an anti-racism demonstration. Indeed, this is a systemic issue – yes, even in a big, vibrant city like Toronto and a country like Canada.
We need to acknowledge that it exists, talk about it and then, do something about it. The team at Canadian Immigrant is thrilled to see so many voices raised in our community. Now is the time to take some urgent action.
Because vibrant, diverse and inclusive communities do not happen in silence. Nor do they do not happen by accident. They take work, they require conversations, they need ideas to be challenged and it could also mean dealing with conflict. And sometimes, unfortunately, it is only when situations escalate that these conversations come to the forefront. Let’s keep these conversations going, be willing to believe that as a country, we are capable of having these difficult conversations and making change. Real change takes work. (Thoughts or comments? Send an email to editor@canadianimmigrant.ca)
Empower yourself through education and achieve your career goals.
ashton admission awards 2020/2021
At Ashton College we work hard every day to address the post-secondary education challenges faced by newcomers to Canada. Without acceptable credentials, career options are very limited even with years of previous experience abroad.
Our programs and courses are uniquely designed for adult learners who want to maximize their potential. For the past twenty two years we have been at the forefront in delivering programs and courses which are accredited, career-focused and relevant to the needs of our learners. And for the past twelve years we have invested heavily in delivering many of our programs and courses live online.
The Ashton Admission Awards for 2020/2021 are designed to help deserving students further their post-secondary education.
