West Kootenay Local Immigration Partnership

10/12/2026

🦃🌽Happy Thanksgiving to you all! 🍂🍁

WKLIP and Basin Alliance for Literacy offices will be closed today.

📜Thanksgiving has been officially celebrated as an annual holiday in Canada since November 6, 1879 and celebrates the harvest of crops, fruit and vegetables after a long summer of growing.

🧅Foods traditionally served at Thanksgiving include roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, various =vegetables including squashes, but also Brussels sprouts, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and glazed yams.

10/10/2026

👥 Today is World Mental Health Day, an international day for mental health education, awareness and working against social stigma. Mental health affects us all, and being a newcomer can place additional strains on our wellbeing.

💻The Canadian government has collected resources and advice for newcomers struggling with their mental health on this page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/settle-canada/health-care/mental-health.html

🗨 For help navigating services, newcomers can reach out to their local settlement organization - in the West Kootenays, that is of course Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy !

📞There is a support service for those experiencing racism, the Racist Incident Hotline, which can provide support in over 240 languages, and can be reached at: 1-833-457-5463. You can also report discrimination to Intercultural Kootenays who will believe you and guide you with next steps - see their website for details.

10/06/2026

☪October is Canadian Islamic History Month! ☪

🕌October has marked the celebration of Islamic heritage in Canada since 2007, and recognizes the many significant contributions Muslims have made to Canadian society. This is a time to reflect, celebrate, learn, and appreciate the diversity within Canada’s Muslim communities.

🎬From poetry, film, and the arts to spiritual and philosophical knowledge, Muslims continue to enrich the the world and Canada.

📸 Al Omah Al Islamia mosque in Montreal, Quebec.

❓Find out more at https://www.islamichistorymonth.ca/ or by following Islamic History Month Canada !

10/01/2026

🍁October is Women’s History Month in Canada, a time to celebrate the leadership, innovation, and determination of women and girls. This month is about highlighting the achievements of women and girls, past and present, who have shaped Canada in fields like politics, science, arts, business, and the economy. 🏆

📜In 1992, the Government of Canada designated October as Women’s History Month. Today falls on the same day as Persons Day, which remembers the 1929 “Persons Case,” when the Famous Five fought to have women legally recognized as people under the British North America Act, securing the right to sit in the Senate.

📈Women’s History Month also shines a light on the inequalities women still face, such as wage gaps, underrepresentation in leadership, and barriers to entering and advancing in the workforce, and the need to work together toward lasting change.

Follow Women and Gender Equality Canada to learn more and find ways to learn and celebrate this month!
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09/30/2026

🪶WKLIP is observing National Day for Truth and Reconciliation today. Originally and still colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day, today is a time to remember and recognize the atrocities and multi-generational effects of the Canadian Indian residential school system. 🧡

🎬Last week, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation hosted a lunch & learn focused on strengthening and building solidarity between newcomers and indigenous peoples. This is a great place to start if you are interested in learning more about indigenous-newcomer collaboration and solidarity (link below to the recording).

As ever, WKLIP is honoured to operate on the unceded, traditional, and current territories of the Sinixt, the Syilx, and the Ktunaxa peoples, and acknowledge that these lands are home to many other indigenous peoples, including the Métis.

👀👂Watch or listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgaKUibBmug

09/24/2026

🧡 Truth and Reconciliation Week | Webinar #6 🧡
Indigenous Youth Perspectives on Health and Wellbeing.

📅 Friday, September 25, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM PT | 11:00 AM MT
📍 Zoom or YouTube

Register: https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/lunch-and-learns/

Join this live webinar to explore the challenges faced by youth living in the shadow of residential schools and other colonial systems, and discuss how individuals and communities can support meaningful, culturally safe support.

Open to all schools across Canada, this education portal supports free, age-appropriate, education curriculums for students in grades 1-12. Registration is required.

09/23/2026

🧡 Truth and Reconciliation Week | Webinar #5 🧡
Honouring Indigenous Leadership: Perspectives for a Shared Future.

📅 Thursday, September 24, 2026
🕙 11:00 AM PT | 12:00 AM MT
📍 Zoom or YouTube

Register: https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/lunch-and-learns/

Join this live webinar for thoughtful conversation on the leadership, truths, and lived experiences shaping Indigenous futures across Canada and Turtle Island.

Open to all schools across Canada, this education portal supports free, age-appropriate, education curriculums for students in grades 1-12. Registration is required.

09/22/2026

🧡 Truth and Reconciliation Week | Webinar #4 🧡
Continuing the Conversation on Residential School Denialism.
📅 Wednesday, September 23, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM PT | 11:00 AM MT
📍 Zoom or YouTube

Register: https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/lunch-and-learns/

Join this live webinar to listen, learn how to identify harmful narratives and gain practical tools to address and dismantle misinformation.

Open to all schools across Canada, this education portal supports free, age-appropriate, education curriculums for students in grades 1-12. Registration is required.

09/22/2026

Yom Kippur, literally translated as 'Day of Atonement', is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, in late September or early October. Traditionally, Yom Kippur centers on atonement and repentance. The day typically includes fasting and extended prayer services (usually at synagogue), but can also focus more on one's goals and accomplishments and setting yearly intentions.

09/21/2026

🧡 Truth and Reconciliation Week | Webinars #3 & #4 🧡
Economic Reconciliation: Understanding Opportunities, Responsibilities, and Impact. Today one of the webinars focuses on indigenous-newcomer solidarity! See below:

📅 Tuesday, September 22, 2026
🕗 8:00 AM PT | 9:00 AM MT
📍 Zoom or YouTube
Register: https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/lunch-and-learns/

Growing and Strengthening Indigenous–Newcomer Solidarity

📅 Tuesday, September 22, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM PT | 11:00 AM MT
📍 Zoom or YouTube
Register: https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/lunch-and-learns/

Open to all schools across Canada, this education portal supports free, age-appropriate, education curriculums for students in grades 1-12. Registration is required.