Meredith Kerr
Journal Staff
A citizenship ceremony by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada saw 45 people take the oath of citizenship on March 29, in St. Paul. It was the third year the ceremony happened at the St. Paul courhouse, and continues to be the only citizenship ceremony to take place outside of a major urban centre in Alberta.
The ceremony was opened and closed with ceremonial drumming and singing by Calvin and Ramona Cardinal. New citizens received a pouch of tobacco as a gift of welcome from Dr. Diana Steinhauer, and joined in the singing of O Canada led by Oralee Williams.
Justice Beverley Browne addressed the new citizens during her allotted time.
“They said I could have a minute, but I want to have a little fun and I don’t think anyone’s going to stop me,” said Browne with a shrug before asking the crowd to call out some of their favourite things about Canada. Answers included democracy, the natural beauty of the countryside, and how welcoming the country is. She also asked where the new citizens had come to Canada from. Bonnyville residents Tracy-Ann and Anthony Williams came from Jamaica, others called out Ukraine, Pakistan, and India.
For Anna and Arvin Cabili, it was a long journey from their birthplace in the Philippines to Canada. They came via Turks and Caicos, a British territory in the Caribbean, where they worked for four years before coming to St. Paul in July 2009.
“It feels good. We feel more stable. You have that flashback of the time when you’re just holding a work permit. Immigration is tricky. You have to go through so many steps before you get to your final destination, which is the citizenship,” said Anna Cabili.
She said they were fortunate that when they came it was at the same time as a number of friends from the islands, who also settled in the St. Paul area and in other places in Alberta.
“We’re starting our roots here now, with Avery and with our two sons,” said Cabili. She and her husband Arvin have thee children, ages seven, three, and two. According to the Cabilis, having the chance to establish a family in St. Paul has been the best part of their life in Canada.
The hardest part of course was the snow.
“Imagine, we lived in a tropical country our whole life and then all of a sudden you have to scrape the glass of your car, pay for higher utility bills. But it’s all worth it, Canada is a great country.”
Law Day
While quieter overall than in previous years because of the spring break for area schools, St. Paul’s annual Law Day event was a success. Booths with legal information and details about various community organizations were busy throughout the day, as were tours of the cells and the law library at the St. Paul Courthouse.
Children enjoyed the chance to explore vehicles used by local law enforcement, parked in front of the building during the event.
The courtroom was packed for the case of Minion Amy v. Gru the Despicable, which ended with a judgment in Minion Amy’s favour following testimony from the complainant, the defendant, and a number of their co-workers.
The audience ruled Amy had indeed been fired from her job without cause, and she kindly shared the bananas she won. Along the way, everyone learned a few things about employment law, about how the court system works, and about the lack of bananas in outer space.
“We are truly grateful for the community support,” said Renée Moore, the chair of St. Paul’s Law Day committee. Moore reported a count of more than 400 people who attended the activities.
