UBCO and Kelowna’s Diverse Connection

This article is written entirely by a UBCO student as part of the school's Economics and the Media course. It has not been fact-checked by KelownaNow.

Kelowna is becoming more diverse every year. Immigrants can come to Kelowna and find more in a multitude of different areas, such as farming, business, and the service industry. In fact, Kelowna has a migrant worker program with both Mexico and Jamaica, which workers to come here and work in the agriculture industry during peak seasons

UBCO attracts a significant population of international students. These students bring experiences, culture, and skills from all over the globe; and when they interact with the university and the community, it can be a learning experience for all

The international community at the university has led to many great relationships with the local community. One program is the Intercultural development program. The program holds weekly meetings which are student led, that focus on integrating people of different cultures and backgrounds.

One example of how the university can have effects on the immigrant population in Kelowna is engaging with the local community. Last month on March 15, there was a talk about how to make Kelowna a more inclusive society and dealt with issues such as migrant workers, housing, transportation, translating, things easier for migrants to get access to the cities programs. Apart of the discussion was Dr. Carlos Teixeira, a professor at the university who studies migrant issues such as housing. Teixera highlighted how it is essential for us to properly enable the migrant population, so they can be integrated into society efficiently.

The multicultural community on campus has offered its services in more ways other than just taking part of the discussion. UBCO has a Refugee fund that charges each student $2 a semester, and the funds go to a selected refuges post-secondary education fees.

Kelowna is no stranger to migrant cultures interacting with the area. Kelowna is a tourist destination for many across the world. French, Swedish, Egyptian and Chinese families can be seen strolling down the streets of downtown Kelowna. The beaches, the parks are filled with people from diverse backgrounds.

Kelowna is still known predominantly as a “white bread” town, which refers to the older Caucasian population that is the largest group in town. 100,000 out of the 125,000 have European origin. The next biggest ethnic group was of Asian descent, based on Stats Can data.

But changes are happening as of recently. With decent house prices, hot summers, young people of different backgrounds are moving to Kelowna.