1 25 96 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/60bd92ccedda6a08900f851f63e8ce20.jpg e8fe77cc644c14622c116c5c8c58eb97 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Subject The topic of the resource Photo of event. Description An account of the resource This image was taken by student Noémie Burrs while attending a Day of the Dead celebration at UNAM-Canada in Gatineau Quebec. The image features vibrant colours, patterns and textures surrounding an alter dedicated to late canadian artist, Jean Paul Riopelle. He is known internationally for pioneering "mosaic" style abstract paintings in the 1950s. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Noémie Burrs Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <a href="https://latinhubcanada.com/">Latin Hub Canada</a> Description An account of the resource Latin Hub Canada is a non-profit organization that operates in Ottawa. Their mission is to foster the growth of local artists by being the leading platform for international Hispanic and Latin artists, while providing a safe space for them to connect with Canadian audiences. Latin Hub Canada is a local club where Latin artists are able to perform and connect with a Canadian audience on stage, in a way that creates cultural exchange. They are located in Gatineau at 94, rue du Patrimoine. They were founded by a Cuban-born pianist named Miguel de Armas, and, as of 2023, they are a non-profit organization based in Ottawa, Ontario. They organize activities and soirées showcasing Latin and Hispanic artists in Canada, while helping them gain visibility and opportunities. They host multiple events such as the Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference, which explores the dynamics of jazz music and includes art exhibits, workshops, and discussions. The Latin Jazz Conference has diverse music and promotes unity. They also host the Fiesta Cubana Fest, which explores Cuban culture, dance, and literary work, with top salsa bands, authentic Cuban cuisine, and cocktails, offering a multitude of flavours. They have 4,307 attendees, 42 activities, 27 bands, and 184 artists. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Roodmya Douge and Amy May Lajeunesse Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LatinHubCanada">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thelatinhubcanada/">Instagram</a> | <a href="mailto:latinhubcanada23@gmail.com">Email</a>: latinhubcanada23@gmail.com Language A language of the resource English Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/latinsoldierscanada/about/">Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada</a> Description An account of the resource The Latin American Soldiers Committee (LASC) is a non-profit organization based in Ottawa. Their mission is to recover names and stories of Latin American soldiers who have served in the Canadian military. Founded in 2022, they have published remembrance books in honour of the veterans and their families. Their goal is to inspire future generations by telling each other stories. To educate young people and inspire individuals entering the army. They hold ceremonies and events for Latin American Heritage Month, recognizing all the soldiers and those who have made an impact on Canadian history, for example, Major General Michel St-Louis. All while celebrating Latin American culture and heritage.  They advocate not only for the Latin American veterans but also for the communities in which many of those Latin American soldiers were not recognized or documented throughout Canadian history. Collecting the records allowed the group to show its historical and cultural impact by preserving its work. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Roodmya Douge and Amy May Lajeunesse Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.facebook.com/latinsoldierscanada/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/latinsoldierscanada/">Instagram</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <a href="https://holascentral.wixsite.com/holas/general-meetings">Holas: The Humanitarian Organization of Latin American students</a> Description An account of the resource The Humanitarian Organization of American Students (Holas) is a non-profit organization based in Ottawa, specifically at Carleton University, which allows them to have a greater reach and collaborate with different organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Their mission is to provide humanitarian aid in Latin America through food, shelter, clothing, and education. They want to eradicate food insecurity in Latin America while also raising awareness of these issues. They aim to reduce poverty and inequality. The club was motivated and driven by a commitment to social responsibility, helping communities back home. A non-profit founded in 2007 by students in Ottawa. They have helped with humanitarian development in Latin America and in the Caribbean. They have raised 50,000 in development projects. There are about 200 members in HOLA who are actively participating and volunteering.  On their website, there are many pictures of Latin American and Caribbean dance and celebrations featuring traditional costumes. They are partnered with an NGO that allows others to donate to them. They have fundraisers in which they teach free salsa classes with cultural dance groups and folklore. They also host Spanish and Portuguese lessons free of charge for students to learn, practice, and improve their skills. To maintain the group, they meet once a week to discuss upcoming events, allowing students to network. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Roodmya Douge and Amy May Lajeunesse Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.facebook.com/holas.carleton/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/h.o.l.a.s/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/humanitarian-organization-of-latin-american-students/?viewAsMember=true">LinkedIn</a> | Email: holacentral@gmail.com Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <a href="https://jocainc.com/">Jamaican Ottawa Community Association</a> Description An account of the resource The mission of the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association is to support and empower Jamaican Ottawa-Gatineau residents by creating a community in which all can participate and be involved. They provide services to their members, such as support for elders, resources/information for newcomers, and cultural and educational programs.  The Jamaican Ottawa Community Association was founded in the early 1960s by Carleton University students, and was later federally incorporated in the late 1970s. Also known as the J(O)CA, they are a non-profit organization that aims to support and engage residents in community issues and projects, while also being a pillar of the Jamaican community through its various activities, ranging from celebrations to awareness-raising. This association is currently under the presidency of Claudine Mitchell, who originates from St. Thomas, Jamaica.  The J(O)CA is known for hosting a “JAMDAY” yearly, to celebrate the independence of Jamaica, typically in the first or second week of August. There, you will find good food, music, and a community coming together to celebrate their roots and freedom.  You can sign up to be a member directly on their website, and follow events from their Facebook and Instagram pages. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Roodmya Douge and Amy May Lajeunesse Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jamcottawa">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamcottawa/">Instagram</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <a href="https://www.canadahablaespanol.org/copy-of-saskatchewan">Canadá Habla Español (Ottawa Chapter)</a> Description An account of the resource Canada Habla Español (CANHE) is a Canadian-based organization that operates in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario - Ottawa, that encourages the preservation and promotion of the Spanish language. Their mission, here, in Ottawa, is to help expand access to Spanish-language education, while also celebrating the identity and traditions of Spanish speakers of the region. They actively support the development of Spanish-speaking communities across Canada and the preservation of the Spanish language. It was founded by Ericka Aguilera, an active member and advocate of various Canadian-Hispanic communities, who was born in Mexico. With her are her co-founders, Luz Madroñera and Carolina Testa, from Colombia and Argentina respectfully.  CANHE regularly hosts celebratory and educational events across its seven different chapters, including their yearly Spanish Language Day celebration in April, where you will find a panoply of lectures, panels, and musical numbers to celebrate the Spanish language: all are welcome! They debuted this celebration in Ottawa last year at the Embassy of Spain in Canada, and it will henceforth be celebrated in Ottawa yearly.  They also host a “youngpreneur” program, which aims to provide students with alternative educational paths while helping them connect with the Spanish language and Hispanic heritage. These workshops, conferences, and events allow students to learn from different individuals in their community and develop key skills. Follow their events and updates on the CANHE website and on their social media pages! Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Roodmya Douge and Amy May Lajeunesse Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550345763417">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cahablaespanol/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/canadahablaespanol/posts/?feedView=all">LinkedIn</a> | Email: chapter.director@canadahablaespanol.org https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/aecddca48f886e5a2b6ebde0cbf37f4d.mp3 bd7329979ef0f4ea8f99c7268fd0528a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Mia E. Lavergne, Zoé C.M. Asselin Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carlos Zapata Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound [Mia – 0m 00s]   Thank you so much, Carlos, for joining Zoé and I for this interview. We appreciate your participation. Just for the record, as we have stated previously, you do not need to answer any questions for whatever reason, and we will not follow up. And so, without further ado, thank you for participating.    [Carlos – 0m 17s]   Thank you! And I apologize, because I have braces not long ago, and so I- I sound funny.    [Mia – 0m 23s]   All good, all good. (…) [All participants briefly laugh.] All right, I’ll be uh (…) uh giving out the questions in odd numbers – Zoé the even numbers [on the questions sheet given to the participant] like we said, so let’s get started off with the first question. And uh, what is your country of origin?    [Carlos – 0m 36s]   Columbia. I was born and raised in Columbia – so South America, yes.     [Mia – 0m 44s]  Great!    [Zoé – 0m 45s]   Uh – Question number two [#2] what brought you to Ottawa?    [Carlos – 0m 48s]  So – uhm – when I decided to – uhm – go to – uhm – When I finished my bachelor’s, I was- I was thinking about the possibilities, right? So, either I stay in Montreal or I go to Calgary – and I actually applied for multiple jobs in Calgary and Edmonton – uhm – Ottawa – uhm – and in Montreal. Then – uhm – I was actually very lucky that – uhm – I applied for – uhm – another university in Montreal – for a job at another university in Montreal – and I applied for this one, and – uhm – they both called me, but then after analyzing the possibilities and the opportunities and the quality of life and other stuff, I decided to move to Ottawa. So, I lived in Montreal for, I would say, more than ten [10] years, and then after I finished my bachelor’s – then my master’s – I decided to move to Ottawa. That was the reason, yeah.    [Mia – 1m 57s]   Sounds good. And do you have any family here, and do you see them often?    [Carlos – 2m 02s]  I do not. But I am actually very lucky, because Montreal is not actually very far, and – uhm – my family, they live very close to the urban core, so it is super easy to go from where I live – in the – uhm – I live very close to l’Hôpital Montfort [in French] – so, very close, I- I- I can take the four-seventeen [417, referring to Ontario Highway 417] right away, so I can be in Montreal in two [2] hours, and even my community, they’re close to NDG [refers to <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame-de-Gr%C3%A2ce">Notre-Dame-de-Grâce</a>, a residential neighbourhood in Montreal], so the very urban core of Montreal, so I can be in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Autoroute_15">Décarie</a> [a major highway in Montreal, Autoroute 15] in pretty much an hour and forty-five minutes [01h 45m] if I take the four-seventeen [417], so yeah. I- I go see them for – you know – I would say I go once a month, which is – which is OK, yeah.    [Mia – 2m 49s]   Just to – uh – Just for the “explain” part, real quick. So the family isn’t here in Ottawa, but it is here in Canada – in Montreal.     [Carlos – 2m 55s]  Yeah, it is, it is. So, they’re pretty much all in – I- I have family in Quebec. I have family in Ontario, and – uh – they’re very close – uhm – like, they’re mostly in Montreal and in Montreal’s South Shore.    [Mia – 3m 10s]  OK, yeah, thank you.    [Zoé – 3m 12s]  Do you live in a Latin community or neighbourhood where you speak to- where you speak Spanish and/or Portuguese and celebrate various occasions?   [Carlos – 3m 20s]  No. So – uh – in Ottawa, no, but – uhm – in Montreal, I did. S, pretty much my life outside of work and university – I conducted pretty much, I- I- I would say sixty percent [60%] of my life in- in- in Spanish, and – uh – I really had the opportunity to not only connect with my community, but also to be able to practice many of our traditions. And – uh – here in Ottawa it’s a bit more challenging. The – uh – Latin American community, I would say, as strong as it is – for many reasons of course – as it is in Montreal or in Toronto, but – uh – yeah, no, I’ve (…) I’ve been a bit disconnected from my communities since I moved to Ottawa.    [Mia & Zoé – 4m 04s]  Mhm [in quick succession].    [Zoé – 4m 04s]  Do you know – uhm – why exactly there isn’t as big of a diaspora of Latin Americans in Otta-    [Mia – 4m 11s]  [Cutting off Zoé] We- We’re- I- We’re not quite authorized to-    [Zoé – 4m 13s]  [Interjecting with Mia] OK.    [Mia – 4m 13s]  -by the ethics form. We- we can ask after the interview, but currently we are stuck to these questions, unfortunately. What – uh – what celebrations are most important to you, then?  [Carlos – 4m 24s]  We have many. [Carlos breathes a faint sigh] So the first one is that – uhm – I don’t – so – I [marked with a notable vocal fry and tone of careful deliberation] – I would start chronologically. Uhm – I would say, the first one is – uh – <a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_de_M%C3%BAsica_del_Pac%C3%ADfico_Petronio_%C3%81lvarez">Petronio Álvarez</a> – it is something that I used to enjoy – uhm – growing up in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cali">Cali</a> – uhm – I’m not from Bogotá or Medellín, so – uhm – I actually come from Colombia’s Pacific coast – so from the West coast – uhm – we have towns in my state, which is Valle del Cauca, where the – uhm – Afro-Colombian population can go up to ninety percent [90%], and – uh – in my city, I would say – uhm – it has a very large Afro-Colombian population – like, very large – uhm – the Afro-Colombian culture is very palpable – very present – so uh – Petronio Álvarez is a festival that honors that African ancestry in our city and in our state, and – uh – so it’s been many many years that – uhm – that I haven’t been able to go – uhm – particularly because for me, August is a blackout, because I work in education, so we have to prepare for the Fall semester, and July and August, for me, super busy – it’s pretty much peak period. So, I haven’t been able to go back, and I would say one of my objectives in the future is to be able to take some time to go to Colombia – to Cali – uhm – again – and to be able to celebrate Petronio Álvarez. It is- it is great, it is – uhm – (…) an incredible festival. I highly recommend it. And the second thing is, of course, Christmas – uhm – and it is nothing about our Christian values, I-I- I’m not Christian, so I really do not care about the Christianity, or the – uhm, the uhm – religious component of Christmas. It is just about the festivities, right? So – uh – being close to home, the food, the culture, the music, so pretty much between the first week until the – uh, uhm – I would say the thirty-first [31st] of December, we celebrate almost every day. So, we get together, we eat, we share, we drink, we listen to music [Carlos thumps his open hand on the table, and his voice gains a notable liveliness], we play music sometimes. (…) So – uhm – I would say those two [2] are a – my- my- my top two [2] (…) Yeah, my top two [2].    [Mia – 6m 51s]  Uhm…    [Zoé – 6m 52s]  Can you describe a typical day in your community?    [Carlos – 6m 56s]  Uhm – In Columbia, or in Canada?    [Mia – 7m 00s]  Let’s do both, just to be thorough with it.    [Carlos – 7m 02s]  Oh, OK. So – uhm – I grew up in a very working-class community. Uhm – The- the name of the neighbourhood is actually Primero de Mayo, which means “the first of May”, which is – uhm – in Canada we celebrate Labour Day in September, but in many other countries, including France or in European countries and in South America, we celebrate it the first of May. So, its name is self-explanatory. It is a very working-class community, and – uh – it was – uhm – my community had – has, still, a very vibrant – uhm – I would say, economy. So, we have a lot of restaurants – uh – family-owned restaurants. We have, also, local shops. So, something that I remember was – uhm – being able to be a part of this rich ecosystem. So, you would, you know – I was walking back from school, and I remember, you know – uhm – the local restaurants, so I would have you know – uh – like – uhm – fast food in that restaurant, or – that is something that I remember – that was pretty much my- my- my- my- my day: being part of that very rich ecosystem of local shops, restaurants, and – uhm – and- and of course the- the- the (…) It- it was like a very – uhm – [Carlos hesitates, tapping the side of his open hand on the table a few times, gesturing to try and articulate his ideas] (…) Uh – I grew up in a very densely populated space, and we were pretty much next to each other. Like, if I raised my voice a little bit, my neighbour could hear me.    [Mia – 8m 44s]  [Interjecting Carlos] Unlike here. [A slight chuckle from everyone]    [Carlos – 8m 46s]  It’s – uh – It was [Carlos gestures slightly with his hands while holding the last syllable in a vocal fry before falling silent for a second] (…) – We were very close, right? It is – I grew up in an apartment that was – eh – very small, and it was right next to – we were right next to each other, right? [Carlos repeatedly punches his left hand, palm open, with his right hand, fist closed, to emphasize the point.] So – uhm – I do remember also being part of that ecosystem of being able to listen to my neighbours, to the music they were listening to, to their conversation that they were having – uhm – If- if someone was having an issue – all of a sudden like a, you know, argument – all of a sudden, you were part of that argument because you were pretty much listening to the entire conversation of people [Carlos says this while laughing with Zoé]. So, it was – If- if there is something I remember because I grew up in that environment where, you know, we had a very rich ecosystem [Carlos lands his fist on the table] of shops and restaurants and local pubs too, and also because I grew up in a densely populated area, we were right next to each other so it was super hard not to be part of that ecosystem. Like, you were part of it even if you didn’t want to, right? And – uh – yeah, it is called Gratamira [neighbourhood in Cali] – uhm – the apartments are super nice. It was a very beautiful community, and – uh – yeah. And here, (…) – uhm – I would say it’s not the same, because, again, I moved to Ottawa, I would say four [4] years ago, so – uh – my life is not the same right now. But I could say, in Montreal, as I said before – uhm – outside of work and university, my – I- I conducted my- my- my- – like sixty per- sixty percent [60%] I- I would say, of my life, was conducted in Spanish. Uhm – My network is pretty much – uhm – South Americans: Peruvians and Colombians, mostly. And – uhm – yeah, it was, again – We somehow kept our traditions alive. So – uhm – there is something that I- I can say is, despite the challenges and, of course, the weather, and the difficulties to get the ingredients – uhm – we found – uhm – a way to cook our food, get together, listen to our music, and to continue our Colombian traditions. Uhm – Of course, it is not the same, because – uhm – they’re not from my city, so they’re mostly from the – uh, uhm – coffee belt. So – uh – Manizales, Medellín, Pereira. So, it’s where, you know, the – uh – coffee belt in Colombia which is in the middle of the country (…) kind of. So – uh – they have all their traditions, but (…) we made it work, right? We – uh – But yeah.    [Mia – 11m 28s]  And – uh – how do you celebrate your heritage if- if you do celebrate your heritage?    [Carlos – 11m 36s]  [Carlos breathes a deep sigh.] Uh – OK. This is- This is a very heavy question. Uhm-    [Mia – 11m 40s]  And again, you don’t need to answer if anything makes you uncomfortable if you don’t want to.    [Carlos – 11m 43s]  [Intersecting with Mia.] Thank you. (…) How do I celebrate? It is a very, I would say – uhm – introspective exercise. I wish I had other people from my city – particularly from my community – that I could actually talk to and listen to our music and sometimes – because if I am the only person from Colombia’s West coast, I- I have to adapt to what the diaspora does here in- in either Ottawa or Montreal. So, it is a very, I would say – uhm – individual, introspective, exercise. Sometimes, I take one hour out of my day, and I listen to my music – uhm – I don’t listen to the same music people from perhaps Bogotá or Medellín listen to (…) and – uh – so it is a very individual – uhm – introspective exercise. So that’s pretty much how I celebrate. I take, for instance, on a Saturday or a Sunday, like, one hour to listen to my music, to read something from my – uh – town, to – uhm – yeah! But- but I would say it is mostly through music. The last last time was last week – that I took, like thirty, forty-five [30-45] minutes to listen to – I – you know, it is very [Carlos snaps his fingers before initiating a reflexive pause] (…) out of the blue, y’know? Like all- Like all of a sudden, I get homesick, and I- and I always get back home – of course, metaphorically – through music. (…) [In a low, almost whispery voice] Yeah, always. Salsa music particularly, yeah. We’re the – uh – international capital of salsa music. [Everyone briefly chuckles.] So, salsa, it is very close to our heritage, to what we do, how we understand the world, and – uh – and I listen to salsa music, mostly, to get back home (…) just for a few minutes. Yeah. Yeah!    [Zoé – 13m 47s]  What are some values you hold dear as a member of the Latin/Caribbean community? (…)    [Carlos – 13m 55s]  Uhm – (…) When I was doing my- my- my- my master’s, I- I did my first master’s in political science at the university of Ottawa, (…) and something that I wanted to show is that (…) we lack many things in community – many, right? Many, many, many. I was actually doing an introspective analysis of me growing up in Colombia, and everything I had growing up was donated or second-hand, right? (…) And – uh – (…) Everything we had at home, from our bed to our dining table, to our thing, you know, in our living room – most stuff was either second-hand donated, and – uhm – we always faced – uhm – financial difficulties – uhm – which is normal in a low-income, working-class community in – uhm – low-income, working-class family in Colombia. (…) But, something that I wanted to show – uhm – in my master’s and- and also through my work – right – is that sometimes, we go back to community, and we always see the things they lack, but we never see the things that they have. And I always want to show to people that if you go to community, there is knowledge in community, there is value in community. Uh – sometimes, you see (…) many folks – uhm – they go to community and they want to impose ideas just because they think we’re dumb, that we- we lack knowledge, that we don’t have the ability to speak for ourselves. And I think something that – uhm – (…) I hold dear, is- is the respect for community. Uhm – I think (…) relationships shouldn’t be transactional. In fact, last Tuesday, I was invited to FSS [Faculty of Social Sciences building at the university of Ottawa campus] to speak in a panel conversation, [Carlos breathes in heavily] and what I told students was (…) : when you’re building your network, never do so (…) – uhm – in a way that is transactional. (…) Always aim to have reciprocal, trust-based relationships, right? In a way that you can say “I have their backs as much as they have mine.” [Carlos rhythmically taps the side of his open hand on the table after every word.] (…) And this is something that I learned from my community, and – uh – and that’s something that I also wanted to show through my master’s and through my work, you know? My thesis was – uhm – in political science was about networks of solid- solidarity during the pandemic crisis. And I wanted to show how people, despite the lack of support from government, despite all the challenges, they organized themselves to respond to those needs. Food insecurity, lack of jobs, lack of opportunities throughout the pandemic. So – uhm – I- I- I would say that’s- that’s- that’s the most important value for me. Yeah    [Zoé – 17m 19s]  Yeah, that’s great, I love that. Yeah.     [Carlos – 17m 21s]  Yeah.     [Mia – 17m 22s]  I feel it comes back to – uh – the questions we were- the question we were meant to ask after, but like- you know about something you would like to share about yourself or your community that you think is – uh – important for others to know – which I- I feel like you’ve already shared a lot, but if there’s something more you’d like to share – uh – (…)    [Carlos – 17m 39s]  [Carlos breathes in heavily] What else I can say? You know? Uh (…) – It is really incredible when- when- when you’re able to (…) – Still to this day, I would say many of the skills and competencies that allowed me to succeed at work came from community. (…) And I value that, right, and I actually appreciate that. Sometimes, we don’t see those skills and competencies as valuable (…), but I would say, many of these skills and competencies helped me get where I am today – I learned those from community, my community. And – uhm – of course – uhm – bachelor’s degree and master’s degree helped, but also those skills that I learned – uhm – from my community helped me as well. And – uh – and I would be ungrateful if- if- if- if- if-if-if I said that they- they- they didn’t help me. Yeah.     [Zoé – 18m 54s]  What foods do you make that remind you of home? And where to you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals?     [Carlos – 19m 02s]  Oh! There is a – uhm – there is a store – it’s called Bienvenido – it means welcome (…) in Spanish – and I’ve been trying to (…) cook more Colombian food, particularly from my city, because, again, the challenge is that every time that I go to a Colombian restaurant – uhm – or the challenge that – maybe it is not the same, or maybe I haven’t gone to all the Colombian restaurants in Montreal and- and- and in Ottawa, but every time that I go to one, the challenge is that they serve the food that people eat in Bogotá and Medellín. (…) I don’t eat that food, right? And why? Because (…) and this is maybe – uhm – a criticism that I have, which is that if you see the population – uhm – of- of- of the Colombian- the Colombian diaspora, right, you would see that finding a black Colombian is incredibly hard. And finding people from my town, or finding people from Colombia’s West coast, even though that area of Colombia is disproportionally affected by conflict, by poverty, by – uhm – violence – you don’t see them here. Right? Even though they’re equally affected or even more than Medellín, Pereira – uhm – like the cities in the Coffee Belt, or- or- or Bogotá, but most people you see – that the Colombian diaspora living here – most people come from those cities, right? You don’t- you don’t see many Caleño [demonym for the residents of Cali, Colombia] here, right? You don’t see many people from Palmira; you don’t see many people from Buenaventura – let alone – uhm – from Cauca or- or- or Nariño, or Garzón, right? So the challenge that I have is that, every time that I go to a Colombian restaurant, or every time I go to a – uhm – Latino/Latin-American – uhm- uhm – restaurant, or – uhm – store, it is very hard for me to get the ingredients that I need to cook the food that I actually eat back home (…) right? So, (…) again, our- our city is deeply influenced by the African diaspora in Colombia (…) – like Afro-Colombian. So, that’s not the food I eat. So one of the solutions that I encountered – uhm – was going to Haitian or Jamaican restaurants, because that’s the food I eat! Right? So – uh – it is a way to eat something that is similar to what I eat – uh – back- back home, but now, it is- it is very complex, because I don’t have the ingredients – uhm – if I go to a restaurant, it is very hard to order what I eat, so – uhm – I am trying, but it is always very simple recipes. Like, super simple, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandebono">pandebono</a> and those things, but it is super simple – things that you bake, right?    [Mia – 22m 03s]  Hang on. I- I- I know I’m going to steal your thunder, Zoé – you can take the next question real quick – but just because you kind of went onto that, can you give us more examples of food that remind you of home, and – uh – because you told us where you purchase them, like in the next question, and the groceries, but, like, tell us a bit more about the means and stuff! [Zoé and Carlos let out laughs.]    [Carlos – 22m 17s]  [Carlos enthusiastically slaps his palm against the table.] It’s been- it’s been years, like, I- I haven’t had a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactris_gasipaes">chontaduro</a>, like, in years, you know? And- and- and this is something that people from Cali would appreciate very much.    [Mia – 22m 29s]  [Interupting] Sorry, what’s a chontaduro [mispronounced] [laughs nervously but amicably]?    [Carlos – 22m 30s]  Ah! Chontaduro is – I don’t even know what it is! It- it- it is like – uhm, uhm, uhm – like a (…) nut? I-it is – I don’t even know if it’s a fruit. It should be a fruit. No, it’s not a vegetable, for sure, but it is- it is a fruit. So – uhm – you actually have to cook it because it is very hard. So you actually have to cook it, like, boil it for hours, like I don’t know for how long, but long, right? I think it is actually overnight. [Carlos slams his fist against the table in a show of enthusiasm.] So – uhm-    [Mia – 23m 00s]  Oh, sorry, just watch out not to tap the table. The audio peaks when you do that.     [Carlos – 23m 05s]  Sorry. So, chontaduro is something that – uhm – it is a fruit that you have to boil. And then, what you do is that, when it is soft, you peel it off, and then you add honey and salt (…). So it is sweet and sour, and it is very delicious. And, again, chontaduro, it is – uhm, uhm – from the – uhm – Afro-Colombian – uhm – cuisine. And chontaduro, it is something that we enjoy in Cali very much. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholado">Cholado</a>. Cholado it is a – uhm – a desert, I- I would say, and it comes in multiple forms. It is- it is pretty much a – hm – a kind of ice cream, and we add fruits, and – uh – and- and- and cookies, and it is quite delicious.     [Zoé – 24m 03s]  I was going to say, it sounds delicious, yeah. [Zoé lets out a lighthearted laugh.]    [Carlos – 24m 06s]  It is good. It sounds delicious. Uhm – also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sancocho">sancocho</a> (…) – uhm – it is soup – uhm – it is a chicken soup, pretty much, but it is nothing, like, not kind of the Chinese? It’s very different. I highly recommend you Google-it after this. Uhm – yeah, pandebono – uh – what else? El aplastado! El aplastado is like – kind of like – uhm – a – uh – [Carlos chuckles nervously] (…). It’s like, kind of, hamburger. But, we – uhm – use kind of a panini machine, and then we flatten the hamburger, and it is different. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salchipapa">Salchipapa</a> – uhm – it is – salchipapa means – uh – salchicha means – uhm – sausage, and papa means potato, so it is pretty much a potato and a sausage, and we cut it in cubes, and then we mix it up with whatever. From – uhm – pork, chicken, beef. So, let’s imagine a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine">poutine</a>, but on steroids, right? And – uh – yeah, that’s – yeah. And it’s been ages, to be truly honest. But- but- but- but again, one of the main challenges is that – uhm – we don’t have that many people from my region here, right, because those folks that were allowed to get in, and- and- and they could stay – they came from other cities. Mostly from the big cities, right? (…) Not from where I come from.     [Zoé – 25m 34s]  Yeah. In one of my previous projects, we had also talked about – uhm – like, food insecurity, and how they don’t have like-    [Carlos – 25m 42s]  [Interjecting] Cultura, yeah, grocery.     [Zoé – 25m 43s]  you have to- you have to go to different, like, groceries to find ingredients for your recipe, and yeah-    [Carlos – 25m 46s]  [Interjecting] If you find, right? And even if – yeah.     [Zoé – 25m 47s]  I found that super interesting.     [Mia – 25m 51s]  [Directed to Zoé] I’ll let you take the next one, since I stole yours. I-    [Zoé – 25m 54s]  [Zoé laughs] No, it’s ok! [Directed at Carlos] How likely would you and your family be to use the website we are creating for uploading your stories, and how would you use it? We would like to better serve the community, so any suggestions from you about access as well as what we should be (…) posting – uh – would be greatly appreciated.     [Carlos – 26m 13s]  You know, to me – uhm – (…) story-telling matters for multiple reasons. S o the first thing is that if you analyze – uhm – (…) I really want to be able to encourage – uhm – new Colombians, or, like, the first- second [1st-2nd] generation of Colombians. Uhm – we don’t see many working in higher education, we don’t see many working as managers, supervisors, and – uhm – and of course, this is a – uhm – structural issue, that it is not only affecting the Colombian diaspora, but also many other diasporas still, and ethnic minorities, and equity-deserving, and equity-denied folks across the country. But, one of my- my- my objectives is to be able to, through my own story-telling and through other story-telling, right, like- like- like other folks telling their story, to be able to show Colombians that we’re here, that – uh – we’re powerful, that – uhm – we can, you know, get to where we want to be, and – uhm – and yeah. Through story-telling, be able to tell other folks from Colombia that they’re not alone, that we also went through the same challenges, that – uhm – that – uhm – be able to strengthen our diaspora, and to support each other a little bit more, because I think – uhm – right now, we’re not exactly as unified as I- as I wish we were, and I think it is important to create than sense of unity, and I think it is through story-telling that we’re going to be able to create that unity – that kind of narrative, right? It is through our storytelling that we’re going to start analyzing that: “Oh! That person went through the same experience I did.” Right? So, it is through that storytelling that we’re going to be able to identify – “Oh, like, we- we’re- we’re- we’re so close in- in- in- in our experience, in- in- in- in- in- in the things that we have to face.” Right? So, I think those platforms are really important to get- to capture [Carlos placed his palm on the table in a sudden motion] and then share those – uhm – stories so people do not feel alone, people feel like they have a network that they can – you know, like, I really hope that in the future, like, a Latin-American student from uOttawa sees me on that platform, and then contacts me on LinkedIn, and asks for professional advice, and asks, you know – uhm – “What I can [sic.] do with my diploma?” And I will be more than happy to support – uhm – that- that- that person. But I think my first objective is – it is through storytelling that we’re able to relate to each other (…). And the second one is to make our diaspora, I would say, stronger, and- and- and- and- and unified. (…)    [Mia – 28m 57s]  Well, I’ll close it off with this last question – uh. (…) If you have any other comments or concerns – uh – please let us know, but otherwise – uh – yeah, no – uh.    [Carlos – 29m 08s]  No, yeah – uh – thank you so much. Like, I like storytelling. Uh – I- I- I think – uhm – quantitative stuff matters, but also qualitative stuff matters, right? And I think storytelling is great. It really shows people that we’re all humans, right? Sometimes, people see maybe five percent [5%] of what we go through, and it is through storytelling that we’re able to share our challenges, how we overcame those challenges, how we feel, how sometimes we all feel, so – uh – yeah, it is- it is really great. Thank you. I appreciate it.    [Mia – 29m 42s]  No, thank you for participating, and – uh – we really appreciate it, so we’ll – uh – end the interview with your name, quick.     [Carlos – 29m 47s]  Carlos Zapata.    [Mia – 29m 49s]  Carlos Zapata, Mia Lavergne as interviewer, and-    [Zoé – 29m 52s]  Zoé Asselin as second interviewer.    [Mia – 29m 56s]  Alright, thank you so much, that concludes it for today, thank you- [A slight thud is heard as the microphone mutes itself.]  Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 30m01s Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Carlos Zapata Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">This interview tells the story of Carlos Zapata, who immigrated to Canada from Santiago de Cali, Colombia, on the Pacific Coast. Carlos migrated to Montreal in pursuit of higher education at Dawson College and later at Concordia University. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he accepted a job at the University of Ottawa because of the opportunities, possibilities, and quality of life the city of Ottawa offered. While Carlos has found a rich and fulfilling life in Ottawa, he still celebrates his culture in myriad ways, including participating in holidays such as Petronio Álvarez and Christmas. Food is also a significant factor in how Carlos stays connected. His culture. He highlighted some of his favourite foods from back home, Santiago de Cali, such as chontaduro, cholado, sancocho, el aplastado, and salchipapa. Finally, Carlos emphasizes his love for salsa music, which he still listens to today to reconnect with his roots. Having lived in Canada for most of his adult life, Carlos emphasizes the disconnect he feels from his culture. Simple practices, such as cooking one’s favourite dish, become nearly impossible due to the lack of accessibility to ingredients needed to recreate meals from his hometown on the Pacific Coast. Now, through his work as a specialist in ‘Partnerships and Community Engagement’ in Community Service Learning (CSL) programming at the University of Ottawa, Carlos uses his personal experince as a guiding light in his endeavours to create unity among Latin American communities through storytelling. Community is a central value for Carlos, after growing up in what he describes as a “densely populated, rich ecosystem full of local shops, restaurants and pubs”. From Carlos’ perspective, it is important for Latin Americans to support each other, form reciprocal, trust-based relationships, and take up space.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2026/03/18 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 file Language A language of the resource English Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <a href="https://www.facebook.com/barbadosottawa/directory_category">Barbados (Ottawa) Association Inc.</a> Description An account of the resource The Barbados (Ottawa) Association (BOA) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1966, making it the oldest Barbadian association in all of Canada! Their mission entails working closely with similar organizations to help their members find their place in Canada’s changing society, while having a space where they can maintain a close relationship with Barbados. This year, they will be celebrating their 60th anniversary. It was founded on the same day that the nation of Barbados obtained its independence from the United Kingdom by six Barbadians who wanted to create a space for Barbadian immigrants. This space would help Barbadian immigrants adapt to life in Canada while also sharing their heritage with the Ottawa community. The current president of the BOA is Jacquie Belgrave-Dixon. The BOA has since organized many cultural, educational, and recreational activities. They host yearly Independence Receptions and Galas in Ottawa, to celebrate the anniversaries of Barbados’ independence and of becoming a Parliamentary Republic. Additionally, they often encourage their members to volunteer in community events in Ottawa, as seen in events like the yearly Ottawa Race Weekend and Ottawa Black Film Festival. Volunteers represent Barbados and support fellow Caribbean and Black communities. They also regularly host recreational activities, such as bowling nights, trivia nights, and “Promoting Healthy Lifestyles” seminars throughout the year. To see their upcoming events and get updates on the organization, you can reach the Barbados Ottawa Association by email or follow them on their social media pages linked above Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Roodmya Douge and Amy May Lajeunesse Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.facebook.com/barbadosottawa/directory_category">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/barbadosottawa/">Instagram</a> | Email: barbadosottawa@gmail.com https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/d974dd7419ab16df891dc715b06f90d8.jpeg 80d18e6a08b078d57d63dee5eb09d374 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Subject The topic of the resource A sky view image of the Sandy Hill neighborhood Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Open source image from the CBC News Article Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/surprise-and-skepticism-in-sandy-hill-as-area-named-one-of-canada-s-most-liveable-1.7264155" title="Surprise and skepticism in Sandy Hill as area named one of Canada's most liveable">https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/surprise-and-skepticism-in-sandy-hill-as-area-named-one-of-canada-s-most-liveable-1.7264155</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Open source image- CBC news https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/5c2b009d5a33d057f7a307ebc9c89884.jpeg 67fece8fe531fd8ab18d593512c10419 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 210 Chapel Street, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/e08e509cfce305d592acf08fcdb6fef2.jpeg 2156cb7e35ee4c30c75cdba628a399ca Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 327 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/5a2d95ba6907df2a18829bd38ec4752c.jpeg 1753e565458cb2f57fa94fa190b4e1d0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 305 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/991faec2407bbbfe9a1e4fe039fedff8.jpeg 897fbe5870a127f204f567d655341492 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 419 Besserer Street, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/3a6d2decd75f693dfd6b1400add008ba.jpeg 1c63f7e6fd3fc229cf8277792e6ef826 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 255 Stewart Street, Ottawa. Photo taken by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/ee9d1905fcc2a248a461d11635f6a011.jpeg 9f6f553324871f1ef9ba2b1d3295244f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ottawa River Subject The topic of the resource image of the Ottawa river from Strathcona Park in Sandy Hill Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sarah Donaldson Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 1, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Photograph by Sarah Donaldson https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/ec7ade72b4eb5773ca0fca853e11c6f0.jpeg 301ff084d4191eb0fe7c111577ddf678 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource House On Chapel Street Subject The topic of the resource A vintage yellow house on Chapel Street Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Photograph by Sarah Donaldson Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Sarah Donaldson Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 19, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource open source image taken by Sarah Donaldson https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/2297dd39be6ac6d44bb1656d9771b0af.jpeg 66c15301faee9eec1526fa1d5f54e3da Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource 301 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa. Photograph by Sarah Struthers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/1ee5d577a873746d4b6969b18fd9c3ab.jpeg 9d38a0f8e1e0a9bbb4cb7464f13e8c61 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Multi-unit house in Sandy Hill Subject The topic of the resource A vintage house in the Sandy Hill neighborhood Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 1, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Photograph by Sarah Donaldson https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/07fcdbe37059c63a1960dd9e98ffa288.jpeg f220709d2d34403d63b0b9dafbd78c29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource House for rent in Sandy Hill Description An account of the resource This is an example of an older home in Sandy Hill that is available for rent. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 1, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Open source image taken by Sarah Donaldson https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/d680309e71b74af259b99cc1796d36d6.jpeg 818685f458b6889c593e9c05ff36a684 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Apartment in Sandy Hill Subject The topic of the resource A renovated older multi unit building made into modern apartments Description An account of the resource this is a newer renovated building on Chapel street that is rented to students as apartments Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 1, 2026 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Open source image taken by Sarah Donaldson Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Photograph by Sarah Donaldson Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Hyperlink A link, or reference, to another resource on the Internet. URL <iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1n4jCFeJOg6h-OdEHMzMSli_jYfkaKfQ&ehbc=2E312F"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Map of Sandy Hill’s Active Rental Subject The topic of the resource This research focuses on the demographics of Sandy Hill’s housing, specifically rental properties and apartments. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sarah Donaldson & Sarah Struthers Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 8 Description An account of the resource Our group mapped apartments and rental properties in Sandy Hill. This topic is important for understanding food assets because it maps physical distance between people and food sources, as well as the financial status of people who live in rental properties and how much money they have to spend on food. Sources for our findings include real estate agents (collect information on housing for the purpose of selling, investing, and advising others), and Statistics Canada. The average household income in Sandy Hill before taxes is $87,400. The median household income before taxes is $62,400. <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2020/schl-cmhc/NH12-77-2020-eng.pdf">(CMHC, 2020)</a> There is a large student population in Sandy Hill, which likely contributes to the lower average income in the neighbourhood as opposed to the Ottawa average. Students tend to live on the west side of the neighbourhood, closer to the University of Ottawa campus where household income is generally lower <a href="https://johncastle.ca/investment-property-in-ottawa/investment-property-in-sandy-hill/">(John Castle, 2023)</a>. Additionally, Sandy Hill has a slightly higher than average rent for single-person households compared to the Ottawa average. Sandy Hill has also had rapid growth in population since 2017, with unemployment rates being higher than the national average <a href="https://johncastle.ca/investment-property-in-ottawa/ottawa-rental-income/">(John Castle, 2023)</a>. Vacancy rates rose during the pandemic but have since recovered <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2020/schl-cmhc/NH12-77-2020-eng.pdf">(CMHC, 2020)</a>. According to residents, housing is a major point of complaint, as rent prices have been high in recent years <a href="https://www.areavibes.com/ottawa-on/sandy+hill/employment/">(areavibes.com via Statistics Canada)</a>. According to a study done focusing on student living in Ottawa and Ontario "The average rent paid by students surveyed is $926.8, with 95% (n= 310) identifying rent prices as a primary challenge. Students in Ontario face a higher average rent ($935.4) compared to those in Quebec ($830.1). Financially, 25% (n= 106) of respondents rely solely on employment income. A student earning the minimum wage in Ottawa ($17.20/h) would need to work 54 hours per month just to cover the average rent cost, excluding tuition, food and transportation costs."<a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66ad1e5a8e08cfd112d65245/67f6f106a2d1b2b8d0872b28_SHEC%20Report%20Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="STUDENT HOUSING CAUCUS REPORT By SHEC">STUDENT HOUSING CAUCUS REPORT</a> A large number of apartment buildings in Sandy Hill are on the north side of the neighbourhood, close to Rideau Street. It is difficult to tell if a property is owned or rented during a walkthrough of the neighbourhood. For example, often historic buildings are converted and/or renovated into multiple rentable units, but that it is impossible to tell just by looking at them. The interactive Google Map, below, shows some of the rentals and single family homes we marked.  This map is not complete as we did a pedestrian survey of the neighborhood.  We will be updating this map at a later time. Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/12e0d91e12fabf4eb439cb868b3fb082.png fde7bb7d0d1c4477595dfc88b95cd079 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Food Insecurity in Ottawa and Ontario from 2019-2024 Description An account of the resource This table shows the percentage of food insecurity both within Ottawa and the greater Ontario region. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived “Food Insecurity.” Open Ottawa, City Of Ottawa, 12 Feb. 2026, open.ottawa.ca/datasets/ottawa::food-insecurity/about. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available City of Ottawa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 12 Feb. 2026 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Database Table Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Food Insecurity in Ottawa and Ontario.  This table shows the percentage of food insecurity both within Ottawa and the greater Ontario region. Although the numbers have fluctuated in the past five years, food insecurity rose from 15% to 25%.   Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Din Betote, Carolyn Phidd, Devon Giguere, and Roodmya Douge https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/cfb2765e30dcae5aa491ce01a457639a.png 82ee5d3a2c85be634136b8ea77341d2f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource City of Ottawa Public Spending Description An account of the resource This table shows the amount of funding from 2012 to 2025 on various social services. The greatest spending is "Ottawa Police Service." Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Data Table of the City of Ottawa Operating Budget 2012-2025 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Din Betote, Carolyn Phidd, Devon Giguere, and Roodmya Douge Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived 2022 Adopted Budget , City of Ottawa, 8 Dec. 2021, documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents/files/2022_Adopted_Budget_Book_English_CondensedAODA.pdf. <div></div> 2023 Adopted Budget , City of Ottawa, 1 Mar. 2023, documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/2023%20Adopted%20Budget%20Book%20Part%201-AODA.pdf. <div></div> 2024 Adopted Budget, City of Ottawa, 6 Dec. 2023, documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/2024%20Adopted%20Budget%20Book%20English%20Condensed-AODA.pdf. <div></div> 2025 Adopted Budget , City of Ottawa, 11 Dec. 2024, documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/2025%20Adopted%20Budget%20Book%20English%20Condensed-AODA.pdf. <div></div> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available City of Ottawa https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/8c23bc0147aff7bdd6891ef14aa02239.pdf f3e0e022f387e1b03516039d50175441 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Hyperlink A link, or reference, to another resource on the Internet. URL <iframe width="100%" height="800" src="https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/ee6995e9a87289d8ceea27254952c31b/sandy-hill/index.html" frameborder="0"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Grocery Accessibility Description An account of the resource These maps critically analyze food assets available around the Sandy Hill area by considering the affordability and accessibility of the grocery stores outside of its boundaries, acknowledging that inside its boundaries, the only options are convenience stores with high price points and limited options in variety and diversity, as well as eat-in and take-out places, which are less sustainable for its residents. