ABOUT THE SHOW AND HOST
The Multicultural Centre Radio Show

ABOUT THE SHOW

The North Bay & District Multicultural Centre show with host Don Curry features the many people—staff, volunteers, clients and colleagues from other agencies—who are busy changing the face of North Bay and area.

With operational funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre is the only immigrant settlement agency serving the area from Parry Sound to Temagami, and Mattawa to Verner. It plays a leading role in the North Bay Newcomer Network and works very closely with the City of North Bay to help implement its immigration strategy.

At present the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre operates three CIC-funded programs—Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program, Host, and Local Immigration Partnership. Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Bay & District operates a Youth Host program.

The Host program matches newcomers with a volunteer who has lived in the area for some time, who acts as a mentor, friend and someone to practise English with, if necessary. The Host program has two English Conversation Circles a month and many other events, including potlucks, women’s brunches, skating, sliding, picnics, swimming, bus tours and more.

ISAP offers a full range of settlement and adaptation programs, including assistance finding housing, schools, medical services and more, plus Canadian citizenship classes. The LIP program works with North Bay Newcomer Network’s 28 partners to plan the future of the city and area’s immigration service needs.

Please feel free to download our shows so you can hear what’s new and exciting with the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre and its many community partners.

ABOUT THE HOST - Don Curry

Don Curry is the Executive Director of the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre. He came to North Bay in 1978 to teach journalism at Canadore College. He did that for nine years and then served as the college’s Director of Public Affairs for five years. Since then he has worked in the nonprofit sector as a startup specialist with The Canadian Centre for Social Justice, Canadian Ecology Centre, Young People’s Press and North Bay & District Multicultural Centre.

Prior to moving to North Bay Don was a newspaper reporter and editor in Kirkland Lake, New Liskeard, Peterborough, Ottawa and Vancouver. Both sons are writers as well. Bill is a Parliament Hill reporter with The Globe and Mail and Christopher is a writer and editor with the Campus Free Press at Canadore College and Nipissing University. Christopher graduates from the college’s mental health and addictions worker program in the spring of 2010, after a two-month placement at the Royal Ottawa Hospital.

Don and wife Mary live in North Bay and travel to Ottawa as much as possible to see son Bill, daughter-in-law Amy and five-year-old granddaughter, Megan. Don volunteers in the community by serving on the Board of Directors of the North Bay & District Hospital and North Bay & District Hospital Foundation. He was the founding chair of the Foundation board in 2000.

	TOPICS Don Curry discusses the services and assistance offered by The North Bay Multicultural Centre for new immigrants in the city of North Bay. - Listen online Click to view our episode and topic schedule