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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
It can be exciting for newcomers to Canada who are coming from another country. They get to visit beautiful landmarks like Niagara Falls, the CN Tower, or The Parliament, among others. They get to try food characteristic of the place like poutine, Tim Horton’s, maple syrup, and ketchup chips, to name a few. The elation is intoxicating for the first few weeks, until it isn’t. Enter Tuloy Canada, an online guide for newcomers from the Philippines and from other countries that provides valuable information on Canada’s geography, climate, employment leads and education opportunities, and government services. It also offers advice on how to navigate the Canadian job market, find affordable housing, and understand the local culture.
Tuloy Canada provides resources so newcomers can maneuver through their new reality and do normal and necessary things like find a place to stay, search for a job that would enable them to pay bills and buy groceries, learn to navigate the transit system to get from one place to another, and many more. The online guide also provides tips on how to open a bank account and secure a social insurance number, health card, driver’s license, and how to find a school for those who have children. ABS-CBN Managing Director for North and Latin America Jun Del Rosario affirms that the Tuloy Canada campaign “is part of our continuing mission to serve the Filipino wherever he may be.” Del Rosario has observed that many newcomers to Canada do not usually have a comprehensive source of information on how to build their lives in their new country.
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| The Sim family in Canada (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
Take the case of the Sim family, for instance. Rain Sim arrived with his wife Melody and their three-year-old son, Jacob last August. “It was a big adjustment,” Sim admits. The couple had a comfortable life where they both worked managerial jobs and owned a car. They gave up that life to move to Canada. Sim shares that they now take the bus and are working entry-level jobs. Sim adds that “Getting settled is an expensive phase. Purchasing all household needs, initial grocery, proper attire for winter, and most of all, the daycare for our son is not a joke.” But many families like the Sims move to Canada for better opportunities, especially for their children. And while the changes can be overwhelming, help is readily available so that Filipinos can migrate to Canada with ease. And that help is Tuloy Canada. Del Rosario believes that helping families adjust is an area where we can provide some support. While ABS-CBN has done some campaigns in partnership with the Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO) in the past, Del Rosario says that “this is the first time that we are actually creating an online resource.”
ABS-CBN will be coordinating with Immigration Canada and other government and non-government groups to provide more resources and to continually update information on the Tuloy Canada site. Filipino newcomers in Canada can also get free gifts when they sign up, like a one-month free subscription to iWantTFC, so they can keep up with their favorite Filipino shows and still feel at home even if they are many miles away. Tuloy Canada is an invaluable guide for those who are looking to make Canada their new home. While many immigration websites focus on getting to Canada, Del Rosario emphasizes that ABS-CBN’s goal is “to provide needed information when you are already in the country. And ideally, you want to get this information before you even get that plane ticket to Canada. You need to be armed with a plan so that it’s easier for you to start anew.”
Newcomers to Canada are encouraged to share their stories or provide feedback and other pertinent advice or tips by sending an email to TFCMarketing@abs-cbn.com. For more information on Tuloy Canada, visit myTFC.com/TuloyCanada.