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kelsey Davey (300293417), Gabriella Mills (300288137), Sakura Ito (300295725) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 8 April 2026 Language A language of the resource English Subject The topic of the resource The categorizing of grocery stores surrounding the Sandy Hill areas based on transportation via bike, car and public transit, as well as accessibility based on the time the grocers open, and price point. Cumulatively, assessing why Sandy Hill residents chose certain grocers. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/65ebe192033275e2335c383cff8df59e.pdf 88a701befd5b92c637968305d6fe99a7 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/165eb5baaceec2ee7966eb7bca8b86ac.jpeg 8be6490098c675fc2530835602213351 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/e01be8e38b198d55481e990f85515eaa.jpeg a1a97d0ff26601eaf1f24fc3b06cc7f6 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/71d8e927f933e229fa39414427d9d0d6.jpeg a3c4c09c0aec9d9156de7b71b2d195f9 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/8fca5b6dd7be5dc129da3226b1643635.jpeg dbcd22471230960d9b3e065bb48ee292 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/3cef00010920eaba824d3a86eee63828.jpeg e8debae67c06edb84125016c25190d60 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/3e9b2c7ee0668d97493cf79e9cc74e89.jpeg 3ea83d57f21c40b229fe0976dd93852c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Potential Sites for New Sandy Hill Community Gardens Subject The topic of the resource Potential areas of reform, including residential areas, current community gardens, community garden expansion areas, recreational/natural landscapes, and gentrified areas. Description An account of the resource Introduction. Our group, consisting of Supreet Phangura and Jodie Choy mapped community gardens and landlord company-owned areas in Sandy Hill. The boundaries of our mapping were from Rideau Street to Mann Avenue, and then up to Range Road. Community gardens are critical for our understanding of food assets in a few central ways. Firstly, community gardens can indicate socioeconomic status of an area through observation of infrastructure and how well-maintained it is.  Secondly, the crops that a community garden produces can signify a gap in food assets as well as physical and monetary accessibility otherwise provided by food infrastructure in the area. Finally, the demographic of the community garden’s users can signify the level of food insecurity and need for mutual aid. In particular, an analysis on how socioeconomic factors shape what people think community gardens are for found that age, education, and annual household income had significant impact on how residents perceived benefits and purposes of community gardens. Annual household income was a strong indicator of whether a resident viewed gardening as a tool for physical health and increased produce intake, with higher-income individuals more likely to view community gardens as a way to increase physical activity. On the other hand, for lower-income individuals, community gardens were viewed as essential tools to obtain food while under financial pressure. Lower-income households were also found to be more likely to be recipients of produce, rather than active participants in the gardening process itself (Tackie et al., 2014). Community gardens are an essential part of the story about how communities address food insecurity. Community gardens reveal the socioeconomics of food asset availability in Sandy Hill. In combination with this, the amount of landlord company-owned housing is also critical for the understanding of food assets because increases in landlord companies are heavily associated with gentrification. Gentrification tends to remove more affordable, smaller grocery stores by replacing them with high-end, chain grocery stores. It also has a tendency to bring about commercial development and a subsequent demographic shift. This leaves the neighbourhood at an overall lower affordability level, reflected prominently in the decrease of independent landlords at the expense of landlord companies.  A study performed a cross-sectional analysis on measures of gentrification and food access in Toronto found that 45% of all low-equity areas are unfavourable food environments (Menka et al., 2025). Moreover, all gentrification measures were significantly associated with food desert presence, meaning increases in gentrification were linked to lack of access to nutritious food (Menka et al., 2025).  Community Gardens and Landlord Companies in Sandy Hill: 2010 vs 2026 One of the main tensions that we found was how community garden usage seemed to indicate a lower socioeconomic status of the Sandy Hill area, despite obvious gentrification and decreased affordability of the area. Through analysing the individual factors of increase in community gardens and presence of landlord companies between 2010 and 2026, we seek to understand how socioeconomic status plays a part in telling the story of food asset availability in a community. Community Gardens The Sandy Hill community garden scene in 2010 encompasses the Sandy Hill Community Garden, the Strathcona Park community garden, the Gathering Garden, the St. Joe’s Supper Table Community Garden, the Robinson Park community garden, and various community gardens run by programs on the uOttawa campus. In 2026, as pictured by the figure to the right, community gardens in Sandy Hill were limited to Sandy Hill Community Garden, Strathcona Heights Community Garden, St. Joe’s Supper Table Community Garden, Robinson Park community garden, and the same community gardens on the uOttawa campus. Between 2010 and 2026, Gathering Garden was adjointed to Strathcona Community Garden. Notable differences include Strathcona Heights Community Garden, which was built in 2024 and seems to have replaced Strathcona Park community garden, but also features the expansion of new beds near 721 Chapel Crescent. In 2010, Strathcona Park community garden had 41 plots along 430 Wiggins Private, while in 2026, Strathcona Heights Community Garden has expanded to 3 locations: two benches at 300-310 Wiggins Private, one bench at Lori Heath Park, and two benches near 721 Chapel Crescent (McCallum, 2024). Both St. Joe’s Supper Table Community Garden and Robinson Park community garden were still running and recently active, and there seems to be a new community garden on the uOttawa campus in the form of Place des Francos-Ontariens Garden along Laurier Avenue. Sandy Hill Community News interviewed a variety of Sandy Hill community gardens in 2020. By examining purported usage and reason for constructing a community garden, we can see that individuals tended to see them as a means to obtain food under financial pressure, consistent with findings that indicate use by those of lower socioeconomic status. Sandy Hill Community Garden originally opened around 2008 with an associated food bank which eventually disappeared, but was revived during COVID-19, indicating a very strong correlation to use for easing financial pressure. Hildegarde Henderson from Strathcona Heights Community Garden noted that “when markets were reduced or closed, the community garden’s produce was very welcome in the neighbourhood” (Whitelaw, 2020). St. Joe’s Supper Table Community Garden is primarily used for providing food to Sandy Hill residents through its two food banks, community kitchen, sandwich service, and dinner service. St. Joe’s Supper Table Community Garden is also a prime example of how lower-income households were found to be more likely to be recipients of produce, rather than active participants in the gardening process itself (Tackie et al., 2014), since many recipients of this food are not participants in the garden. Andrew Hall and Sue McKee mention that the University of Ottawa King Edward Community Garden had, in past years, had a garden for refugees, another for an organisation protecting battered women, and some space for two homeless people to use (Whitelaw, 2020), on top of general usage by students. The demographics of usage of Sandy Hill community gardens very clearly indicates a presence of low socioeconomic status individuals in the area, and the increase in community garden space between 2010 and 2026 indicates that this presence is only growing. In short, community gardens are an essential part of the story about food assets in Sandy Hill because they tell us where food insecurity lies, whether or not it is increasing, and what the community is doing to address it. Landlord Companies. In 2010, the Sandy Hill housing market was mostly dominated by individual and family landlords, some local property owners, and owners of converted heritage homes. In short, it was largely characterised by decentralised ownership. In 2026, however, there has been a widespread consolidation into large landlord companies. On our walk, we found that properties were mainly owned by Sleepwell Property Management, Smart Living Properties, Paradigm Commercial, FRC Real Estate, CLV Group, and Osgoode Properties. Additionally, 2010 mainly had individual property owners, while 2026 has an increase in multi-property investors even aside from landlord companies. There was also a large increase in the average price of a house, as noted by Agent in Ottawa Realtors, where the average house in 2010 was priced at $435, 406, and the average house in 2025 was priced at $559, 109. The kind of build dominating Sandy Hill has also seen various changes throughout the years. A study performed in 2010 regarding Sandy Hill being a cultural heritage landscape noted that in the early 1900s, Sandy Hill was largely dominated by single family residences mostly housing Ottawa’s manufacturing and mercantile elites, with some construction of middle housing in vacant lots. Between 1922 - 1956, there was a trend of expansion of existing housing stock through new construction; the subdivision of existing single-family homes into multi-family homes, which mirrors multi-unit trends we see today; and the construction of apartment buildings. Overall, the housing market was beginning to shift to accommodate middle-income families rather than elites. In 2010, the study notes that because the Sandy Hill area was largely established by the mid-20th century, the existing housing stock had remained relatively unchanged since then. Many smaller, multi-family homes were owned or lived in by the student population in Ottawa. In 2026, the housing in Sandy Hill consisted mostly of restored Edwardian homes, historic triplexes, student rentals, and modern mid-rise condos. There is now high demand for triplexes, updated heritage properties, and turnkey condos. Interestingly, across 2010 and 2026, there is a consistent prevalence of multi-unit houses being rented out to students. This story of accommodating elites, to middle-income homes, to a wide variety of modernised housing, follows a similar trail of food asset availability in the Sandy Hill area. As mentioned before, the affordability of the neighbourhood is not what mainly creates food deserts in Sandy Hill. Rather, it is the change in infrastructure itself. This makes sense, given that the most notable difference between housing in 2010 and 2026 is that middle-income housing was more prevalent and that heritage properties were beginning to see massive updates. It’s likely that the shift towards converting Sandy Hill housing to be more modern and accommodate more people was part of a gentrification effort that ultimately changed food asset availability. These findings are particularly pertinent in relation to our findings about community gardens, which also highly point towards effects of individual socioeconomic status on food availability.  Important to note is that, in 2009, the Ottawa Development Report showed that rental vacancy rates in Sandy Hill sat at 1.4% before shooting up to 2.4% in 2010, where the city average at the time across Canada was 1.6%. This means in 2010, there were more units for rent than needed. In 2025, rental vacancy rates sat at 3.3% as reported by Ottawa Lookout, meaning there was an increase in oversupply. However, realtor.ca found that approximately 80% of Sandy Hill consisted of renters. This is likely explained by the large demographic of students dominating Sandy Hill, which causes frequent turnover, but also creates a need for oversupply because of the fluctuating amount of students per year who may need housing. Rental vacancy is positively associated with gentrification due to trends where vacancy makes future redevelopment via gentrification. This points to a narrative about Sandy Hill food assets where there is overall disinvestment in infrastructure supporting residents, replaced with investments in infrastructure supporting the priorities of companies and larger landlords who invest in the area. Such a narrative is consistent with the dramatic increase in the noted use of community gardens in ways that indicate lower socioeconomic status and increased food insecurity, despite the fact that Sandy Hill as a neighbourhood is decreasing in affordability and increasing gentrification. Recommendations. Community gardens mainly face issues regarding waitlists, plot distribution and equitable access, plot abandonment, stealing, community integration, visibility and awareness, and lack of resources. To address waitlist problems, we recommend implementing a “use it or lose it” policy wherein inactivity for a certain period of time triggers reassignment. For plot distribution and equitable access, we recommend partnering with local groups like tenant associations and newcomer services to ensure inclusive access to plots. Putting requirements for a basic participation, like minimum maintenance expectations, could help mitigate plot abandonment issues, and stealing could be addressed through fencing, construction of natural barriers to wall off gardens, and signage. Community integration could be aided by having crops that are used in multicultural recipes, so all demographics in the Sandy Hill community could have crops they can make use of. Additionally, Sandy Hill could organise community days that offer food made from gardens to the Sandy Hill community to bring in new volunteers and foster relationship-building with and between community members. Visibility and awareness, which is a main issue we encountered on our initial walk, can be addressed using awareness campaigns such as posters in public spaces. Community gardens could also contact related organisations to send out email newsletters, and put up signage with QR codes to give more information on the community garden and indicate how to join. Lack of resources such as volunteers tending to the garden and storage space can be helped by integrating gardening into CSL placements at the University of Ottawa. This has already been implemented with some of the community gardens on the campus, such as the King Edward community garden, but can be extended to non-campus community gardens as well. Finally, our general recommendations include implementing rules and regulations around food distribution, such as who has access to gardens, and who can harvest. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Supreet Phangura & Jodie Choy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Methodology The research for this map combined existing data and on ground fieldwork to build a comprehensive understanding of community garden opportunities and urban changes in Sandy Hill. To start, Google Maps was used as the base of the map and to establish the geographic boundaries of Sandy Hill. Both the standard and satellite view options of Google Maps were applied to identify spatial features such as flat roofed or vacant buildings as well as to assess the extent of existing and potential garden spaces. Google Maps’ first person street view feature was also utilized to examine how buildings and streetscapes appeared in the summer in addition to comparing imagery from 2010 to 2026 in order to identify signs of gentrification or other changes in the neighbourhood. To locate confirmed community gardens, JustFood.ca was consulted, which provided verified listings within the Sandy Hill area. Furthermore, the University of Ottawa’s campus sustainability initiatives website helped identify existing communal gardens and understand the regulations governing them. The university’s Edible Landscape Proposal and green space campus map aided in highlighting potential areas for future garden development. Upon completion of research, primary fieldwork was done, where a walkthrough survey of the neighbourhood was conducted. During this, recreational spaces, major residential zones with flat roofs, gentrified areas, and existing gardens such as those in Strathcona Park and Robinson Park, as well as smaller campus plots were noted or documented via photograph. To supplement the map further, a team member who resides in Sandy Hill carried out additional informal walkthroughs and tracked potential areas of reform and residential opportunities. To verify which gardens remained active, online searches were verified by cross referencing with active Facebook groups, community garden websites, and recent news articles. Finally, these findings were compared with the “Where’s the Food” 2010 report and other pre-2011 sources, alongside public data on landlord companies, housing prices, and resident demographics, to confirm recognized patterns of gentrification and any changes between 2010 and 2026. Works Cited Agent In Ottawa REALTORS® “Sandy Hill Market Report.” Agent in Ottawa Realtors, 2026. https://agentinottawa.com/neighbourhood-market-reports/central-ottawa/sandy-hill-stats. Chadwick, Julie. “Q&A: Affordability, Supply and Availability in Ottawa’s Rental Market.” Ottawa Lookout, 2026. https://www.ottawalookout.com/p/q-a-affordability-supply-and-availability-in-ottawa-s-rental-market. City of Ottawa. “Annual Development Report 2010 City of Ottawa.” Ottawa Documents, 2011. https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/2010_devreport_en.pdf. Cockburn, John. “Take a Look at Sandy Hill’s Profile.” Sandy Hill Community News / Le journal communautaire de la Côte-de-Sable, 2020. http://home.imagesandyhill.org/2020/01/take-a-look-at-sandy-hills-profile/#. Fournier Gersovitz Moss et associés architectes, Herb Stovel, and Dana Johnson. “Draft Report -Sandy Hill Heritage Study.” ash-acs, 2010. https://ash-acs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Sandy-Hill-East-Heritage-Study-Final-Draft.pdf. Just Food. “Community Garden Map.” Just Food, 2023. https://justfood.ca/community-gardening-network/community-gardening-network-guide/. McCallum, Jenn. “Sandy Hill Community Health Centre Installs Seating and Planters in the Strathcona Heights Neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario.” Green Communities Canada, 2024, greencommunitiescanada.org/sandy-hill-community-health-centre-installs-seating-and-planters-in-the-strathcona-heights-neighbourhood-in-ottawa-ontario/ Menko, Patrycia, et al. “Food Deserts, Food Mirages, and Gentrification in Toronto, Canada.” Health & Place, vol. 94, June 2025, p. 103490, doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103490. Realtor.ca “Multi Family Homes For Sale in Sandy Hill - Ottawa East, Ottawa.” Realtor.ca, 2026. https://www.realtor.ca/on/ottawa/sandy-hill---ottawa-east/multi-family-homes-for-sale#. St-Georges, Roch “Is Sandy Hill Still a Good Buy? Ottawa’s Historic District in 2025.” EXIT Realty Matrix, Brokerage, 2025. https://www.exitrealtymatrix.com/blog/is-sandy-hill-still-a-good-buy-ottawas-historic-district-in-2025/. Tackie Nii O., et al. “The Impact of Selected Socioeconomic Factors on Residents' Perceptions of Benefits of Community Gardens.” Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 2014, 5(12):13. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Leonard-Githinji/publication/266386835_The_Impact_of_Selected_Socioeconomic_Factors_on_Residents'_Perceptions_of_Benefits_of_Community_Gardens/links/542f00ef0cf277d58e91ec5b/The-Impact-of-Selected-Socioeconomic-Factors-on-Residents-Perceptions-of-Benefits-of-Community-Gardens.pdf University of Ottawa “Community Gardens.” Campus life, 2026. https://www.uottawa.ca/campus-life/campus-sustainability/activities-initiatives/community-gardens. University of Ottawa “Nature Positive.” Campus life, 2022. https://www.uottawa.ca/campus-life/campus-sustainability/nature-positive. University of Ottawa “Uottawa Takes a Fruitful Leap Forward.” Campus life, 2023. https://www.uottawa.ca/campus-life/news-all/uottawa-takes-fruitful-leap-forward. White-Jones, Karen , Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 Whitelaw, Bob. “Community Gardeners Grow Spirit and Values along with Herbs, Flowers and Veg.” Sandy Hill Community News / Le journal communautaire de la Côte-de-Sable, 2020. http://home.imagesandyhill.org/2020/10/community-gardeners-grow-spirit-and-values-along-with-herbs-flowers-and-veg/#:~:text=The%20garden%20opened%20in%202011,Rocket%E2%80%9D%20noted%20in%20the%20introduction. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All photography was done by Supreet Phangura (Creative Common license, 2026) https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/a1f79678ed9cf9c2e25079e242cc67e8.png d59b5895a303196ac6fccd159da0eef7 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/f7a1efd162a49843d09841d884a73555.jpg 1e761e5622f1828547773a51cbe77fca Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived 210 data was based upon Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 which is also referenced here: https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/8da3294160a53b746e5e48d7c5f4926a.jpg f6361910e7d52521740bdec8c43dba06 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/0cc83a1c824db1574ac0e1e3045caf99.jpg eecc2c8922ce0eb91fcb3e017469704c https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/45af094bfd35c76b3a5e185068009e11.jpg a96fc2c93ce52447dc9ff51f6c682bec https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/c452dd9682a6eb3105bff80740d1acdb.jpg 6658ded12ba8b8a4c4ea4f9b12f794f1 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/17fd5a5df45fc0510b8f487d5b4f4547.jpg 8fd88f13d1bf2863ea2b34fc6976f431 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/9ea08dba0d963bf731620fc3f6487be9.jpg 7e2c6ae54c70507a60cea42c642051ac Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Hyperlink A link, or reference, to another resource on the Internet. URL <iframe width="100%" height="800" src="https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/83a7cb55762208104d157c26499accd1/food-stores-in-sandy-hill/index.html" frameborder="0"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Food Vendors in Sandy Hill Description An account of the resource Our group mapped food vendors (e.g, restaurants, convenience stores, grocery vendors, coffee shops, etc.) in Sandy Hill. We examined each location’s general affordability, the food’s or vendor’s cultural origins, and whether there are food preference availability. Boundaries of our mapping were (North to South) Besserer Street to Mann Avenue, and (West to East) King Edward Avenue to the Rideau River. Understanding what food options exist in the area help to create a picture of Sandy Hill’s livability and discover areas for potential improvement (more diverse food options, healthier options, cheaper options, etc.). ----- As of 2026, Sandy Hill (within the boundaries specified previously) has 43 food vendors. 31 of these vendors, we classified as sit-down or take-out restaurants/food, and pubs and eateries, and 6 vendors we classified as coffee houses, bakeries, or beverage shops. 4 food vendors were convenience stores and the 2 were grocery stores. Most of the food vendors were clustered close to the University, with a high frequency on Laurier Avenue. The two grocery vendors operated on Mann avenue, allowing residents of the neighbourhood living nearby the opportunities to purchase basic food necessities without having to travel to Rideau street and beyond for grocery items. Sandy Hill has many food vendors selling different cuisines including Indian, Mediterranean, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Guyanaese and Caribbean, North African, and French Gastronomy. Affordability fluctuated with most of the affordable food stores operating close to the University. Restaurants closer to Range Road and Strathcona Park had a dramatic increase in price compared to the rest of the food vendors. More often than not, food vendors had at least a few vegan, vegetarian, or halal options available. Most places also allowed for customization and substitutions.  (See Food in Sandy Hill Comparison - 2010 to 2026 table). Compared to 2010, there are more food options that are more diverse, and tend to be similar in price/accessibility as before. There are a few spots that have closed and are now empty store fronts or no longer sell food, but many former residential only spots now have food options. While we do not have price comparisons for 2010, we can surmise from the similar options and vendors that are still present that the price increases are likely in line with inflation. We have mostly found that while brands or names have changed, convenience stores have stayed convenience stores, pubs have stayed pubs, and so on and so forth. Please refer to the table for further details on what has changed, stayed the same and to compare further.  Mapping food vendors in Sandy Hill is essential for understanding food availability in the community and addressing food insecurity, particularly focusing on affordability and dietary accessibility. Our map highlights an overall increase of accessible vendors in the neighbourhood, including more accessible options and a wider range of affordable options in comparison to 2010. It presents the options available to the residents of Sandy Hill, where they can eat depending on their food preferences and restrictions, and the affordability of said vendors. Our project highlights the gaps in food access in Sandy Hill. This includes areas with fewer vendors, areas of limited affordability, and lack of transparency with dietary options. For example, many vendors don’t state dietary accommodations on their menus or websites. It also shows the concentration of vendors on Laurier Street compared to the lack of options in east Sandy Hill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fiona Labonté, Lily Smith, Sabryn McLennan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Our research was conducted through online sources and using primary observation and research collection. Google Maps was the main source used, both to get accurate building locations and addresses and to explore food vendor’s online menus. Additionally, Google Maps Street View program was used occasionally to review past versions of locations to examine what businesses existed in that location during the years 2009 to 2012. Additional sources – vendor’s websites – were consulted when primary observation was ineffective, such as if a food vendor existed only as an online ordering, take-out website (e.g. SushiLab). N/A. “Where Is Shawarma From.” Imperial Shawarma, 7 Feb. 2023,<a href="https://imperialshawarma.ca/where-is-shawarma-from/"> https://imperialshawarma.ca/where-is-shawarma-from/</a>. Barwaaqo Food Centre - Halal Ottawa. 