Filipinos thrive in small, rural town in Canada

There are now some 300 Filipinos in Moosomin, Saskatchewan, or 10% of the town’s population. SCREENSHOT/CBC

A Filipino community is thriving in small-town Moosomin, Saskatchewan, Canada.

CBC’s Laura Sciarpelletti  spoke to Filipino community mainstays in the town of 3,000 people for her road trip series “Land of Living Stories,” to find out how the immigrant residents are doing.

Among them was Leo Illustrismo who came from Manila in 2009 to work in a Maple Leaf hog barn.

He had culture shock from ending up in a rural setting. Illustrisimo told Sciarpelletti there were  only six Filipinos at the time.

Eventually, more of his compatriots started coming to work in the hospitality sector and the local potash mine. Now there are some 300 Filipinos, or 10% of Moosomin’s population.

Illustrisimo co-founded the Moosomin Pinoy Community with Jylenn Valdez seven years ago.

Besides hosting cultural and social events, “We help each other,” Illustrisimo told Sciarpelletti. “Every time everybody starts off on a new job or a new venture, we always ask how they’re doing, give advice on what to do with mortgages, how you buy your first home.”

Pinoy Community co-founder Valdez said, “The Filipino population is growing and growing. It’s increasing. We feel important, we feel at home. We were able to introduce our own cultures and our own practices here. Having our group recognized, we can proudly say that this is our second home from the Philippines.”