''Canadian Immigrant'' is a free monthly magazine and daily website for recent arrivals to Canada. The properties are owned by
Torstar
Torstar Corporation is a Canadian mass media company which primarily publishes news. It is known for publishing the ''Toronto Star'', its flagship and namesake. Torstar was purchased by NordStar Capital LP, which is currently owned by Jordan Bi ...
, and are currently published by
Metroland Media Group
Metroland Media Group (also known as Community Brands) is a Canadian mass media publisher and distributor which primarily operates in Southern Ontario. A division of the publishing conglomerate Torstar Corporation, Metroland published more than ...
, with print distribution throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
History
Founded in 2004 by
Naeem "Nick" Noorani, a
social entrepreneur
Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, Startup company, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to ...
who immigrated to Canada in 1998 from
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
, ''Canadian Immigrant'' aims at "informing, educating, motivating and connecting" immigrants across Canada. Noorani contemplated launching a magazine for immigrants following a layoff from his job as an advertising director for a technology company the same year. After successfully completing the
Burnaby
Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
Self-Employment Program, Noorani started the magazine out of his home in
North Vancouver,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
with some funding, several suppliers, an editor, an art director and himself selling the advertising. On April 28, 2004, the first issue was launched with
MP Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dev Dosanjh (; born September 9, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 33rd premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011. He was minister of he ...
and
Harmony Airways
Harmony Airways was a Canadian airline headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. It operated holiday flights from Canada to Mexico, Hawaii and Las Vegas. Its main base was Vancouver International Airport.Flight Interna ...
'
David Ho
David Da-i Ho (; pinyin: ''Hé Dà-yī''; born November 3, 1952) is a Taiwanese-American AIDS researcher, physician, and virologist who has made a number of scientific contributions to the understanding and treatment of HIV infection. He w ...
on the cover. Subsequent issues have since been published each month, featuring successful immigrant bios; columns from specialists in areas such as banking, immigration law and real estate; and stories of personal triumph. In 2005, Minto Roy became an ownership partner of the Canadian Immigrant Magazine.
In 2006, Noorani and Roy approached the owners of Torstar in the hopes that the later could take ''Canadian Immigrant'' national. By November of that year, the Star Media Group, a division of Torstar, was convinced of the idea and took over the magazine. A Toronto edition launched in March, 2007. Noorani retained the role of publisher but stepped down in August 2010; the co-publishers are now Gautam Sharma and Sanjay Agnihotri. The magazine is now published six times a year in print and online a
www.canadianimmigrant.ca The magazine now also hosts the Canadian Immigrant Fair in cities across Canada.
Canada's Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award
''Canadian Immigrant'' is also known for developing and launching the annual ''Canada's Top 25 Immigrants'' program (previously referred to as the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards). The program takes place online, and nominations are open to all Canadians. The program has three phases: nominations, voting, and winners announcements. The winners are featured online and in a special issue each year. First launched by ''Canadian Immigrant'' in 2009, this program strives to recognize "people who have come to and have made a positive difference living in Canada". The award is open to immigrants from all walks of life, be it a community advocate or volunteer, a successful entrepreneur or a cultural icon. At the start of each year, ''Canadian Immigrant'' invites nominations based on a variety of criteria, which range from contribution to community to professional accomplishments. A judging panel composed of, leaders who work within the immigrant or ethnic communities determine the shortlist on which the public vote.
Notable recipients of the award include
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...
'Superfan'
Nav Bhatia
Nav Bhatia (born July 9, 1951), nicknamed the Raptors Superfan, is a Canadian businessman and superfan of the Toronto Raptors basketball team. He founded and currently runs the Superfan Foundation to help unite people through the love of the sp ...
,
VANOC
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) () was the non-profit organization responsible for planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics. Esta ...
CEO
John Furlong,
[News Staff. (2010-05-25]
"Canada's top 25 immigrants honoured at ceremony Tuesday"
''680 News''. Retrieved on 2020-01-27 mental health activist
Loizza Aquino, father of three professional ice hockey players Karl Subban,
CBC News
CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...
anchor
Ian Hanomansing
Ian Harvey Hanomansing (born 1962/1963) is a Trinidadian-Canadian television journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)."Hanomansing's future is anchored in star potential: Pacific Rim host could be next Mansbridge". ''Vancouver ...
,
and the 26th Governor-General of Canada,
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson ( zh, c=伍冰枝; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as the 26th governor general of Canada from 1999 to 2005.
Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 1941, as a refuge ...
.
[Canadian Immigrant. (2009]
"Canada’s Top 25 Immigrants 2009"
''Metroland Media Group
Metroland Media Group (also known as Community Brands) is a Canadian mass media publisher and distributor which primarily operates in Southern Ontario. A division of the publishing conglomerate Torstar Corporation, Metroland published more than ...
''. Retrieved on 2020-01-27
References
External links
*
{{Torstar
2004 establishments in Ontario
Cultural magazines published in Canada
Monthly magazines published in Canada
Free magazines
Magazines established in 2004
Magazines published in Toronto
Torstar publications