30 Aug. 2025,<a href="https://www.halalottawa.ca/grocery/barwaaqo-food-centre/"> https://www.halalottawa.ca/grocery/barwaaqo-food-centre/</a>. Dépanneur.<a href="https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/depanneur"> https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/depanneur</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. Foodinator - Asian Fusion |.<a href="https://foodinator.ca/"> https://foodinator.ca/</a>. 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Submarine-Style Sandwiches History, Whats Cooking America.<a href="https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/hoagiesubmarinepoboy.htm"> https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/hoagiesubmarinepoboy.htm</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. “Tahini’s Mediterranean Fusion | Eat Unbland.” Tahini’s,<a href="https://tahinis.com/"> https://tahinis.com/</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. The History of Acai Bowl: From Origins to Global Trend. 28 Mar. 2024,<a href="https://www.cleanjuice.com/the-history-of-the-acai-bowl/"> https://www.cleanjuice.com/the-history-of-the-acai-bowl/</a>. Clean Juice. “The History of Greek Souvlaki: A National Treat | Athens Insiders - Private Tours in Greece.” Athens Insiders,<a href="https://www.athensinsiders.com/blog/the-history-of-greek-souvlaki-a-national-treat"> https://www.athensinsiders.com/blog/the-history-of-greek-souvlaki-a-national-treat</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. The Surprising Story of How Chicken Wings Became America’s Favorite Finger Food | The Seattle Times.<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/the-surprising-story-of-how-chicken-wings-became-americas-favorite-finger-food/"> https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/the-surprising-story-of-how-chicken-wings-became-americas-favorite-finger-food/</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026. Turim, Gayle. “Who Invented Pizza?” HISTORY, 27 July 2012,<a href="https://www.history.com/articles/a-slice-of-history-pizza-through-the-ages"> https://www.history.com/articles/a-slice-of-history-pizza-through-the-ages</a>. White-Jones, Karen. “Where’s the Food? A Compilation of Research Gathered with the Food Security Assessment Toolkit in the Sandy Hill Community.” Report. Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, Nov. 2010. Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/cb1568fdd24de9fe3885d0f0f9a4cc4e.png 4a3b179ed62fd6170e47c8c06154b29e https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/959d9873582bd9a58fd91dc8199d4a13.png 8f2d54d84ace3fad5fa5a2da5d8017e9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Graphs of City of Ottawa Public Investment Description An account of the resource These two graphs are from data gathered from the City of Ottawa Operating Budgets from 2012-2025, minus 2015. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/9f0276fd9c135eca3550753b9e763219.jpg 2c90c1ffa389ecb06c7bbf5155a9333d https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/68cd2581b8c6a08c22b929a004d3d20f.jpg 680b8d14d28f67c5f5b7ce0b7c1333c3 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/1f57e4e1ba3294d3d5854e423b20261a.jpg 24c648324d2401646ca38d8f440a5713 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/c5704e82b658deec59a656996e2854c7.jpg 952d3abd2e9ab826c7dd3204d55d2de0 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/54202a4148bb5571e98e8867450682d0.jpg 004c829d60aed1417a21f10a5fb71c22 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/54138d3353831bde3f2e785c6eb0b30e.jpg 19632fb826bdfdb9914f0ea76e65895a https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/7a43ac48d16c5bca0ae84a3555880ca1.jpg aeedb5c65583962ef86b0a2560528a07 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/0f13b7284eb170c83b3145d4b555cd07.jpg bc56d15b0cf1d23a28d07fd37fc6c9bc https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/bfc65bec32c882fb67351b05168d1205.jpg 4c72acea162afd6c66ec63777cf8233a https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/f803714a76c4bc176a3c3813290d9b50.jpg 96bbfdb7f0bb405634a977f2058842ed https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/763603fdaa891af69888cbbdd50027fe.jpg 7ff3f7a6d82f01a6867d98c1eff91d3a https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/920ec716310d3315cdd9703e72d2dcea.jpg ae48e14cbc2e166117d17ba167cdc623 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/34079b5a0455b1f24841327cba268029.jpg 30a942a10566730a43cb9ec03d77f98c https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/fd8e1a70c4953dfe1cf64b9310bb97cc.jpg b3f67e0f59fadc5086e98e9da4a3ed55 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/b9004685892576d8f6c6c3797484c5f8.jpg 51ccde40e746254f96aad5d2498486ed https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/1c66b611e14c8a2add2a8d84eba3c314.jpg 76c58d9445b7f246708504bc23efb237 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 1912 Historical Fire Insurance Maps of Sandy Hill Description An account of the resource These images document Sandy Hill. By comparing these to the previous map collections, you can see how the neighborhood has changed. By clicking on an image and enlarging it, you can see where there were grocers , bakers, Chinese laundry, churches and schools. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/84e0040ae8dc2e2851f7ef8079b812eb.jpg 78fb1eb76ba7d969c92fd14b8733a9f6 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/25da3e855075459ac3920a7cbea8732a.jpg facbd65f254853d70912ece9b9f79c63 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/fc9176b14e6b72c6ad89aa01378880e1.jpg aaf403470d793558dff20b0ae9934fe2 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/099b5f5433c7fcc991f7e810ac9c932c.jpg 1c21be14c9c49fbd00a6be1987b79216 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/76e6f457de70606c53920f62b14eff47.jpg 9547a750918878a9f0dda811bfd2e0f3 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/c1b3c501a6f3fff41fec82e9fb310556.jpg 85de79ca7017979ee4bd3ea33a199ad1 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/03c08874032410d7cee8caffaf6235fa.jpg 02f7a55c13b5c15ebf996a6cd43a8835 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/6bc292970ed82a1f85ff889fa3c9294d.jpg 1f7d3494d31dd0c52266cb36dd642873 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/69fc063c7a2de42d217b9e9060c93f0d.jpg c40decc568c2e7a14370417323b53c53 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/005227fdae8ae1ab75e0191cc131702e.jpg 7a46b00fcb5239c426b1b90a0939f2f9 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/83dcc7beadc4f148cb2628961219f70e.jpg be340c46daade02eb86106b67659e382 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/e75ff2079b84daa28f6a48413ae9afac.jpg f5b89a19a2034a3bdfb98859d035d286 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 1901 Historical Fire Insurance Map Of Sandy Hill Subject The topic of the resource Sandy Hill in 1901 Description An account of the resource These images document Sandy Hill. It serves as a baseline to see how the neighborhood has changed. By clicking on an image and enlarging it, you can see where there were grocers (GRO), as well as other businesses from livery stables, coal sheds, freight yards to hotels.  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Asset Mapping 2026 Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">"Food systems considerations are an increasingly indispensable focus in urban planning. Resilient food systems, the systems and infrastructures needed for food production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, with the potential food supply chain disruption effects from climate change.” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2021.1918750">Shulman, Bulkan and Curtis 2022</a> The students in Food and Food Systems Anthropology 4135 mapped the neighborhood surrounding uOttawa, called Sandy Hill. This historical neighborhood used to be the home to Ottawa's wealthy back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, embassies, government workers and university students live here. The anthropology students were tasked with researching how people acquired food. Sandy Hill has a variety of eateries and convenience stores, but grocery stores are outside the central area. For lower-income residents, including students, accessing affordable fresh food is an issue. A number of charitable programs help fill that void, but not completely. Students also looked at the transportation infrastructure here, the number of rentals to owners, green areas where gardens could be planted, charitable organizations offering food assistance and the history of Sandy Hill in maps.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter Term 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Students in the Ant 4135 Food and Food Systems taught by Laurie Weinstein, Ph.D. Winter 2026. Students included: Din Betote Akwa, Jodie Choy, Kelsey Davey, Sarah Donaldson, Roodmya Douge, Devon Giguere, Ito Sakura, Fiona Labonte, Yungu Liu, Sabryn Mclennan, Gabbie Mills, Red Phangura, Carolyn Phidd, Lily Smith, Sarah Struthers Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sandy Hill, Ottawa, ON Relation A related resource Our team discovered this earlier food asset-mapping that covered Sandy Hill as well by Karen White-Jones Student, Community Development and Engagement Team Sandy Hill Community Health Centre 221 Nelson St., Ottawa, ON November 2010 https://justfood.ca/community-food-assessment-toolkit/ Hyperlink A link, or reference, to another resource on the Internet. URL <iframe width="100%" height="800" src="https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/55c1f70588ff59697442ec21d030f11b/sandy-hills-mapping-2010-edition/index.html" frameborder="0"></iframe> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sandy Hill Food Mapping - Community Sites Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Din Betote Carolyn Phidd Devon Giguere Roodmya Douge Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Din Betote Carolyn Phidd Devon Giguere Roodmya Douge https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/82e1ac1d38d4ab767843898e3be10480.mp3 140118f99dcc788d14e8d2ae0093e2a1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Seanna Aarts-Magee; Maryam Cheikh Hassan ; Sydney Langlois; Latifa Saad; Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Vera Cotter Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Latifa Saad (0:02): Hello, hello.    Seanna Aarts-Magee (0:02): Hi.   Maryam Cheikh Hassan (0:02): Hi. Latifa Saad (0:03): Ah, there's the lovely ladies. OK.   Sydney Langlois (0:05): Hi.   Latifa Saad (0:06): This is Vera.   Sydney Langlois (0:07): Hello.  Maryam Cheikh Hassan (0:07): Hello.  Seanna Aarts-Magee (0:08): Hello. Sydney Langlois (0:09): Thank you so much for taking the time to help us out today.   Vera Cotter (0:13): Oh, wait and thank me after it's over. I might run away.  Latifa Saad (0:20): Perfect. Cool. So let's start. So the first question, which is kind of funny to me, is what is your country of origin?  Vera Cotter (0:34): Trinidad. Kind of thinking India, right?  Latifa Saad (0:38): Oh, no, no, we're thinking Trinidad. It's Trinidad.   Vera Cotter (0:41): Trinidad and Tobago, actually. But I was born in Trinidad, so it's, 2 little islands, one government, but I was born on the Trinidad side.   Latifa Saad (0:51): OK, where in Trinidad were you born?   Vera Cotter (0:54): I was born in Port of Spain, which is the capital. And we lived there until I was 5 and then moved to Princes Town. And that's where I lived the rest of my time at home. So, my family always sent us, sent us away to school, and usually it was the English side. You know, we all the education system in in Trinidad when I grew up there was the English system. So, we went through University of Cambridge. So, when you finish high school, time for university, we have a really good university on the island, but it's just one university, so you can only have so many students, right? And my parents, so family, the habit was you always continued with  University at Cambridge, so, you go the English way. When our turn came, so my mom's siblings would have gone the other way to the east. When our siblings started to go to university, we came to the West.   Latifa Saad (2:08): Hmm.   Vera Cotter (2:09): So that's how I ended that—first, actually, I went to the States, started there and did one and a half years and then moved to um, to Canada because, our culture you have to live with family, like you can't just go as a student to a strange land. And by yourself, like that just wasn't allowed. So, my aunt had just graduated and she's a pharmacist and she wanted to get her license for the States and for Canada. So, while she was doing her work in the States, that's where I went to live and start school when she moved to Ontario, a year and a half later, so you can have her license from Ontario, I have to pick up and move with her, and then I became a rebel, and I dropped out of school. Sorry.   Latifa Saad (3:15): No, that's good.   Vera Cotter (3:17): Culture. It's culture like.   Latifa Saad (3:20): I was gonna ask the second question, which was what brought you to Ottawa. Vera Cotter (3:24): So Ottawa, OK, so Toronto, the only pharmacy school there was at University of Toronto, being stuck with relatives and I had a few more relatives in Toronto.  And I just found living with, they became my parents and it was like too much, too many parents. And we were allowed back then to work like 20 hours a week as a student in Canada. So, I hung out with a crowd that my family did not approve of, it was like, not good. So, there was a lot of pressure. There's school and there's the friends I hang out with, and I ended up moving back home for two years and then realized that's when I just dropped out of school and like I would just rebelled. So, I moved back home for two years and then realized, no, I don't like it back there. I would rather live here. So, I came back to Toronto. And very young because I met my husband, uh, we were 19. So I'd be 21 when we come came back and then we got married at 22. He lived in Belleville, Ontario—not a good crowd. So, he moved back home and went back to school, did a two-year program because he never finished high school. So, when we got married, we ended up moving to his hometown of Belleville. So, I got a job in the bank because back then there were always layoffs, you know, Bell’s laying off, these companies laying off. Belleville, 40,000 people, not very many places to work and have a secure job that paid money. So, I ended up working for the bank. So that's how I ended up in banking and just kind of stayed there.  Vera Cotter (5:33): All the jobs were in the Silicon Valley, like you had to move out West or you come to Ottawa. Nortel Networks, you guys may be too young to know about that company. Very good Canadian company. Nortel was the only place that he can get a job, right? Engineering in, electronics engineering. So, my daughter, we have one child and she finally moved to Ottawa, Ottawa ‘U’. Is that where you guys are? And, well, when she finished school and did her job and settled down, got married, she decided to stay in Ottawa. So, my dream was always culture. It's culture. You stay close to your kids. That was my dream, to move closer to my daughter. I was doing a lot of driving, you know, I'd come to Ottawa, cook for the kids, you know, the students. We'd all get together and I was able to see her a lot. Long story short, how I ended up in Ottawa? So, when my daughter had her first baby, I moved, away, on my own. I'm in Ottawa and I've made a new life over the past 12 years, so it all worked out. I was very lucky. We started working really young in our generation, so I was lucky enough to retire, they called it “Age Plus Service” and you can retire like, I retired at 56, when the first grandchild came, so I could look after my grandchildren and just now you can see why I just picked up and moved. Because you know what? The baby's here. Now I'm going like that was my dream. So that's how I ended up in Ottawa. Latifa Saad (7:25): Oh my God, that is a great story. You also kind of answered some of the questions like as you're going... Vera Cotter (7:31): Ah, really?  Latifa Saad (7:32): Yeah, yeah as you were going, which is good. So, the next question that I was gonna ask, my final question, because these ladies are gonna ask you some questions too, is do you have family here, and uh, do you see them frequently?   Vera Cotter (7:43):  So, I do have family here. You girls would see this later on in life, as you get your own family, like you kind of don't see each other as much because you now have your, your own. So, my siblings, right, have their kids and they're very busy with their kids.  Even my daughter now, my grandchildren are 14 and 16. They're busy with their own lives. So yes, I do have family. Do I see them very often? Probably three? Four? times a year because uh, they're in, again, I have a sister in Kingston, um, Ontario. I have my brother in Toronto. But again, they're busy with their families. So, we will get together, but it's only like three or four times. Or my youngest brother moved back home to Trinidad to look after my parents. That's culture. You kind of like, have to look after your parents. And so that creates a reason for us all to get together, whether it's here or New York or England or Trinidad. Right? So all the, all the even my grandchildren, like it's just amazing the kids, what you have today, we didn't have, right? In our day. So, this what we're doing now. I will hear something from my grandson about the other one that lives out West and I'd say, oh, how do you know that? Well, they're like playing games or doing this zoom thing and, you know, they're planning trips, “OK, when's the next trip?” And I will hear it from the kids, the grandchildren, the great nieces and nephews. So, they keep more in contact than I would with my brother or sister. Right? Because we're not into, we're old people. We don't know how to do this stuff. Not old, you know what I mean? But the kids and they would say, like sometimes they would be, they'd plan, you know, different time zones. And they would plan when they're going to get together and play games.   Vera Cotter (10:09): I do have siblings here, but yeah, I don't see them that often. And that's okay, right? That's okay. Because when we need, there's like 40 of us, like, yeah, and we don't care. So again, culture. Growing up on the islands, we don't care. We'd have like 30 people sleeping on the floor, like in one room, and you don't really fall asleep. There's always somebody talking or, you know, like that's how we grew up. And if we don't care that we have to sleep on the floor or as long as we're all together. So I have, you know, with one of these visits, as I get older, I, I can't handle it. But you do it.  Latifa Saad (10:56): That is so great. Oh, I love that. That's so great. I love hearing the, the stories of, of family and culture.   Vera Cotter (11:04): Yeah. Yeah.    Latifa Saad (11:05): That's great.    Maryam Cheikh Hassan (11:06): So, for the next set of questions, I'm gonna ask you them. Um, the first one is, do you live in a Caribbean community or a neighborhood where people celebrate Trinidadian occasions and traditions?   Vera Cotter (11:20): No. Do you know what? You girls might not believe this when I moved to Belleville. So, Toronto is even more like Ottawa, even now, there's so many different cultures.  When I moved to Belleville, and I lived there for 38 years, when I moved there  there were only three brown, or ethnic or whatever families in Belleville.  So, they didn't actually. It's so funny because I remember once my mother-in-law said to me at a restaurant, she says, “you know, every time we walk into the room, everyone looks at you” and, I kind of like, felt like it was because I was different, right? Like there's only white people, let's just, okay? There's only white, Caucasian people. And so, I said to my husband, I said, well, you know what? Maybe they look at me because they find me attractive. But I think her culture also is, you know, they're probably looking at me because I'm different. I don't know that for sure, but that's how I took it.   Vera Cotter (12:40): And when we were going to get married, she never told her mom that her only son was seeing someone that was a different religion, a different, um, race and everything. And when we decided to get married and she told granny, like her mom, “um, well, you know, Joe and Vera are going to get married and you know, she's different.” And, uh, Granny said, “Well, different. How so?” “Well, you know, she's not Catholic and she's not white and.” So, Mom is telling me this, my husband's mom, she said, “you know, I was telling Granny this, and Granny said, well, is she a nice person?” And Mom said, “Yep, she's a lovely girl.” And Granny said, “what does it matter if she's polka dot?” You know, now coming from when we got married, Granny would have been in her 70s or early 70s, right? Now, back in my day, being 22, I'm thinking, “wow, that's one smart lady.” Like, it's true. What? What does it matter? You know? Anyways, I talk a lot, so you have to stop me.   Latifa Saad (13:57): So no, no Trinidadian culture? Like, really celebrating?   Vera Cotter (14:00): Never had. Only with my family. So, we always celebrate the like everything, like the Eid, you know, we always got together, but not at my place because it was Catholic. My daughter is Catholic, my husband's Catholic. But uh, for fasting in my religion, um, we, we do it right? But not as religiously. Like, I don't pray five times a day. I mean, there's no way. I'm sorry, but I'm not getting up at 5 or sunrise, and all that stuff, I can't do it. But when I go home, I have to do it, right? Like you have to do the culture thing. So, we get together, like in Toronto especially. So, um, the ones here, like from out West and from Kingston, we'll go to my brother's place, in Toronto and do the celebrations.  Latifa Saad (14:59): Celebrations. Vera Cotter (15:03): Um, if someone, we call it prayers, I don't know. So sometimes, uh, in my religion you get together and you'll do a prayer, uh meeting with, with even people from outside, close friends and stuff. That's another culture thing that you will get together for. And then they'll have a feast, you know, they cook all kinds of stuff and the same with Eid, which is our big celebration like Christmas. Um, there's always food. Food, lots of food in the culture.  Maryam Cheikh Hassan (15:37): All right. Well, going along with that, um what celebrations, that you mentioned are most important to you?  Vera Cotter (15:46):  Oh, to myself personally? So being married, uh Catholic family also, believe it or not, as a Muslim, we always went to Muslim school until we got to high school, because the best schools were Catholic schools. Even though the nuns slapped you around like crazy in my day, like honestly, like it was like crazy. Like you dare not even look the wrong way. You'll be slapped. So, because of my husband's family and my family, we celebrate both Christmas and Eid. Those are important to me. Growing up, my father was, in Trinidad, my father was a school principal in his school. Um, it was in the country, so we had all different types of people, um, I never, I don't think you asked me a question about the people, the, the, the actual type of people from Trinidad. When I grew up it was English rule, but originally Spain owned Trinidad and Tobago, so there was Spanish speaking, Spanish culture. Then there was the French that took over, France, so there was, you know. And then in my day, it was like international. We had Chinese, we had Indian, we had the, the, you know, Middle East, and we had the Africans, you know, a lot of them came as slavery, like working cane fields and all that. Um, a lot of Europeans, East Indians were, East Indians was gold, they had gold store, jewelry stores. Chinese, oh, they owned all the grocery stores. The Middle East people like Lebanon and Syrian, clothing, cloth. So, a lot of those people brought their trade, whatever type of trade that they did, to Trinidad. So, I went back to that so you have a little knowledge that Trinidad had the most mixed, uh, cultures. You go to the other islands, you know, Grenada is next to us, Barbados then, and it goes up the line, Okay? They seem to have a specific like mostly the, the blacks, Barbados, a lot of European culture that mixed today. When you go there, you see a lot of, if they see an Indian Person or Chinese Person in Barbados, like back in my day, it was like, you know, my mother-in-law said they stared at me when I walked into the restaurant? That's what it was like in Barbados. Like they've never seen, they don't see Indian people, they don't see Chinese people. Trinidad was one of the only islands that had every different culture. I wanted to give you that history, so you know that there was so many, so much culture. So my dad was a principal. It was in the country. There were different religions and race or whatever. He taught us from the time we started school at five years old, you will participate in every, every culture. So you go to the temple, you go to mosque, you go to the Church, you go to everybody's and celebrate everybody's, um religion, religion and celebration. So that's how my family grew up, yeah.   Maryam Cheikh Hassan (19:44): That's beautiful. Um. So, my last question for you, would be, can you describe a typical day in your community? What does it look like?  Vera Cotter (19:55): You're talking about the island way, right?   Maryam Cheikh Hassan (19:57): Yeah, you can, you can answer it whether at home or here, whichever one you would prefer.   Vera Cotter (20:07):  I know because here it's kind of hard because I don't have many people of my culture, like even in Ottawa, like when you think of how many people live here, like I started by telling you 40,000 in Belleville. And there were only like when I left, there were more, more culture. There was more culture. But when I first went there, the first 10 years, there was only three different, three. And one of them, one of the families, was from Trinidad. So, like, I knew that family, but not to mingle with. Well, I go back home often. A typical day is, Trinidad people are very kinda, I wouldn't say lazy, but it takes them a long time to do anything. So, when you live in Canada and you go back to Trinidad, it's very frustrating, the traffic, I mean when I left, if, if you owned, if each household had a car, so one in 100 household had a car. Now, there's four and five, one for each child, one for the mother, one for the father, one for each child. So, the traffic is terrible. So, when I look at a day in Trinidad culture it is, and they have to even the banks closed at noon. There's this afternoon thing. They open at 7:00, but it's so hot they close at noon and the businesses, they actually have a siesta, like they have a nap and then they might open back again at 3 o’clock. So, life, like any most other islands, that's the way a day is for me. You get up and you always get up early because the sun rises early. So, you get up early, start your day early, you have a nap in the afternoon. You may just even, when I worked at the bank, if we were finished our work, we would borrow a manager's car and go to the beach. Like life in Trinidad is very, what's the word I'm looking for? It's not.  