‘GIVE THEM A HAND, LEND THEM SUPPORT’
Feeling part of a community is important. Just ask Tareq Hadhad, CEO of Peace By Chocolate in Antigonish, N.S. He and his family are refugees from Syria who came to Canada in 2015 and 2016. Hadhad’s father owned a chocolate factory in Damascus that was bombed during the war. Today, they own a thriving chocolate factory in their new town. Hadhad said he was extremely impressed not just with how much support his family received from the community when they arrived, but by the sheer number of opportunities available to him as a newcomer. Those opportunities included things like startup grants and other funding opportunities. It was that support, he says, that helped set his family up for success in their new home. “Offering resources and opportunities is the key for accelerating the integration of new immigrants,” he says. “Know that some people, when they arrive here, they would be hesitant to ask about what can they do or what is available. I think for the first step, offer immigrants kindness, give them a hand, lend them support, and they will succeed much faster.” With a little help to get on their feet, Hadhad said newcomers can be an invaluable asset to the Canadian economy. “Newcomers are joining the fabric of this country, they come here with a fresh set of eyes, so they screen the whole society and they really figure out the gaps way faster than us that have been living here a long time or people who were born here,” he says. “They certainly don't take anything for granted, they work very hard and they try to find opportunities for themselves.” Just last month, Peace By Chocolate announced it will hire 50 refugees by 2022 as well as provide mentorship and guidance to 10 refugee startups to develop their business. “We're trying to focus on hiring locals first, bring them back (from Ontario or Alberta), offering jobs to Canadians but ... also offering opportunities for those who are trying to come to this country and taking advantage of the programs that the government is making like the Atlantic (Immigration) Pilot,” he says.