ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2022 | VOL. 78 NO. 33
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The only newspaper in the world that gives a tinker’s dam about the North Peace. Est. 1944
RODEO ROUNDUP
TRUST NATURE
CULTURE CAMP
A number of top money finishes for local cowboys at 2022 DC Stampede
Conservation area north of city helps preserve local wild land ecology
Halfway River First Nation cultural camps highlight need to keep heritage alive
SPORTS h A4
NEWS h A13
NEWS h A16
15 years building Fil-Can community Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
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It was an afternoon of music, games, and a delicious potluck as the North Peace Filipino-Canadian Association celebrated its 15th anniversary last Sunday. The local Filipino community holds deep roots in Fort St. John, tracing its history back to the 1960s when Teresita Pagatpatan came to work in the town’s maternity ward and became the city’s first Filipino resident. But it wasn’t until August 2007 when the Fil-Can association was established, giving long-time residents and new immigrants alike an outlet to meet friends, get settled into the community, and showcase their culture and talents to the region. “This is a milestone for our Filipino community,” said association president Merlita Ryder, who immigrated here from the Philippines in 1999. “Looking back, when I first came to Canada, I was feeling so alone because I couldn’t speak my language, I didn’t have anyone to interact with. There were not many Filipinos during those times.” “The concept of having an organization or association at that time was born because
MATT PREPROST PHOTO
Celebrating 15 years of the North Peace Filipino Canadian Association at the Festival Plaza on Aug. 14. Pictured are: Lorna Nyffeler, Myra Cruz, Joy Puno, Clea Ang, Noreen Hupanda, Ovvian Castrillo-Hill, and Merlita Ryder.
we want everybody to feel at home,” she said, adding, “we have a family, we have someone to go to; a go-to group that we can share our foods, our thoughts, our dreams.” “Looking back, and fast forward to 15 years, the people, the community has grown, and it’s been a blessing as well to the City of Fort St. John.” The Filipino community is one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in the
city, with about 700 people counted in the 2016 census, the latest data available. When Jun Salinas moved to Fort St. John in October 1975 to work as a machinist at the Curtis Hoover Machine Shop, he says he counted only 35. Salinas served for three years as president of the FilCan association starting in 2008, and says the group has been invaluable helping newcomers to the community. Though it may not have existed when he first moved to Fort St. John, Salinas said Filipinos have always been like one big family regardless, helping each other settle in, whether finding housing or a job. “It’s very important to me, not only me, not only the Filipino community, but my family. When I was a president they were behind me, helping me,” he said of the 15year milestone. “It’s very important for me that we build up this unity so that for our countrymen coming up here there is a place to go if they need help.” And as the Filipino community has grown, so too has its contributions Fort St. John and the North Peace region. The Fil-Can association is a perennial winner in the Canada Day parade with its exuberant and colourful floats and costumes, supports local nonprofits like the Hospital Foundation and Women’s Resource Society, and hosts an annual art exhibit showcasing local talent at Peace Gallery North. Past president Ovvian MATT PREPROST PHOTO Castrillo-Hill says much the Jun Salinas cuts the cake at the North Peace Filipino Canadian group’s events and programs Association’s 15 year celebrations on Aug. 14, 2022. are designed so the commun-
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ity sees Filipinos “outside of the box, or to see us outside of a stereotype.” “That’s why we like to share our art, we like to share our music, our talents. We want to be seen holistically as a people, as an ethnic group, as contributors to the city,” she said. “We want to be full citizens of this country, not just people serving. We want to be able to showcase the whole gamut of our personas, our personalities, so that’s us as individuals with our talents, with our gifts, with our passions, as well as what we do professionally…Not just for us to be able to celebrate ourselves, but for the community at large to see us for who we are, and what is what we do for the life we live here in our town.” The association has its own basketball league, holds regular consular outreach, takes part in the World Fair, and jumps at the chance when invited by teachers to present the history of culture of the Philippines to students in the classroom. Ryder said educating students about her country is important, while Castrillo-Hill adds that the group is looking to offer a basic Filipino language course in partnership with the city. “We don’t want us to be strangers to the locals,” said Castrillo-Hill, adding that’s especially important for the youth who were born here, and who are now growing up as second and third generation Filipinos. Continued on A14
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