Latifa Saad (22:2): Relaxed? Vera Cotter (22:22): Yes, that's the word. Very relaxed. You just go with the flow. It's not here, but it can be a problem and frustrating because going with the flow doesn't always get stuff done.   Latifa Saad (22:35): That's very interesting.   Vera Cotter (22:38): It is.   Latifa Saad (22:40): Compared to.   Vera Cotter (22:41): Yeah, if I didn't live here, I wouldn't know any better, right? But even people that live here and don't travel. My mother-in-law never travelled. They can't se, it's not, it's almost, it's almost ignorance, really, when you don't travel. So, they wouldn't understand the flooding and they wouldn't understand, “oh, that wouldn't happen to us” You know? With us, with a day in my life, it didn't matter what happened because that's the way they live, expect anything, right? Deal with it.  Sydney Langlois (23:18): Alright, so my first question is what are some of the ways that you celebrate your heritage and, your community and your culture?  Vera Cotter (23:29): Hmm. Sydney Langlois (23:31): This can also be done, you know. . . you could think of everyday life practices. It doesn't have to be any, you know, major. . .  Vera Cotter (23:38): Do you know, on the islands? You're right. Everything's about food. Not, not just as a celebration, but when we cook, we cook enough food as if company is going to come over. If it's dinner time and somebody shows up, they're offered to sit and have a meal. Lunch time. Oh, open the door. “Oh, we're just having lunch. Come on in, sit down, have a meal.” So when I first moved here, for example, it was very, very, you have to, like, make arrangements. You just so knock on someone's door, and you'd never do that at meal time, right? Like.  Latifa Saad (24:24): Like it's considered rude, yeah.  Vera Cotter (24:25): Yeah, yeah. Whereas I grew up where there's always a big pot of food on the stove.  And I like to eat. So I was glad the less people came over. There's more food for me to eat. No, serious, seriously. But that's just a lot of food.   Latifa Saad (24:46): So would you cook traditional dishes to celebrate the heritage?   Vera Cotter   24:47 Oh god yes.  Vera Cotter   24:50 Oh, yes, we cook traditional every day. But we cook special traditional to celebrate. Yeah, yeah.  Sydney Langlois   24:59  I think there's a question specifically about food, so maybe we can get, get into some specifics there. Sydney Langlois   25:06 Another question would be, what are some values that you hold most dear as a member of the Caribbean community?  Vera Cotter (25:14): Oh my God, a value. There's so many. Being like, coming from the Caribbean, because we, I explained that we come from different, um, ethnic groups all over the world, the harmony like, that we lived in in the 60s, 70s, 80s, I don't think you could have found that anywhere and I really value that I was able to live in that environment atmosphere like, everyone lived so peacefully, and just like the rest of the world today, it didn't stay that way. But that's what I value. That's what I grew up with. When you're not there and there's change, that doesn't really reflect in your heart, right? You still, I still remember growing up the way I did. And so, the fact that all these different nations could live together like that was very impressive.   Latifa Saad (26:22): So, you could say that your culture taught you the value of understanding others’ cultures?   Vera Cotter (26:28): Yep. Latifa Saad (26:29): And integrating it? Vera Cotter (26:30): Yep, because living in that you had to, I mean, not everyone did, right? There's always somebody who wouldn't. But on the whole, I remember that always being a big thing. Yeah. And it's something not too many, you know, if you come from a certain country, like it's you and your culture. Whereas with me on the island of Trinidad, especially with all the different cultures moving in. You kind of have to live together in peace, right? In harmony.   Sydney Langlois (27:07): All right. So, my last question is, what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you feel it's important for people to know or understand?   Vera Cotter (27:21):  Oh, okay. We are a little bit crazy, and it's taken the wrong way. People from the island, they are, because I told you, we're carefree. You know, um. Yeah, we do get serious, but mostly we would like to live that life. We're stress free almost. And a big thing is when we speak to people and we want to emphasize something, we touch you as if to get your attention. So in this day, maybe even back home, I don't know that. But this touching is such a bad thing, right? They'll take you to court because you, I might go to touch you, “Hey.”  Latifa Saad (28:10): It's not well received, I guess.   Vera Cotter (28:12): It's not well received. And also I, I mentioned, yes, we're very carefree. I don't know, there might be a better word, but basically, you know, it's not like, it's not like we don't care. It's just if you, if something is going on and you cannot do anything about it, like why fret, right? Coming from the island, I came with that. Do I still have that after living here? I don't know that, but you asked what I valued and that would be a big thing. And I do like doing that to get people's attention. It's just so hard, so hard to stop. And honestly, in the workplace, especially in the past 10 years in Canada, like, that's not a good thing, right? You don't mean anything. You're just trying to get the attention. But I am happy that we grew up that way. I think a little touching or feeling is, is good in the right way. I still believe that. I still believe that. And I do believe that people, I always like, I'm at Costco part-time because I love to socialize. So, I like going into work for my few hours and you know, people. You know, the members or even clients at the bank, they can be so mean. And you know what I say to myself? There's a lot of unhappy people in this world, and they wait to come out and take it out on you. Whereas on the island? Everybody was happy, go lucky.  Seanna Aarts-Magee (29:48): I'm going to go with my questions now. The first one is, what—calling back to foods—what food do you make that reminds you of home? And where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals?  Vera Cotter (29:58):  So I kind of go to Food Basics. They tend to have like a lot of ethnic stuff. I would sometimes get my brother to mail stuff if I can't find it around here because Toronto has so much. Now, Ottawa is getting better, right? 12 years ago? I think they have a lot more ethnic stuff now. Honestly, there's nothing like a good, curried duck. I don't know if you know what that is. There's nothing like a good Stew. You could do a chicken Stew, a beef Stew, but island, island, cooking way, island spices. We do a Stew where you caramelize brown sugar, but you don't let it burn. It has to be that caramel color and you, you throw your, your meat or your beef or your chicken or whatever into that mixture and honest to God, there's not anything that I know that would make a good Stew, taste, colour, everything. It gives it everything, the caramelizing effect of brown sugar, and I do crave that. The other thing that I crave, and I don't know that people do that and it's so easy, a beef bone, especially if you're sick. You can simmer that thing for a day, two days, and within the two days that you're sick, that's all you're doing the broth, right? It's not gonna go bad on the stove simmering. I do crave that, especially when I get sick, because when we grew up, we didn't go to the doctor. You had to be dying before you got taken to a doctor. They'd go in the backyard, and they'll pick some leaf or something, put it on the mumps or the measles, make a paste. Like again, the beef broth thing. That's where it came from, from home. And there was something else, and I remember it was horrible, but when you boil rice. Not to, not to cook it, but when you boil it in a bunch of water, it kind of looked like foamy water to me. And there was something when we got sick, they would make us drink that. So we grew up with all these weird medicines as well as food, cause the first time my, my mother-in-law saw Curry chicken, my husband loved it, so I would always make sure if he didn't go home with me, I brought some back and, and one of his sisters says, “oh, what's that? It's disgusting.” Again, people who don't travel like, and you don't talk about people's food. But I crave those things as maybe you crave some stuff that you're used to your ethnic stuff like, yeah.  Vera Cotter (33:08): People laugh when I tell them this, when I came to Canada or to the US, when I came to the West, a treat for us, if you got an ice cream cone like once every six months, like that was like heaven. We never had things like cake and doughnuts unless it's your birthday. Well, never doughnuts. I didn't know about doughnuts. The only thing I knew about was cake and ice cream. And you had those, you know, specialty occasions. But you know what? The biggest treats, like, things like dates and prunes. I remember, my, for celebrations. You asked about the food and stuff. Our treats for celebrating one of the big ones. You, you pit the prune and you stuff it with peanut butter. And how healthy is that too? Now, I didn't know it was healthy back then, but that was our treat, right? It wasn't all this sugar and cookies. I couldn't understand how they could eat cookies for dessert. But now, being here for so long, I stuff my face with all that stuff, right? But I still, I crave my food, like the curries and the lentil soup and the beef bone soup. Yeah, those things.   Latifa Saad (34:24): I need those recipes.  Vera Cotter (34:26): But they're so, those are easy things though, right? Like I put the stupid beef bone in a pot of a, you know, I water or throw a package, of , how do you pronounce K-N-O-R-R? Knorr? You know how they have those soup?   Latifa Saad (34:43): The broth?  Vera Cotter (34:44): No, their vegetable soup mix, like, even when I'm making my stews, my home stews, I put that in now. And my sister-in-law, the one that lives home looking after my parents, she has seen us do that, using that seasoning as a, um,   Latifa Saad (35:02): Like an additional to that?  Vera Cotter (35:04): You know, spike the food, the taste, and even they have started using it at home. So, it's easy. Like you just throw that on the stove and throw your beef bone in there and let it simmer. No recipe.  Seanna Aarts-Magee (35:22): The next question is talking about the website that this interview could potentially end up on. Our anthropology class is, we're all doing these ethic interviews to be able to give some kind of answers and different interviews and cultures to the community, so people here have access if they can reach out if any other Caribbean people want to hear from people who have the same experiences as them. They can do it through this website. So we were wondering how likely you or your family or people within the community would be to use the website and how you think that it could be best utilized? If you think these interviews are a good way for people to use it or if we should add other things or anything that you would recommend.  Vera Cotter (36:09): Let me see.  Latifa Saad (36:09): How people could, um, learn your culture as well through the interviews that we're doing and watch it on the website.   Vera Cotter (36:17): Okay, so okay, I was, I was thinking I got it wrong. I thought you meant, on your website, cultural, ethnic people can go on your website and actually have a say about how their culture works. Is that correct?   Latifa Saad (36:38): Well, that's what we're doing right now. Yeah.   Vera Cotter (36:39): Yeah.  Latifa Saad (36:39): Yeah, in a way, yes. Vera Cotter (36:41): They can—you're saying this question, this last question—they can actually go on themselves without your knowledge? No?  Seanna Aarts-Magee (36:51):  Yeah, so people can access like any of the interviews. So, there's interviews, there's art posted on Anthro Harvest, so then they can listen to them. And there could be other things, but if you think that there should be an interactive portion as well, that could be a recommendation or. Latifa Saad (37:07): So what do you think could make it better and more interactive so that they learn? Vera Cotter (37:11): You have to advertise that somewhere then, your website.   Latifa Saad (37:16): That could be a good, that's a good point.   Vera Cotter (37:18): You have to set it out somewhere where people can, it's like Google, learn about whatever. I don't know how, how I, I am not tech savvy, so you as a student have to now put that out there, and someone, you know, if I saw that out there, I'd go click, Yep, let me see what's going on. What did she say?   Latifa Saad (37:46): That would be, that's a really good suggestion.   Vera Cotter (37:48): So that's the way, that's why I'm confused as to how these people are gonna see that, right? First of all, you guys got to create something where the interest pops up on social media. That's I don't know how you know like under the university, ‘U’ of, University of Ottawa “interviews, uh, different cultures.” Whatever you guys can, you guys can figure it out, but you've got to put it out there because I would, if I saw that, if I Googled something like that, University of Ottawa interviews, cultural interviews, I might click on that because I want to see Who and What?  Latifa Saad (38:33): So, you think we should put more time in promoting this?  Vera Cotter (38:35): In promoting, that's the word. Oh my God, sorry. I mean, that could be something else that you, uh, your program that you're doing now, these interviews, you talk to your prof and say, hey, you know what we need to promote. We're doing all this work. We need to promote this. You know, get it out there.  Seanna Aarts-Magee (38:54): To last to wrap it up, do you have any other comments or concerns?  Latifa Saad: Like any other questions— Vera Cotter: Yeah, No, I'm kind of glad it's done because I haven't been interviewed in like, I'm, in like early 70s. I haven't had an interview in a long time. I hope it works out. I hope it works out.  Seanna Aarts-Magee: It was very wonderful. Your answers were so insightful. Thank you very, very much.  Sydney Langlois: Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us and for your insight. And just thank you so much. We really, really appreciate it.   Vera Cotter: But don't go telling everyone that we're crazy. We are, but—  Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On MS Teams Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 39 min 36 sec Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Vera Cotter Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">This Interview features Vera Cotter and her journey from Trinidad and Tobago to Canada. Born in 1955, Vera spent her early years in Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain. She then moved at the age of five to Princes Town, where she would spend the rest of her childhood and teenage years until moving abroad to the United States for University. When describing her upbringing, Vera explained that she grew up in a large, multi-generational household and neighbourhood. Education was very important in her family and within her community; you could attend either French or English school. Vera’s family chose the English system and, in turn, expected their children to attend English universities after finishing secondary school, particularly the University of Cambridge. Family is vital to Vera’s culture and has played a central role in how she ended up in the West years ago and how she continues to live today. She articulated that she was only able to go to the United States at all because of her aunt, who was already studying there. She describes this, stating, "our culture, you have to live with family, like you can't just go as a student to a strange land." She later moved to Canada and began attending pharmacy school at the University of Toronto. As she described her time in Toronto, she laughed and explained that she was a bit of a rebel within her family. While studying, she was still required to live with her family and, being in her early twenties, felt a strong need for independence that ultimately led her to drop out of university at the time she described this, stating, </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“being stuck with relatives, and I had a few more relatives in Toronto. And I just found living with, they became my parents. And it was like too much, too many parents. And we were allowed back then to work like 20 hours a week as a student in Canada. So, I hung out with a crowd that my family did not approve of, it was like, not good. So, there was a lot of pressure. There's school and there's the friends I hang out with, and I ended up moving back home for two years and then realized that's when I just dropped out of school and like I would just rebelled.”</div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">At this time, Vera moved back to Trinidad for two years. However, she returned to Ontario after meeting her now-husband. They married at the age of twenty-two and moved to her husband's hometown, Belleville, Ontario, where she worked for a bank for the rest of her career and raised her family. When Vera and her husband moved to BelleVille, they were among the only three “Brown or ethnic families” in town. She described a conversation she had with her mother-in-law about this topic, stating, </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“it's so funny because I remember once my mother-in-law said to me at a restaurant, she says, “you know, every time we walk into the room, everyone looks at you,” and, I kind of like, felt like it was because I was different, right? Like there's only white people, let's just, okay? There's only white, Caucasian people. And so, I said to my husband, I said, well, you know what? Maybe they look at me because they find me attractive. But I think her culture also is, you know, they're probably looking at me because I'm different. I don't know that for sure, but that's how I took it.”</div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Vera shared many details about the dynamics at play in BelleVille and within her blended family throughout the interview. Today, she’s seen a significant change in BelleVille's population, but she still finds it difficult to celebrate her culture outside specific family traditions. Vera later moved to Ottawa after retiring to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. She currently still lives in Ottawa, working part-time in banking and remains closely connected to her family, particularly her daughter and granddaughter, both of whom are extremely important to her. Vera reflected on her life and said, "I'm in Ottawa and I've made a new life over the past 12 years, so it all worked out. I was very lucky. We started working really young in our generation, so I was lucky enough to retire, they called it “Age Plus Service,” and you can retire like, I retired at 56, when the first grandchild came, so I could look after my grandchildren." </div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2026-03-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 file Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/2a3438ec80b3438e027fc1eec8320b2c.mp3 84072132ff560e01d862c508e00a22eb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Brigith Martinez-Rivera, Aseye S Adjei, Rina Shabanitiba and Phillipa Sekalala Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Claudia Martinez Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Brigith Martinez-Rivera (0:23): Perfect. All right. Hi, Claudia. How are you? Rina Shabanitiba (0:24): Okay. Aseye Adjei (0:26): Yeah. Claudia Martinez (0:28): Very good, thank you. Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (0:28): Yeah. Brigith Martinez-Rivera (0:30): All right. So today we'll just be conducting a short interview. I believe you already have the questions, so there should not be any surprises. It is for our class, anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbean. The study will be used for Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities, and it's being run by Dr. Laurie Weinstein, and she's a professor at uOttawa in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. Do you have any questions before we begin? Claudia Martinez  (1:11): That's fine. Brigith Martinez-Rivera (1:12): Okay, perfect. So, what is your country of origin? Claudia Martinez (1:18): My country is Colombia. Brigith Martinez-Rivera (1:22): Very nice. Claudia Martinez (1:24): For the ones that don't know, it's in South America. Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (1:30): Yeah. Brigith Martinez-Rivera (1:31): Perfect. And what brought you to Peterborough? Claudia Martinez (1:32): Yeah. Claudia Martinez (1:39): I was living in the States for three years, and basically I started getting information of a country that I could apply for refugee since in the States I couldn't do it because the rules were a little bit different, and the time passed, and I couldn't really go ahead with the process. So, once I got it, I got some information, I knew Canada was a very welcoming country for situations like mine. And my husband and I, today my husband, at the time we were just engage and decide to come to Canada and being at the border, get in the process, somebody mentioned Peterborough and we never left. Here we are. Brigith Martinez-Rivera (2:40): Perfect. And for our next question, do you have any family here or, and do you see them frequently? And it would like you to explain or elaborate as much as you would like. Claudia Martinez (2:58): Okay, so at the time when we came, there was absolutely no one. We were the kind of the pioneers. But then a few months later, a cousin, my husband's, came, then a few years, I believe it was about five years later. My sister-in-law who was in the States as well, because of the law and the way they facilitate family members or family reunion. So, she was able to come to Canada with her family. At the time, it was three kids. So now, so basically, that's the close family we have here. And obviously, the family has grown, little babies now. And yes, we see each other every time we can. Brigith Martinez-Rivera (4:07): Perfect. Thank you. I don't know. I think that's it for my part. Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (4:15): Yeah, I have the next three questions. So, do you live in a Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish and or Portuguese and celebrate various occasions? Brigith Martinez-Rivera (4:15): Perfect. Claudia Martinez (4:26): Here in Peterborough is very minimal. With time, I know there is more and more Latinos, but unfortunately, in my case, I don't get together as we wish like because...and always working or doing other stuff. So, but once in a while, I know there is like salsa parties. There is a Mexican restaurant that tries to get people once in a while, I don't know, once a month, every two months. And I know some people do. In particular, I don't. And on a few occasions, I have gone to Toronto to a few celebrations, like July 20th, which is the independence. So usually it's a big concert, a lot of typical foods and that's very fun. But again, I think I have lost a lot of contact with, say, like Latin community. Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (5:42): Well, the next one's kind of, it relates to the other one, what celebrations are most important to you. Claudia Martinez (5:52): For our country, I guess one of the biggest celebrations is Christmas, even though it's a little more different. If you are there, it's more like party and a lot of food. Here is, let's say, more commercial, more decoration and like, you know, you do a lot around the house and try to get together with friends and it's a little different. There is more like family and get together and try to see the family that you haven't seen through the year. The big special foods that a lot of sweets. Holy cow, it's a lot of sweets. And but again, here and now that I am a grandma, I guess the most important for me. It's a Christmas, and something that I have adopted is Thanksgiving, which I love because it's like not a commercial part, not presents. And so, they get together and the food, being around the table and celebrate. I like it. And the meaning, I really like it. We don't have that in Colombia, I guess, because Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (7:14): Right. Claudia Martinez (7:20): The whole history, the weather, is very different. So, we don't have it. So, let's say we combine Thanksgiving and Christmas is more like Thanksgiving there. Kind of, that feeling. Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (7:25): Yeah. Very cool. And can you describe a typical day in your community? Claudia Martinez (7:41): Say that again, sorry. Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (7:43): Can you describe a typical day in your community? Claudia Martinez (7:47): When you say my community, you obviously relate to Colombia or here. Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (7:52): I believe so. It doesn't specifically say. Claudia Martinez  (7:53): Yeah, because when I was there. It's very different in the sense that there is more interaction with people. Like every day you go outside, you go to the door, there's a lot of neighbors outside and everybody's, hi, good morning. You have little, short conversations through the day. As you can imagine like when you go to a Latin country, you take the bus or you're in the car, but you talk to a lot of people through the day. Here, basically, you get into car, go to work, and stop the necessary and go back home. So, there is a, you can feel the warm, like, you know, getting close to people. Colombians are very touchy-touchy, so it's always a hug and to say hi. And so, I guess, and also people take a lot of time to sit for a coffee and go here and enjoy other people, friends or family. It's a lot of visiting without noreason. You just somebody's here. People don't let you know that they can visit, they just showed up. So, in that way, that's pretty much a typical day there. Phillipa Bwayiga Sekalala (9:17): Very cool. I think it's Rina. Rina Shabanitiba (10:48): All right. So now I ask the question of how do you celebrate your heritage? Claudia Martinez (10:56): So, when we call Heritage, we usually celebrate October the 12th. I can't remember how they call it here, Columbus Day, or it was when apparently America was discovered. So, basically, when you grow up at school, they teach you that's pretty much how the Spanish arrived in Colombia and other Latin American countries. And basically, our culture is a mix of a lot of still indigenous communities and a lot of like a lot of influence from the Spanish. Good or bad things too. But basically, that's when we identify like our customs and celebrate. Being here is not much of A celebration anymore, but we still recognize like this important day and basically, I don't think I passed that to my kids, but it's, yeah, I would say unfortunately I don't celebrate it anymore. When I was back in Colombia, it's even a holiday. So,people, there is a lot of activities regarding that and a lot of like, they remind you all the story and little things how, let'ssay, yeah, I like the continent was discovered and why some customs or where they come from, but it's not a big celebration for me, put it that way. Rina Shabanitiba (12:58): Amazing. All right. So, in that case, I have the next question, which is, what are some values that you hold most dear as a member of the Latin community? Claudia Martinez (13:13): When it comes to values, I think the most important one is the family structure. When it comes to the family, we try to be very close. Unfortunately, we still carry the Latinas moms are well known for the be not easy and probably we spank before we talk. So, we are very strict. As parents, we are very strict because we always, it could be a wrong belief, but we believe a lot in discipline. So I guess the family, we try to keep the family under control, put it that way. And nowadays, there is a lot of different ways to think and how you raise your kids, but As A Colombian family, I guess is very, very important when taking the time to raise your own kids and always like be the one that is always there for them. And so unfortunately, we changes economy, a lot of moms have to go and work, but we try to get still more present. And I guess that's the most important value that I think I try to keep from my culture, the mom being present. Like, as much as possible. Rina Shabanitiba (14:55): Okay, wonderful. And for the last question for me is that what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know? Claudia Martinez (15:02): Yeah. For people to know. I know it's hard to come to another country, can be Canada, can be anywhere. I was, I had the experience to live in the States for three years. And I think always you will find some resistance from. the people that had always lived there, even though sometimes they don't realize it's only like second generation, they are also immigrants at some point. But you always find that resistance. And I guess the most important part for me, is the, especially I can talk for most of the Colombian people I know. We are very hard workers. We don't expect that everything is given to us. We at some point got help and that's very appreciated. But as soon as we can, like, honestly, we were working two jobs. My husband at some point have three jobs. And we have been always like that. Try to contribute in a way. We can, not just working, but also raising a family that is going to be like, you know, good people, people that is going to ask again, and going to contribute with the community, great human beings. And I'm very proud of my family in that way. So, I'm not going to brag, but I'm very happy with all my kids, like the lives they have and the service they are doing to the community. Aseye Adjei (17:13): So, moving on to question 10. What foods do you make that remind you of home and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare for your traditional meals? Claudia Martinez (17:25): Say that again, sorry. Aseye Adjei (17:26): What foods do you, what foods do you make that remind you of home? And where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals? Claudia Martinez (17:31): Yeah. Okay, sorry about that. There is a very typical soup from my small region. It's called Sancocho. So, it's a soup. Let's say I don't make it anymore because it's a bomb of carbs. It has like yuca, green plantain, potatoes, and you can use either chicken or even the three meats, which is delicious. But fortunately, it has been easier with the years. At the beginning, it was only Nofrills. You can get green plantains. And now we used to go all the way to Toronto to get like Latin products. And I guess with the community asking, I guess they have noticed they need to have those products. And having in mind that it's also students that come to Peterborough, to Trent University, or Fleming College, and people from Mexico mostly, but so they have been able to have a little section of Latin foods, and now we find the condiments, we find spices, we find fruits. I know a lot of people know the passion fruit, or we love that, and other fruits. That is not easy to find, but with years I have seen more and more in not just no frills, but other supermarkets like Sobeys or I don't know. What is the other one? Used to be shoppers. I always forget their name. Freshco, yes. They also have a good selection out. And depends on the area, mind you. Like in Toronto, where there are some supermarkets that have more products than... Brigith Martinez-Rivera (19:39): Freshco. Claudia Martinez (19:53): other area. So, we have been lucky here to find a lot of products. Aseye Adjei (20:02): Yeah, that's good to hear. So how likely would you and your family be to use the websites we are creating for uploading your stories? And how would you use it? We would like to better serve the community. So, any suggestions from you about access as well will be as well as what should be posted would be greatly appreciated. Claudia Martinez (20:27): If we, I'm not clear on that one. So, if we use or if we are okay, we upload information. Aseye Adjei (20:36): So, the websites in general, so the website is the AnthroHarvest website and the ultimate goal of it is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time to preserve the knowledge and to promote your culture. That's where this interview is going to be uploaded. So, we just want to know how likely you and your family will be able to use the website. Claudia Martinez (20:55): Yes. Oh yes, I think it's a great resource of information, especially for the new generations. And if we can always share some of the stories and people understand, sometimes a lot of people have very difficult put it away, very difficult and sad stories, and the reason why they have to fled their country. I guess the new generations can get more sympathized a little more with that transition, being that it's not easy to leave your country all of the sudden, some people, there are so many different circumstances, and I guess even not just the new generations, but also people that the community here, they probably would like to hear and understand why a...people like me or other people have to leave their countries because unfortunately situations like not just the economy, which is a big one, but it's the social violence. And there is a lot of circumstances that make us make that decision. Um... So, I think it's important and have resources where people can get access to that information. And for us also as well to have a platform or again, software that you can share. a little bit of you and your stories. Aseye Adjei (22:54): Thank you so much. And now at least I would just like to know if you have any comments or concerns about it. Claudia Martinez (22:55): You are very welcome. Well, I'm very happy. To be honest, I didn't know all the questions. I didn't read them, but I'm very happy that you guys doing this for the, not just as a study, but to learn and understand people and understand why, how these new communities are formed. It's not just because, oh yeah, I'm going to Canada and yes. of people that came from many other countries is important. And I guess to, there is a word that I can pronounce, can synthesize, can help me, make people aware of different circumstances and why is so difficult to do this step like is again. At the end, I'm very proud. I'm very lucky to be here in Canada, but my story is not the same as many others. Some people have very difficult processes. Unfortunately, they get deported. because they don't meet all the requirements or yet any other reason, you know, many things can happen. But for you guys being young and being lucky to be in a beautiful country with feeling safe is something that not everybody has grown up with. So, I guess I love the idea how you guys are working on these projects because it give you a little bit of, it's a little bit of eye opener, I guess, to under some many other cultures or people's situations. So, I'm very grateful, very happy you guys are working on this and congratulations. You're doing a great job. Brigith Martinez-Rivera (25:29): Thank you. Aseye Adjei (25:30): Thank you so much. Thank you so much for being open to us as well. Claudia Martinez (25:32): Okay. Rina Shabanitiba (25:32): Thank you. Thank you so much. Brigith Martinez-Rivera (25:34): Yeah, thank you for your time. Claudia Martinez (25:35): You're very welcome, guys. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On MS Teams Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 24 minutes 05 seconds Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Claudia Martinez Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Claudia Martinez is an immigrant from Colombia and has been living in Canada for over 20 years. She shares her story, touching on themes of cultural adaptation and community growth. She explains that through family reunification, she was able to bring relatives to Canada and has since seen growth in the Latin community, making cultural foods more accessible. Claudia shares the importance she places on family-focused celebrations such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. She also explains comparisons in social norms between Colombia and Canada. Moreover, she emphasizes the strong work ethic of Colombian immigrants and their commitment to family and societal contribution. Overall, she is grateful for the Anthroharvest website, which serves as a great platform to share diverse immigrant stories and can promote a better understanding among the public of the different situations that lead to immigration. </div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Friday, March 13th 2026 at 9:00AM Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/6a15435cf1e65f1a9a3cdc99e3be851e.mp3 cd6b243937d6eeba5c26227076544ee0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Sola Dupain and Finesse Lunsky Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Maria Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Finesse (00:00:00): Thank you so much for joining us and for participating in AnthroHarvest's interview. So we're going to ask you 12 questions, but if anything makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to not answer that question and we'll just skip to the next.  Maria (00:00:15): Okay.  Finesse (00:00:16): Okay. So we're going to start off with what is your country of origin?  Maria (00:00:21): Mexico.  Finesse (00:00:22): Perfect. And what brought you to Ottawa?  Maria (00:00:25): I came here to study university to do my undergraduate degree.  Finesse (00:00:29): And what do you study?  Maria (00:00:30): I'm doing political, joint honors, political science and history.  Finesse (00:00:35): Can you tell us a bit more about why you chose to study in Canada?  Maria (00:00:38):  So I won't say that I chose to be here in Canada by myself. It was like a decision that was heavily influenced by my parents, especially my dad. So my dad wanted me to go to study abroad. He wanted me to experience a different culture, learn a different mindset, have a more diverse experience in my life and give me opportunities he didn't never had. However, he didn't want me to go all the way to Europe or Asia because that's way too far, far away from home. It will require definitely more than two or three airplanes. It's like flights are over 10 hours. So he wanted me to have the possibility to visit home frequently or if whatever, because if there was like homesickness or actual sickness or whatever, just to be able to get back to Mexico fast. So he decided that something will be, that the best pick will be something here in America. So the other option was Canada in the US. Neither me nor my dad are thrilled about the US culture, then like instability. There's also like insecurity, the prices. So we chose Canada. Plus Canada has always been marketized in Mexico, like the great utopia, you know, where like there's free healthcare, there's security, people are happy, people are nice, people are friendly, people are not rude. So yeah, I ended up here coming to Canada. I was first at a boarding school in Victoria in BC, and then I moved here to Ontario to do my university at Ottawa.  Finesse (00:02:18): Do you have family here and do you see them frequently if you do?  Maria (00:02:22): I, currently, I don't. When I came here, like a year after, one of my brothers moved here, too, to study. He was an Algonquin, but he didn't like living in Canada, so he went back to Mexico. So currently, not otherwise, it's just me.  Finesse (00:02:37): Okay. Do you think you would eventually go back to Mexico and live there permanently?  Maria (00:02:45):  Honestly, again, I don't know. That's, I'm a decision that is not 100% for me to take. My dads, my parents have influenced a lot of my decisions. I would love to maybe eventually go back to Mexico. However, the political situation, the social situation, there's a lot of crime, there's a lot of insecurity. So I don't know if it will be in my best interest or my best fit to me to go back home. I'd like to visit often. I'd like to stay long times, be like there a couple months. However, for settling, I think. I will try either to move somewhere else I I've been in Canada a couple years now so I definitely don't see myself sticking here for too long but I will I would like to go maybe to Europe maybe go to France try to learn French or Italy something new something different and maybe once I'm done traveling done experimenting and living life I would like to go on back home and settle.  Finesse (00:03:45): And do you live in a Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish and celebrate various occasions?  Maria (00:03:53): No, not really. I don't think I've found that here in Ottawa. I know there's like Latin communities in Vancouver and Toronto, like really Latin neighborhoods. I haven't found that here in Ottawa.  Finesse (00:04:06): I know you mentioned that you don't live in a Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish. But do you know if there is a neighborhood in Ottawa that exists where you can do so?  Maria (00:04:17):  As a matter of fact, I know it doesn't exist. I know there's like places in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, where they're like literally just like you go to the Chinese neighborhood, like there's like Latin neighborhoods, you know, like there's a lot of Mexican businesses or like Latin, whatever, like mixed with Colombian and Swell and whatever. And there's like a lot of apartments and rent to people that have migrated from Latin communities.I know we don't have that here in Ottawa. The closest thing I've found so far is like Facebook groups, like Latin Facebook groups, where people will like spend their business, will like just share and like, oh, their businesses, their ideas, they will like look for advice, like, hey, I'm looking to rent an apartment or hey, I'm looking for a job, like, what can you, how can you help me? And that's like the closest thing I've found, to have a community or neighborhood of people that speak Spanish in Ottawa. I think it would be great if there eventually becomes one, maybe as more people come here to Ottawa, as more people settle they will eventually be one be created. I know one of the big issues right now is that we're all like scattered throughout the city. A lot of like live all live like in Gatino, others like live in Nepean, others like live like an hour away from downtown. And the reason is like, I know they're looking for like places that are not that high on rent. So that is definitely a challenge.  Finesse (00:05:46): And what celebrations are most important to you?  Maria (00:05:50): As like holidays I'll say that in Mexico the most popular ones are there's actually one that's coming like this next week which is like in English I think it's called no it's like a Catholic event um in Spanish is Semana Santa I remember the name in English like two weeks of like the Holy Week like one from like when like Christa and like the whole thing that was really common um Christmas. And I'll say after that, we have Day of the Dead. Personally, myself don't really care about it. I have family members that do.  Finesse (00:06:24): Do you have strong contact with your community and family back home while you are living in Ottawa? And if so, does that help you stay connected?  Maria (00:06:34):  I'll say that it's a 50-50. I do try to stay connected. I think the most common thing that I use is that I text them a lot. I text a lot of my family, I text a lot of my friends. I try to do FaceTime with like as many with them as they can. I would send them like you change stuff through social media. It does become a bit hard because, well, sometimes life gets busy. You know, you have school, you have work, you have your personal issues. So it's not like you can be in the phone 24/7. But I do try to have them involved in my life, let them like give them updates like, hey, have you been? I've been doing this, what you're up to? I also try to visit as much as possible. Sometimes that's an issue because well, plane tickets are pricey and well, I have school and stuff like that. I have like my own personal commitments. But I do try to keep a strong contact with my community and my family, my friends. I think if I don't keep in contact with them, if I like stop reaching out to them, I start to feel like lonely and isolated. So I like for them, I have like group chats with my friends and family and we keep each other updated like, hey, I'm doing this. Like we're all living our different plots. We're all trying to keep each other like updated and involved just so we don't feel like we're not part of each other's life anymore.  Finesse (00:08:02):Okay. Um, and can you describe a typical day in your community?  Maria (00:08:07): Like living here, living back home. Finesse (00:08:10): Maybe both?  Maria (00:08:11):  So I think it changes a lot. Living here, my typical day will be waking up, doing like my self-care routine. Taking care of my pets, going either to work or going to school, going back home, feeding myself. That's pretty much, I'm pretty by myself. I'll say that back home is more different. People tend to mingle more. I think here if you want to meet with your friends, you need to schedule it way in advance. In Mexico, the culture is really common like, Hey, what are you doing right now? Let's meet up right now to go have breakfast. So it will be something like that, I will wake up, have breakfast by myself, with my siblings, or with a friend go do either whatever errands I have to do for the day, whatever work, and I'll always meet up with someone. Like it's a more social life.  Sola (00:08:57): Would you want to be part of one of these communities?  Maria (00:09:02): I think I will love it. It's nice to have... to socialize with other people that have experienced the same things that you have, that get the same feelings of being away from home and missing it and sometimes wanting to go back but also wanting to push forward with the decisions because at the end of the day you move away from home because you're looking for better opportunities, for better stability, for better life conditions. So it will be nice to be part of a big group that gets that feeling. And not only that, but also help newcomers here to Canada to go to navigate like the whole migration thing and the adoption.  Sola (00:09:42): How do you celebrate your heritage, whether in Canada or back home?  Maria (00:09:49):  I don't think I really do nothing here in Canada, like to celebrate, oh, I'm Mexican. Yeah, I've never done anything. Sometimes with my friends, we will cook for ourselves just to not lose my culture. I will cook my own food at home. I don't really go to the Mexican restaurants here because I don't find them good. They're not bad, but if you have had the real deal that I need. As a back home, we do have a lot of the days, like Independence Day, the Revolution Day. It says that in Mexico we tend to celebrate them. We tend to have the day off from school or the day off from work. We tend to go out to eat. Even if we don't really care about the whole celebration, it's a time where you do socialize and spend time with friends and family.  Sola (00:10:33): Okay, that makes sense. What are some values that you hold most dear as a member of the Latin community?  Maria (00:10:41): I'll say it would be the connection to family. I think Latin families we do care a lot about. No matter what your family is, it's like blood is blood. You need to hold each other and be together. I think that's something I try to keep, especially right now that I'm by myself. I try to have connection and keep connection with my brothers that are somewhere else, with my family, not get too distant.  Sola (00:11:03): Can you tell us more about the family values from your community and how that compares to what values you see in Canada?  Maria (00:11:10): You really care. And it's expected for you to be to those that are like your family, your blood related and everything, and your close friends, no matter what. You always try your best, like it's really normal to do a favor and do it and not without expecting anything in return. Also expected for your parents and to be for your family, no matter what. And I think the biggest example for that can be how here in Canada, once you turn 18, 19, it's expected for a lot of the kids to move out of the parents' house. That's not the norm. Unless you're going away to another city, like going abroad to another country to study, you're not, your parents are expected to stay at your house with them. And even if you leave, let's say, I want to go study to another state, but inside Mexico, or I want to study in another country, your parents are still socially expected to help you as much as they can, obviously taking into account their possibilities. But yeah, it's like what's socially expected is what's socially from like fomented. And yeah, I'd say like that's it. I think that I've seen that in Mexico. People will always try to have your back, no matter what, and he and I think people are more, it's not selfish, the world say they're more individualistic, like... Okay, this is my issue. My things are my things. And if I can, or maybe you care about the person, then you will try to reach out or help other ones. If not, it's like whatever, you know, like not my issue, not my problem.  Sola (00:12:49): And you talked about food. What foods do you make that remind you of home and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals?  Maria (00:12:57): So the groceries, I tend to buy most of the stuff at like places like Blah Blahs or Food Basics. I do bring a lot of stuff from home. Like if I wanna make los chilaquiles, which is like a dish with tortillas and like a chili sauce, that's like tomato chili sauce. Sometimes there's like little Mexican stores, like Latin markets that do sell them here. I don't try to buy them here as often because they tend to be way overpriced. So when I go back home, I bring the stuff that I know like I can bring. And I'll cook it here. And I found to buy like certain replacements. Like I know here in Canada, it's not really common to eat like soft cheese on pasta or cheese. So I found like something, I found like a Greek cheese that is like pretty similar in flavor and texture that I can find like at Costco. So I've done like a lot of substitutions. I've done like a lot of like Mexican soups, like tortilla soup, which is called tortilla. uh uh lalpeno soup which is like similar to like a chicken soup but with like a spicy chili twist um chilaquiles and chiladas which a lot of things involve tortilla and tomato and chili just in different presentation and cheese.  Sola (00:14:08): Okay that sounds really yum. What would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know?  Maria (00:14:15): I don't know I think I think a lot of people have the misconception that All Mexicans have to be short, brown, and fat. We're not like that. We were a colonized country. There's a lot of people that are mixed, a lot. It's pretty normal to see white Mexicans, really tall Mexicans, or like ginger Mexicans, even black Mexicans. So I think it's important to people to not try to pinpoint us just to like a basic physical stereotype. And what was the second part of the question, sorry.  Sola (00:14:48): What do you think is important for people to know, whether about yourself or your community?  Maria (00:14:52): Well, I would say that's mostly it also. Yeah, I would say that mostly that plus Mexican cultures tend to vibrate a lot from like, just like how Canada is really diverse between the its own like provinces, just like that is in Mexico too. The culture from the north is really different from the people in the south. You're not going to have the same experience and. I don't know, I think that we must lead.  Sola (00:15:14): Do you think people in Canada stereotype a lot?  Maria (00:15:17): Yes, I have a lot of people ask me, and I swear to God, if you're Mexican, why are you what? And I'm like, okay. I'm like, I'm a mixed, like it's a mixed country, we were colonized.  Sola (00:15:30): Right, okay. This question is related more about our project that we're doing. What would be like the probability for you to use the website and to look into, you know, different stories or different cultures that people have.  Maria (00:15:47): I think it depends on what I'm looking for. I don't know if the website will have stuff like Latin events coming up that people can look into it. I will maybe look into like the website if there's like a way to join or like link up with other Latin, other Mexicans. I will also give it like a try to like check the website out. Or maybe if I need it for a project, I'll also need to check it out. Besides, I don't really see myself trying to Google it.  Sola (00:16:11): Yeah, that's fair. Do you have any other comments or questions for us?  Maria (00:16:15): No, I think that's mostly it. I don't know if that's enough.  Sola (00:16:19): Yeah, no, it was great. It was great to hear your insights and what you think about your community and hear it from you. So thanks so much for joining and for letting us have the space to ask you questions. So thank you.  Maria (00:16:35): No problem. Okay.  Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 16:39 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Maria Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Maria is a Mexican immigrant studying Joint Honours in Political Science and History at the University of Ottawa. She first arrived in Victoria, British Columbia, as a boarding student, then moved to Ottawa for post-secondary education, and returned home in the summer to reconnect with her family and Mexican community. As a young adult, Maria looks forward to continuing her exploration and travelling the world, with the possibility of returning home afterward.</div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Her decision to come to Canada was not her own; it was made by her parents, who saw Canada as a welcoming and open country for immigrants. None of her family members moved with her, except for her brother, who came one year after her arrival for a short time but left soon after because he was not enjoying his experience. This reality contextualizes her early experience of settlement, exhibiting the nuance and varied responses involved with being immersed in a new country and culture.</div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Maria highlights that long-term integration has not always been easy for her and that this challenge persists long after one’s arrival in a new country. Maria mentioned that she has yet to find a Latin American community in Ottawa, stating she was unaware of its existence. She notes that Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal are hubs for Latin American communities, with organized cultural celebrations and events. She articulated an uneven nature of immigrant integration across different cities and urban contexts. </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Maria still holds her cultural identity and the traditions she values very closely, as this helps her stay connected to her Mexican community. She expressed that a significant cultural holiday she celebrates is Semana Santa, a Catholic holy event popular in Mexico. She also appreciates foods such as Chilaquiles, a dish made with tortillas and tomato-chilli sauce, and she buys most of her ingredients at grocery stores like Loblaws and Food Basics. Her incorporation of Mexican culture into her Canadian life has helped Maria maintain her connection to home.</div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Though Maria details her positive experience in Canada, she also describes her encounters with stereotypes and external perceptions of her identity. She highlighted the colourist and prejudiced assertions people have made, assuming she was not Mexican because of her appearance. Maria emphasized the microaggressions she has experienced through these stereotypes, being questioned for her Mexican identity because she did not fit the image often associated with Mexicans in Western society. </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Throughout her interview, Maria expressed optimism about the future and the new explorations and pathways it might hold for her.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 10, 2026 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 Language A language of the resource English Subject The topic of the resource Ethnographic Interview with a Mexican Immigrant https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/6ca8ac7b9dc44d75a70da6496982da0a.mp3 f23a395c5044dde38216d0bdd54609a3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Christine Bissonnette, Maria Bolano Valle Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Tatiana Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Christine:  So, what is your country of origin?   Tatiana: Colombia   Maria: Where specifically in Colombia?   Tatiana: Tunja, Boyaca   Christine: Now, what brought you to Ottawa?   Tatiana: My undergraduate program.   Maria: What...   Tatiana: Political Science at uOttawa    Christine: Perfect.    Maria: Do you have family here? And, do you see them frequently if you do?   Tatiana: No.   Maria: And in that case, how often do you go back to Colombia?   Tatiana: Um... Every break the university gives me. So three, no, four or five months.   Maria: Okay. So, would you say like once a year or twice a year?   Tatiana: I'd say twice a year if I'm lucky.   Maria: Okay.   Christine: Do you live in a more Latin region of Ottawa or a neighborhood where people speak Spanish? If so, how do you celebrate special occasions that arise?   Tatiana: I'm pretty sure Byward Market doesn't have a huge Latin American diaspora. There's a few Latin American businesses, but it's not like a hotspot for the community either. And if I were to celebrate any special occasions, I just go with my personal group of friends.   Christine: Nice.   Maria: And do you have any celebrations that are most important to you related to your heritage?   Tatiana: Usually in December, like say ‘Dia de Velitas’, like the day of the candles, just as a tradition, I'd say. And because we share like good food with people who share my same culture, that's it.   Christine: Can you describe a typical day in your community?   Tatiana: I'd say my day is as regular as anybody's. I go to work and then I talk to my friends when I'm free. And then if it's somehow a day I'm meeting them, we just hang around and talk.  It's nothing very culturally specific.   Maria: So for instance, for days that are special, let's say, how do you celebrate those heritage? Like, what are some, well, maybe let's backtrack. What are some dates that are important for your heritage while you're here that are not December?   Tatiana: Mmm… that's not December. Trying to think of 1. I don't know… I mean, my friend's birthday, but that's not cultural. Umm … Sometimes in Easter, but that way, I'm not religious as my family is. So, I really don't celebrate it because of culture or whatever. So, if I wanted to celebrate my heritage, I just go somewhere where I can eat my cultural food, you could say. When I'm feeling homesick.   Maria: How about Independence Day?   Tatiana: Right! I don't happen to do anything those days. Like I'm aware and I try to read something about it to try to educate myself. Perhaps I have a little chitchat with my friends about it, but it's not like I go and put like the Colombian flag on my window, and I go to the embassy to celebrate. I tried this year, but they were already full, so why would I?   Tatiana: Interesting. And then would it be another occasion? And I'm thinking more specifically and more culturally speaking for Latin countries. Days like when the soccer team plays, do you find yourself that you might be like celebrating that? As that part of your heritage?   Tatiana: Well, my family does call me to ask me to put a number on who's going to win. And we bet, which is not really, because we always put less than a dollar on the table.   Maria: Right.   Tatiana: But it's just to be like, oh yeah, we're gonna watch the game. And usually more people, like not me, because I'm not a big sucker fan, but like I know my family and I know some friends that play like the Colombian shirt whenever the team plays, because it's like a lucky token. Like, you know, if we did this, the team might win. I'd say it's pretty standard.   Maria: And also you could say it's nationalism too. It's a way, especially being in away.   Tatiana: But also a lot of fanatism around football.   Christine: God, yeah.   Maria: Especially in Colombia or like in the Latin countries.   Tatiana: Yes.   Maria: It's just annoying.   Christine: Are there specific values that you hold dear as a member of a Latin community that you would say don't necessarily translate into a more Canadian setting?   Tatiana: I'd say perhaps collectivism in a way. I feel as if Colombians think of their community first a lot of times before taking a decision that might impact somebody else than them. Out of respect, perhaps, consideration, or just costum, because that's how you're taught to be. And I kind of go by that because I don't find a reason as to why I should oppose. I think it's a nice thing to do. Like Canadians are, or I've noticed, they're more individual-driven. They want to do stuff for them first and then other people come later in consideration, which doesn't necessarily have to be something bad, but it's not something I want to assimilate into.   Maria: So you prefer having that collectivism mindset?   Tatiana: Yes.   Maria: And that's something that you value. I agree. -  Would you say it also extends to like family and friends here, especially like being away and you said that you don't have any family here. Will that sense of family, because I know in Colombia, and again, the Latin American countries, we value a lot family. So how does that translate when you moved here?   Tatiana: Well, I was lucky to find people to be friends that I care a lot about. Kind of refer to them like as a chosen family, however long that lasts. And yeah, I try to always consider them if I'm going out, if I'm celebrating something. If I'm taking a decision that I might want to share. Also trying to like, I don't know, hold myself to more rational standards than my own. Yeah, no, I've tried, I try to engage with the people I love here. I don't hold that sense of collectivism with my original family as much. Like I moved here because I wanted to be independent. So I mean, I do have a checkup with them every day, but it's not a I'm gonna do this, or do you know what? Like, I don't do that with them. But I do with the people I care about here.   Christine & Maria: Right.   Christine: So is there anything that you'd like to share about yourself or your community that is important for other people, other non-Latin people, like let's say just Canadians who've never really traveled, anything that you think is important for them to know?   Tatiana: Like important for them to know about my culture.   Christine: Yeah, anything that you're willing to share really could be more like something you've noticed in the Latin community in general, a more Colombian setting.   Tatiana: I feel like, I don't know if I want to say something positive or negative.   Maria: You can say both. It's whatever you think. There's no right or wrong answers too.   Tatiana: Well, I feel like Colombians are more spontaneous in what they do with not only friends, but with their family, right? I feel like here you have to somehow craft special outing occasion with people to convince them to meet you. Which I get, like, everybody would like to be entertained like that. Of course. But I feel the comments on, I don't know if overall Latin Americans are like, you know what, I have to do some paperwork.   Would you accompany to do this tedious ****? you want to go to the grocery store? Do you want to just go for a ******* walk?  Like I miss that spontaneity. It's not a personality trait of mine, but I miss it when other people did to me. So I know I feel like I have to do it here to try to carry that within me. I don't know if it holds a special meaning, but whatever.   And I say like a negative thing. I find it silly because, you know, we try to think like as a collective sometimes. I find it that Colombians love to peer pressure you into not heinous stuff. It's like, oh, you know, please take this food. I made it for you. If you don't receive it, I'm going to hate it forever because I offered. So how dare you?   Or in a more negative context, it might be like, oh, let's go out for drinks. And I am going to convince you for you to drink so you do the same as I'm doing. Just so we feel like we're doing everything together. But then again, that might push some boundaries.   Yeah. And I feel like we could be more mindful of that as a community. Like, I'm not saying we don't try. Everyone's different, but it's just a pattern.   Maria: It is.   Tatiana: Yeah.   Maria: It's that collective mindset of we all have to do the same thing.   Tatiana: Yes.   Maria: And we're all in this together.   Christine: Yeah.   Maria: So it comes, it's like a double-edged sword, you could say.   Tatiana: Yeah, it's kind of like company, but at the same time you're overriding people's own convictions or say, how do you say, comfortability, right? Yeah.   Maria: You could say that, yeah.   Christine: So to provide our wonderful interview process, you've mentioned food a couple of times. I'm curious, is there any particular food that reminds you of home?   Tatiana: I'd say coffee. It's basic, but it's accessible to me. And I can make it. And I bring it home because it's easier to pack. And you know, but I can aside, I mean, in the airport if I bring it. So … Easier to have. Also some like, how do you say galgerias*? Like snacks?   Maria: Snacks.   Tatiana: Yeah, I bring some corn chips, spicy corn chips. Some like chocolate with dried fruit inside. And if I were to be more authentic, I'd say like, I don't know, ‘Empanadas’ or ‘Pan de Bono’, but I don't know how to make that myself here. And even though I know the recipe, it's just too...   Maria: It's too complicated.   Tatiana: It's too complicated. So if I wanted to eat that, I would just go to like a Latin American restaurant here. Yeah. Although they're not that good here.   Christine: Now, for your snacks or your coffee, now, if you did run out of the stuff that you brought from home, is there any particular grocery store or just store in general that you would go to try and get some more?   Tatiana: Yeah, there's one in the corner here. It's called La Latina. It's mostly Mexican. but they do have some Colombian snacks. So I can go there for that. Well, and I've almost never run out of coffee, but the one time I did, I had to go to a restaurant. regular coffee store to look for the Colombian selection. And it was overpriced, ****** things. But I bought it anyway, because hey, it might be better than the average thing this healthier. I don't know.   Maria: Fair. How often would you say that you get homesick? That you feel like, oh, I want to eat this, and that's why you go and seek the food.   Tatiana: I'd say at least once a week. Like the thing I used to love about Colombian foods is like fruits. And my family, at least my mom's side, they have a whole farm to grow fruits. So my house always has them. And here the selection is so limited and it's so tasteless. And I find myself craving like a juice, a lemonade with coconut or with cherry, because we have lemonade at all ******* times. Like it's good, like a good juice, And I found a store here in Byward that kind of sells juices, but it's like $12 for a glass, which I find it's overpriced.   Maria: Just a little bit.   Tatiana: Just overpriced. And they, like, they have sweet selection. They have mango and it's a good mango, don't get me wrong. But the one I liked most was like, Lulo. Just kind of acidic.   Maria: It's a little bit acidic, yeah.   Tatiana: It's a little bit acidic or Maracuya.   Maria: Passion fruit.   Tatiana: Passion fruit, yeah. Like, it's acidic. I like those flavors. And I don't think people like it here, so they don't even bother to import it. Not a popular taste.   Maria: I think passion fruit is a bit... It's becoming more popular.   Christine: It's becoming more popular. It's definitely becoming more popular. But I think the general taste profile is sweet.   Maria: Because when you mix mango and passion fruit, they kind of like that mix because they're both kind of tropical. So it kind of gives them that sense of like… Uh!   Christine: Exotic.   Tatiana: And they can also tame the sourness.   Maria: Yes.   Tatiana: I really like the sourness. And you don't get that here.   Christine: No, it's a much more sweet variety.   Tatiana: I used to like the fruits when they were not even fully ripe. Just… Almost ripe enough so I didn't choke eating them, but that I would feel the sourness.   Maria: You like that tenseness in your mouth. You're like *salivating sounds*  Tatiana: Yes…   Maria: you're brave. Could never be me. What else?   Christine: Well, at the beginning, before we started this interview process, we mentioned a website that this will be uploaded to called Anthro Harvest. Have you heard of this website before?   Tatiana: No.   Maria: It was specifically created by our professor. And it was made to be like a capsule of the stories of people within the Latin American community and also from students around campus. So it's like a project. It's like a little capsule that people can always look back at this time in our life and talk about these things.   Christine: There's also different organizations that are interviewed on this website. That will allow different immigrants to get access to different resources and programs that these different organizations offer.   Maria: Yeah. So this is one part of the project, and then there's other parts of the project where they interact with organizations to see how they support the community and stuff like that. Because we have, I think Ottawa is decent with the, we don't have a large community, but we do have large enough, especially if we count the people that come from Gatineau. Because I think there's a lot of.   Tatiana: There's more there.   Maria: There's more there.  Tatiana: It's more affordable to live.   Maria: Yes. So knowing about this website, how likely would you think, now that you know about it, how likely would you use it?   Tatiana: I mean, perhaps if they had resources, say, accessing healthcare or some service that it's not readily available for non-Canadians, I would. But in terms of accessing the stories, I'm not necessarily sure if I would go to it. Mainly because I feel like the main public are probably other anthropologist or somebody who might be studying the community. Like I don't find a reason, or at least as a, like as an immigrant myself, like perhaps a first generation kid who didn't got much contact with the culture might, but I grew there. Like I don't need to.   Maria: You have first-hand experience of what it's like.   Tatiana: I don't need to go and read somebody else's to know what it's like. I just go and talk to the people I know. So for that purpose, I wouldn't be a user, per se. Not to say that it's useless. Obviously, there's value in holding these records and having people look at them if they're curious. I'm just not saying I'd be the target audience.   Maria: I see.   Christine: Okay, of course. So do you have any general comments that you'd like to share, maybe about yourself or your community. Just you mentioned that you're a student, so it could be anything.   Tatiana: I don't know.   Maria: Maybe… You said that you're here for your schooling. And coming from Colombia, it's always there's a question of how did you get here?   Christine: Yes.   Maria: So how did you land in Ottawa?  Like what was, because you could have other options. You could have visited Toronto, you could have visited Vancouver, you could have gone to Calgary, you could have gone to Edmonton. You could have gone to Montreal too. Why Ottawa?   Tatiana: Well, for once I had the reference of a cousin of mine who came here to do his PhD.   And, you know, I came here when I was 18, but I started considering moving to Canada when I was younger. So he kind of painted the city as something safer for somebody my age who was going to move alone, right? And he says I wanted to learn French anyway, in Ottawa, it's kind of a bilingual city if you seek for it. It's not a bad alternative, and it's also not super huge, like Toronto, where you would get lost. And I thought about French Road, but then again, I'm not fluent in French, so, right? And I didn't necessarily think about the Latin American community when moving here. I was just pursuing, again, education.   But then again, I've grown fun of it, at least the people I've found for myself in here that are part of the Latin American diaspora. And I might want to go to Montreal since I've noticed it has like a bigger community. And as much as I'd like to think it doesn't matter, and then I can assimilate into Canadian culture, I always find myself gravitating towards people of my, of a similar background as mine, even though it's not like a, like a bias or anything necessarily, it's just what I do, perhaps for my own comfort.   Christine: Yeah, of course.   Tatiana: So perhaps that has some value. I like, especially last year I talked with some freshly arrived international students. And they're like, where did you find Latin American people…I've tried.   So it doesn't seem to be a need of mine, but in general, somebody who comes from abroad trying to find someone from their same background to find belonging, like community perhaps. Because like even though, I'm not saying, it's impossible, right? But there's not a lot of Canadians out there who are just like happy too.   Maria: To go to your acquaintance to make your acquaintance and stuff like that. They're not as open.   Tatiana: Yeah, and you get to chase them a little, which is not, it's fine, you know. You're going to make an effort if you want to build relationships, but it's different. And at first it takes time to get used to.   Christine: Yeah, of course.   Maria: Would you say that part of your support group here… your chosen family, as you said, are there more, if you had to put in a percentage? Not that you have to. Would you say they're more from a Latin background like you are, or would you say they're more a mix of a lot of international students? Or would you say it's a more international, my community, Canadians?   Do you think you have a good balance between the...   Tatiana: I mean, I think most of them are international, or at least have an immigrant background of sorts. And yeah, most of them are from the Latin American community. Percentage wise, I couldn't tell you. I do have a few Canadian friends that I value a lot. But it's not, I guess they're not the predominant group. If I were to put them in a number scale.   Christine: That's fair. Yeah. I'm trying to think. Do you have any concerns? It can be about this interview in general. It can be about anything really. It could be just about you being a student in Canada or the way you're treated as such, treated as an immigrant. Just any concern … really that you think is important to voice out loud. So, people are aware.   Tatiana: Perhaps I find it funny. I know it's meant to be a compliment when people say it to me. And there's like, oh, you know, you don't look Latin American. You know, I couldn't have told that you weren't born here by the way you speak. And I guess  it's meant to mean like, you communicate yourself well in English and, you know your appearance can pass up as white, which perhaps could be a compliment in their view, but it feels a little bit condescending in the way that it's like, oh, so you expect someone with my background to be less fluent in the language, you expect them to be, I don't know, less eloquent, you expect them to not be able to achieve the same things I have. So you are complimenting me, yes, but complimenting me not because of me, but because you think my people are stupid. And I don't like that.   Maria: Like the stereotypical thing that you should be loud, you should have an accent, you should have, you should look a little different, you should not have like fair skin or and I don't know. Yeah. I mean, that is what they call microaggressions.    Tatiana: I guess you could call it that. It's just like, I don't know, it's silly.  I guess there's this presumption, and it's true that immigrants have to work harder to get what they want. And I have a lot of privilege that also has allowed me to be here, which would not have been possible if I had come here in another condition. Still, it's just like, you don't have to put down other people to compliment me.   Tatiana: And it's just like instead of challenging the stereotypes people have around the Latin American community, it just feels like they're creating a whole different category for you.   Maria: Interesting. It's like I didn't think about that in that way of like creating that whole new category. You're right. Been there. Yeah, that's all the questions we have for you. Did you want to add anything or are you okay?   Tatiana: No, I think I'm good.   Maria: Amazing. Do you want to do anything?   Christine: No, I think I'm good on my part. Thank you very, very, very much for participating and enduring with us.   Maria: You get a cookie.   Tatiana: It's my pleasure.   Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 23minutes, 17seconds Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Tatiana Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">This interview features Tatiana, a Colombian immigrant living in Canada. Tatiana is a Political Science student at the University of Ottawa. She immigrated from Tunja, northeast of Bogotá, to Canada at the age of 18, seeking new opportunities and to expand her knowledge of the world beyond her hometown. During our conversation, Tatiana opens up about the efforts she’s made to stay connected to her Colombian heritage and the struggles she's faced along the way. One of the main things Tatiana has found difficult to access in Ottawa is ingredients and fresh produce, as she enjoyed at home. Fresh fruit, in particular, holds a special place in her heart, as her family in Colombia owns a fruit farm and she has strong memories of always having delicious fruit at her table. She describes this experience, stating,  </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“I'd say at least once a week. Like the thing I used to love about Colombian foods is like fruits. And my family, at least my mom's side, they have a whole farm to grow fruits. So my house always has them. And here the selection is so limited and it's so tasteless. And I find myself craving like a juice, a lemonade with coconut or with cherry, because we have lemonade at all (*******) times. Like it's good, like a good juice, And I found a store here in Byward that kind of sells juices, but it's like $12 for a glass, which I find it's overpriced.” </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">She noted that when she’s feeling homesick or has a pull to reconnect with her culture, she tends to seek out restaurants that serve Colombian food. In general, Tatiana explained that she sees a few different Latin American businesses around Ottawa, particularly in the Byward Market. Outside of food, Tatiana describes the differences she has noticed between Canadian and Colombian culture during her interview. Particularly, Colombians' collectivism, which she feels is a core value of her culture. She articulated this, stating, </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“I feel as if Colombians think of their community first a lot of times before taking a decision that might impact somebody else than them. Out of respect, perhaps, consideration, or just costum, because that's how you're taught to be. And I kind of go by that because I don't find a reason as to why I should oppose. I think it's a nice thing to do. Like Canadians are, or I've noticed, they're more individual-driven. They want to do stuff for them first and then other people come later in consideration, which doesn't necessarily have to be something bad, but it's not something I want to assimilate into.” </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">In part due to this community mentality, Tatiana also feels that Colombians are more spontaneous by nature. She explained that when at home, people often reach for more immediate plans, such as going for a walk or going to the store. With this in mind, she shared some of the downsides of this mentality, noting that she experienced significantly more peer pressure in Colombia, particularly regarding high-risk behaviour.  </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Ultimately, Tatiana finds that the majority of her celebrations are community-driven. She finds herself seeking out her found family in Canada and loved ones in Colombia. She makes an effort to return to Colombia whenever she is off from school, and thus enjoys her culture firsthand fairly often while also establishing a new community in Ottawa.  </div> Language A language of the resource English Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 (21.3 MB) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Thursday, January 29th 2026 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/0aff40848a50610e1d707cb84ccb2d6e.mp3 eca9ccfaa54f84416ba628278358a009 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Matthew Leclerc, Amy Biegler, and Adam Kallali Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Diego Martinez Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Matt Leclerc (00:00:00): Hello, my name is Matt Leclerc.  Amy Biegler (00:00:03): My name is Amy Biegler.  Adam Kallali (00:00:04): My name is Adam Kallali.  Matt Leclerc (00:00:06): And today we're going to be conducting an ethnographic interview of a person of Latin American descent for Dr.  Matt Leclerc (00:00:13): Weinstein's class, Anthropology 3340, the Anthropology of the Caribbean and Latin America, on behalf of the University of Ottawa's Department of Anthropology.  Amy Biegle (00:00:26): We are conducting this project for the Anthro Harvest website, which captures all the Latin American stories from Ottawa.  Matt Leclerc (00:00:34): Today, we are going to be interviewing a dear friend of mine, Diego Martinez.  Matt Leclerc (00:00:39): How are you, Diego?  Diego Martinez (00:00:40): Hey, good.  Diego Martinez (00:00:40): How are you?  Matt Leclerc (00:00:41): I'm great.  Adam Kallali (00:00:42): So Diego, you already signed a consent form, but we just wanted to let you know if there's any questions that you're uncomfortable with or anything you don't want to talk about, just let us know.  Diego Martinez (00:00:51): Okay, sounds good.  Diego Martinez (00:00:52): I'm good with everything.  Adam Kallali (00:00:54): Perfect.  Matt Leclerc (00:00:54): All right, I'll start with the first question then.  Matt Lecler (00:00:57): What is your country of origin?  Diego Martinez (00:01:00): I'm from Mexico.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:01): Where specifically?  Diego Martinez (00:01:02): Mexico City.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:03): Mexico City.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:04): All right.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:05): What brought you to Ottawa?  Diego Martinez (00:01:08): Well, I moved here when, well, I moved to Calgary when I was really young because my dad found a job in oil and gas.  Diego Martinez (00:01:15): And also it was a good choice because Canada is a much safer country.  Diego Martinez (00:01:20): But I came to Ottawa just to study in university and because I have family here too.  Diego Martinez (00:01:27): So I live with my uncle.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:30): What do you study?  Diego Martinez (00:01:31): Civil engineering.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:32): Civil engineering.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:33): All right.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:34): So as you already explained that you have your uncle here, but do you have any other family and how often do you see them frequently or?  Diego Martine (00:01:40): Yeah, well, my uncle and my cousin, they live here.  Diego Martinez (00:01:44): So I see them about every day.  Diego Martinez (00:01:46): Yeah.  Matt Leclerc (00:01:46): Do you live with them?  Diego Martinez (00:01:47): Yeah.  Diego Martinez (00:01:48): All right.  Diego Martinez (00:01:49): Yeah.  Amy Biegler (00:01:51): Nice.  Amy Biegler (00:01:51): So what part of Ottawa are you from then or even Gatineau?  Diego Martinez (00:01:55): Well, actually we live in Gatineau.  Diego Martinez (00:01:57): So we live in Chelsea.  Amy Biegler (00:01:59): Okay.  Diego Martinez (00:02:00): It's nice, area.  Diego Martinez (00:02:01): And yeah.  Amy Biegler (00:02:03): Is there a very big Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish?  Amy Biegler (00:02:07): And do you, if yes, do you celebrate different occasions or?  Diego Martinez (00:02:12): Well, I have seen a few Latin American people at the cafe nearby.  Diego Martinez (00:02:19): but we there's I wouldn't say there's like a lot of big community there community there.  Amy Biegler (00:02:25): What about in Ottawa?  Amy Biegler (00:02:26): Do you find yourself like in a bigger community here or is it like kind of the same?  Diego Martinez (00:02:32): Well, I'd say I have met a lot of people at uni that were Latin American, but yeah, I'd say it's pretty big here.  Diego Martinez (00:02:41): Actually, I have met a lot of Spanish speakers, Latin American people in  Diego Martinez (00:02:48): my entire university time here.  Diego Martinez (00:02:51): So now that I'm in 4th year, I've met, I have a friend in my class.  Diego Martinez (00:02:57): He used to be my roommate, for example.  Diego Martinez (00:03:00): He's from Columbia.  Diego Martinez (00:03:01): And a lot of other friends that I've met in university.  Diego Martinez (00:03:06): So yes, I'd say it's very, it's definitely there at the community.  Diego Martinez (00:03:12): So yeah, it's great.  Amy Biegler (00:03:14): Awesome.  Amy Biegler (00:03:17): And what would you say  Amy Biegler (00:03:19): what are some important celebrations that you celebrate?  Diego Martinez (00:03:26): It's a big deal. You know, you get the whole family.  Diego Martinez (00:03:35): Like my family, my parents, they live in Calgary.  Diego Martinez (00:03:38): Like they'll fly here.  Diego Martinez (00:03:40): Maybe we'll all go to Mexico.  Diego Martinez (00:03:43): to see our other relatives like grandparents and stuff like that.  Diego Martinez (00:03:46): It's just to see them at least once a year, and share, a good time.  Amy Biegler (00:03:54): Nice.  Amy Biegler (00:03:55): Can you describe a typical day in your community in Gatineau?  Diego Martinez (00:04:00): Sure.  Diego Martinez (00:04:02): Well, a typical day is, well, it's a really nice neighborhood.  Diego Martinez (00:04:07): I'll say  Diego Martinez (00:04:09): If I'm not at uni, usually I'd go down to, go to the cafe or the gym nearby.  Diego Martinez (00:04:14): And there's a lot of French speakers there, but also, English speakers.  Diego Martinez (00:04:19): And like I mentioned before, I have met a few, like very few Latin American people.  Diego Martinez (00:04:24): So, yeah.  Amy Biegler (00:04:26): Do you yourself speak French?  Diego Martinez (00:04:28): Yes.  Amy Biegler (00:04:29): Okay, that's really nice then.  Diego Martinez (00:04:30): Yeah.  Amy Biegler (00:04:31): Awesome, thank you.  Adam Kallali (00:04:33): Cool.  Adam Kallali (00:04:36): So how do you celebrate your heritage?  Diego Martinez (00:04:37): I think that there's many ways that I celebrate my heritage.  Diego Martinez (00:04:40): It's one of the big ones is, well, I got to speak Spanish, right, at home with my uncle.  Diego Martinez (00:04:47): And I did learn through like my parents.  Diego Martinez (00:04:50): So I also speak Spanish with them.  Diego Martinez (00:04:52): So every day we just like, we speak Spanish or we will watch, you know, Mexican cinema or something like that, something to keep the  Diego Martinez (00:05:02): I guess the heritage, going.  Diego Martinez (00:05:05): And also another thing is like the food.  Diego Martinez (00:05:08): Also, we like to make a lot of Mexican food, every week.  Adam Kallali (00:05:13): Nice.  Adam Kallali (00:05:15): What are some values that you hold most near as a member of the Latin of the Latin American community?  Diego Martinez (00:05:23): The values I'd say that my community shares a lot would be  Diego Martinez (00:05:33): I think that we, really, we like to share, we like to spend time together as a family.  Diego Martinez (00:05:40): we like to stick together A lot.  Diego Martinez (00:05:42): But another thing is we really enjoy, just the culture, right?  Diego Martinez (00:05:50): Whether it be with cinema or with the food or history, we, like to, just like,  Diego Martinez (00:05:59): share also music and stuff like that.  Diego Martinez (00:06:01): So I think those are really the values that I grew up with.  Adam Kallali (00:06:06): That's interesting.  Adam Kallali (00:06:08): What would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know, people who may not be as familiar with the Latin American community?  Diego Martinez (00:06:16): Well, I'd say if you want to familiarize yourself, whether you are  Diego Martinez (00:06:23): Latin American or not, just go to a country in Latin America that interests you, that, okay, hey, maybe, I don't know, maybe not Mexico, or I want to go to Peru.  Diego Martinez (00:06:32): I heard they have this or that, the food or the landmarks or something.  Diego Martinez (00:06:37): And really just, I don't know, maybe you can do an exchange, like study there or spend a few weeks there and really get to know the language too, if you don't know Spanish or whatever it is.  Diego Martinez (00:06:49): Just go there and meet people.  Diego Martinez (00:06:52): or be with your family if you have any. So yeah.  Adam Kallali (00:06:55): Is there anything particular that you think is important for people to know?  Adam Kallali (00:06:58): Just in general that you feel like you'd want everyone to know about the community.  Diego Martinez (00:07:03): Okay, so I'd say that something people have to know is that, when  Diego Martinez (00:07:10): When we have moments like, what's going on in Mexico right now, right?  Diego Martinez (00:07:13): Pretty much the cartel, it's controlling everything.  Diego Martinez (00:07:16): The country's so corrupt that they're pretty much rebelling.  Diego Martinez (00:07:20): They're saying, hey, listen, we're the ones who are running things here.  Diego Martinez (00:07:24): It's really something that people from my community have been dealing with or trying to deal with right now, right?  Diego Martinez (00:07:32): So people just should know that  Diego Martinez (00:07:38): we have a lot of great things in our cultures, great, really interesting art and music and, contributions to humanity.  Diego Martinez (00:07:47): But we also have this side that we can't really, like ordinary people can't control really what's going on with all this corruption.  Diego Martinez (00:07:56): So it's just really disappointing to a lot of us.  Diego Martinez (00:08:01): But  Diego Martinez (00:08:02): just if you plan on visiting Mexico anytime soon, just be very careful.  Amy Biegler (00:08:07): Yeah, of course.  Amy Biegler (00:08:08): Just like anywhere you travel, there's always risks, right?  Diego Martinez (00:08:11): Yeah.  Amy Biegler (00:08:12): Do you have any family living in Mexico currently?  Diego Martinez (00:08:14): Yes, my grandparents.  Diego Martinez (00:08:17): They actually have witnessed a lot of destruction, actually.  Diego Martinez (00:08:21): So they see just, cars and stores being destroyed.  Diego Martinez (00:08:27): I was actually in one of the stores in Mexico that was one year ago, like it was perfectly normal, right?  Diego Martinez (00:08:34): I remember I was buying a donut or something like that.  Diego Martinez (00:08:37): We were on vacation.  Diego Martinez (00:08:38): And now, like I just found out that very same store, like someone threw Molotov cocktails in there and like, it just burned.  Diego Martinez (00:08:44): So yeah.  Diego Martinez (00:08:46): my God, it's not good.  Diego Martinez (00:08:47): It's like a convenience store.  Diego Martinez (00:08:49): Yeah, it's destroyed now.  Amy Biegler (00:08:50): The world is like falling apart.  Diego Martinez (00:08:52): Yep.  Matt Leclerc (00:08:52): What foods do you make that remind you of home?  Matt Leclerc (00:08:55): And where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals?  Diego Martinez (00:09:01): Well, there's a few stores in Gatineau, like Adonis.  Diego Martinez (00:09:05): They have the good tortillas, you know what I'm saying?  Diego Martinez (00:09:07): So you can make good quesadillas.  Diego Martinez (00:09:10): What else?  Diego Martinez (00:09:12): Like a tortilla soup is always good.  Diego Martinez (00:09:16): Just tacos, birria, whatever, barbacoa.  Diego Martinez (00:09:23): That's good too.  Diego Martinez (00:09:24): But yeah, my uncle's been teaching me how to cook that.  Amy Biegler (00:09:28): Nice.  Amy Biegler (00:09:29): Next question.  Amy Biegler (00:09:31): How likely would you and your family be to use the website we are creating for uploading your stories?  Amy Biegler (00:09:36): So as I mentioned earlier, Anthro Harvest.  Diego Martinez (00:09:41): I think that they would be, they would, it would be likely that they use it, especially my dad.  Diego Martinez (00:09:48): He's really into, helping people in my community and in politics too.  Diego Martinez (00:09:56): So I think he would definitely participate in it.  Amy Biegler (00:10:00): Awesome.  Amy Biegler (00:10:00): That's good to hear.  Adam Kallali (00:10:02): Yeah, we want to know how we can better serve the community.  Adam Kallali (00:10:06): So any insight would be really helpful.  Adam Kallali (00:10:08): So thank you for that.  Adam Kallali (00:10:10): And finally, do you have any other comments or concerns that you'd like to voice?  Diego Martinez (00:10:14): I think that just know that we're just like any other like community really.  Diego Martinez (00:10:19): Like it's, we're really like a mixture of a lot of cultures and we're not really like just one thing.  Diego Martinez (00:10:29): Like we've been really kind of mixing for like hundreds of years, right?  Diego Martinez (00:10:35): So we can't really be labeled as much, I guess.  Diego Martinez (00:10:41): So yeah.  Diego Martinez (00:10:43): I think that I'd like to share, speaking from someone who's not very connected to that, the way of life in Mexico is to really get it.  Diego Martinez (00:11:00):  If you aren't like me, like if you're like me that you didn't grow up in Mexico, but your family is Mexican or wherever, Latin American, I'd say really try to connect with that side of you to really understand different ways of life, different, the way people live, the way people interact and try to go back to that country and just really soak it in because it's, you might find something really good there.  Adam Kallali (00:11:30): I think it's a really good insight. Thank you.  Diego Martinez (00:11:32): Know, I think it's great what you're doing. I really admire the effort you're putting into trying to create a platform for people to tell their stories.  Diego Martinez (00:11:42): And thank you for having me.  Matt Leclerc (00:11:45): All right.  Matt Leclerc (00:11:45): Well, thank you very much for your time, Diego.  Matt Leclerc (00:11:48): We appreciate it.  Matt Leclerc (00:11:49): And your answers were great.  Matt Leclerc (00:11:51): And have a nice one.  Diego Martinez (00:11:54): Awesome.  Diego Martinez (00:11:54): Thank you so much.  Diego Martinez (00:11:55): Thank you.  Adam Kallali (00:11:56): Take care.  Diego Martinez (00:11:56): Awesome.  Diego Martinez (00:11:57): You too.  Diego Martinez (00:11:57):  Bye.  Diego Martinez (00:11:58): Bye.  Amy Biegler (00:11:58): Bye.  Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 12 minutes Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Diego Martinez Subject The topic of the resource Ethnographic Interview of a Mexican Immigrant, Diego Martinez Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Diego Martinez is a 22-year-old engineering undergraduate student studying at the University of Ottawa. Diego immigrated from Mexico City, Mexico, to Calgary when he was four years old because his father found a job in the oil and gas industry. Diego believes that his family’s decision to immigrate to Canada was a good choice because it is safer than Mexico. After graduating from high school, Diego moved from Calgary to Chelsea, QC, to live with his uncle and cousin and pursue his studies at the University of Ottawa. Diego describes Chelsea as having a small Latin American community. However, he found a larger community presence at uOttawa. Throughout the interview, Diego discusses the key aspects of his culture, namely language, celebrations, art, and family ties. He talks about how all aspects of his culture have family elements. For example, he mentions that Christmas is an important celebration in Mexico that gets the whole family together. Additionally, he talks about how the arts are used to connect the family. Diego and his family make sure to keep the culture and heritage alive by speaking Spanish daily. Diego also has a friend who is learning Spanish at the time of this interview, and he takes time to explain how fun it is to speak with him and how much he’s enjoyed getting the chance to use his language outside of his home. He also discusses how his family in Canada makes sure to travel to Mexico to visit their relatives. When asked about his favourite Mexican food, Diego highlighted tortilla soup as his first choice. He enjoys making a variety of traditional foods weekly. He described tortilla soup as a comforting staple food from his childhood, often prepared by his uncle while he was growing up in Mexico. One thing that Diego thinks is very important is travelling to countries in Latin America. He wants people to be curious when they travel by trying new foods or visiting different landmarks. Essentially, he wants people to really explore the culture as much as possible. He also mentions that an exchange is a great opportunity because you can learn the language and experience everyday life there. Although Mexico has an amazing culture and is a great place to visit, Diego stresses that there are still issues like cartel violence and corruption that people should be aware of. However, like travelling anywhere in the world, there is always some level of risk.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 02/03/2026 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 (17.3 MB), 12 min Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Matt Leclerc, Amy Biegler, and Adam Kallali https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/afd3081a741ec6e8e250d41a7c552c5e.mp3 52ae581cd616670ca68a83b55a1bdf8c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Beginning in Winter 2025, Professor Laurie Weinstein in ANT3340: Latin American and the Caribbean created Anthroharvest with the goal of inspiring students to explore the diversity of our city through ethnographic interviews. This collection stands as a pillar of students' ongoing efforts to interview friends, family, and members of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities in surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories for those who identify with the Latin American and Caribbean community, accessible at any time, that preserves knowledge and promotes their cultures. Our project remains ongoing as we learn and connect with new students and people across Ottawa and eastern Canada. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. </div> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Kevin Dong, Julie Hajjar, Tristan Ouellet, Tomas Kroeger, Ralph Mbanzabugabo Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Mr. Garcia Location The location of the interview Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound KEVIN (0:00): Hello, my name is Kevin and joining me today for this interview are Julie, Ralph, Thomas and Tristan and we're all very excited to do this interview with you and get to know a little bit about yourself and kind of your experiences as a Latin American living in Ottawa and thank you for being here and taking time out of your day especially on such short notice.  Mr. GARCIA (0:21): No, no, that's okay.  KEVIN (0:25): Yeah, to start off, what is your country of origin?  Mr. GARCIA (0:33): Country-wise or ethnicity? KEVIN (0:35): I guess where you were born, like country of origin. Mr. GARCIA (0:38): Well, I was born in El Salvador. Okay. That's in Central America. KEVIN (0:46): Yeah. Next question, what brought you to Ottawa?  Mr. GARCIA (0:51): Well, at the time when I moved to Canada was because our country was at war so we had to flee the country.  KEVIN (1:06): And do you have family here and do you see them frequently?  Mr. GARCIA (1:13): Yes, my mom lives here. I see my mom almost every day. I have a son too, that he lives here. Actually, he doesn't live with me. We are divorced so but I can see him anytime we desire. It's not a problem with that.  KEVIN (1:40): And for my last question, do you live in a Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish or Portuguese and celebrate various occasions?  Mr. GARCIA (1:53): Not really because like Ottawa has grown a lot. Before, when I got to Ottawa, yes. Now, I don't. I live in a different environment. It's more multicultural. Basically, I live in a French-Franco-Ontarian neighborhood.  KEVIN (2:20): Yeah.That's all the questions I have. TRISTAN (2:24): All right. So, hello. I'm going to be continuing with the next three questions. So, you mentioned the community that you live in. Would you be able to describe just like a typical day in your community? Is there anything special about it? Mr. GARCIA (2:38): Not really. I believe it's just like any other community. When people wake up, they have to go to work. There are lots of kids because they have to go to school. Construction, renovations, just a typical daily day, I believe. TRISTAN (3:00): Okay. So, off of that, are you able to describe, if you do at least, any ways that you celebrate or kind of maintain your cultural heritage throughout your daily life? Mr. GARCIA (3:15): Daily life? TRISTAN (3:16): Yeah. Mr. GARCIA (3:17): Well, basically, we try food-wise. We try to eat more of our Latin communities' meals, especially from El Salvador, like rice, beans, and specialty food. Because now, with technology, you're allowed to watch channels from other countries. So, you can just download or get an application that will allow you to see the channels of your country. That is a big difference, especially for elderly people that don't get acquainted with the language. So, yeah. TRISTAN (4:04): So, with food, also, is that the only kind of tradition, or are there holidays or other traditions that are kind of more meaningful to you?  Mr. GARCIA (4:20): As a Latin community or directly based on my country? TRISTAN (4:25): Both as a person and as a community, I guess.  Mr. GARCIA (4:29): Well, here in Ottawa, we celebrate the Latin community with the Latin Festival in September, in which all the Latin communities participate. Okay. And there is a very different environment because you get to know different communities from all around Latin America. And you see the diversity that is in Ottawa, a thing that you don't see on a regular basis now. And the Government of Canada declared the month of October, I believe, the month of the Latin heritage. So, all the month of October is being celebrated the Latin American heritage here in Canada.  TRISTAN (5:19): Awesome. Thank you very much. Those are the questions that I had. Mr. GARCIA (5:22): No problem.  JULIE (5:24): All right. So, I'll go ahead and pick up off there. So, I just wanted to ask, as a member of the Latin Caribbean community, what values are most important to you?  Mr. GARCIA (5:38): From the point of view of the Latino community or personal ones?  JULIE (5:45): You can do both.  Mr. GARCIA (5:45):  Okay. Personal ones are the ones that we try to merge in the Canadian society, learn as much as we can to be part of the Canadian society, independently in which area you are. Because here in Canada, you have, or in Ottawa, I must say, you have the French Canadian heritage area where most of the people speak French, like Quebec province and things like that. So, it all depends where you are. We try to merge in that environment so we can learn why and where and things that we can do to be part and help the community and be helpful for society, ourselves. And that teaches us to grow as a Latino community here in Canada. That's one of the things that I see. Personally, I try to keep myself merging in not forgetting my roots, even though I'm in Canada. I'm part of the Canadian society now. Now, I have learned a lot about the Canadian society. What's the French? What's the English side? Why is it so important for the French constitution when they say that this is a country that is bilingual? When in certain parts of Canada, that bilingualism doesn't apply. I don't know if I understand myself when I say that.  JULIE (7:47): I understand. Mr. GARCIA (7:50): Okay. So, that's one of the things that I personally try to understand. Since I would love to learn French, but sometimes things of life doesn't give you the time or the laziness of me doesn't let me do it. But yeah, it's nice to know all that and where are the roots of Canadian society. All like that.  JULIE (8:20): Yeah, of course. And then my next question kind of branches off that as well. It's just, what would you like people to better understand about yourself or your community?  Mr. Garcia (8:36): About the Latin community, it's very interesting because when I said the French Canadians and I said the English-speaking peoples, French Canadians are more not friendly, but they want to know more about other cultures. The English Canadians, they are very reserved. They want their space. So, even though they are opening more because the multiculturalism in Canada is so big across the country and the majority of immigrants who speak Spanish, we are in this English-speaking section, not in Quebec. But even then, you can see the difference between the communities. But in the last 10 years, I believe there is more opening from the community, from the Canadian society in the way of how they see the Latin American peoples. They are starting to understand the reasons why we came here. Some came for work, other ones came because their life was at risk in our countries, so we had to flee. So, there are different environments now. And that's one of the things that make us, sometimes we deal with those demons when we come here, and we confront a different society, different way of seeing life, from the point of view of how we see it and why we came to this country. So, I would like them to understand that even though we have years of living here, we have to deal with those problems that we carry on because of why we are here. JULIE (10:58): Perfect, that was amazing. I'll go ahead and pass it on to the next person.  RALPH (11:03): Hi George, my name is Ralph and I'll be picking up from where Judy left. Mr. GARCIA (11:07): Okay Ralph, nice to meet you.  RALPH (11:08): Nice to meet you. So, just like yourself, I also migrated here with my family about 10 years ago. And one of the things I like the most about back home is the food. So, my question for you is, what foods do you make that remind you of home and where do you purchase the groceries to prepare the meals? Mr. GARCIA (11:34): Like I said before, there is rice, beans, we prepare it in different ways. There is the specialty food like pupusas, tamales, and cow tongue, other kind of food that we do. And you couldn't find them before. 10-15 years ago, you couldn't find them at the store. Now, like I said to Julie, now that societies, Canadian society and a lot of immigrants here are seeing that there is a market for it. Now, we start to find all that kind of food in different stores, like Chinese store, Indian stores. There is some Latin stores now opening in Ottawa and across Canada. So, the market is getting bigger because they see there is a market for it. And that's where we get our stuff. Like we try to keep, in the daily basis, we try to keep our food just reminding us our roots. And don't take me wrong, it doesn't mean that we don't eat Canadian food or American food. We always do that. But it's a thing that we try to keep our meals back to our roots.  RALPH (13:03): Yeah, thank you very much for your answer. Mr. GARCIA (13:05): Okay.  RALPH (13:07): I'll pass it to my teammate. TOMAS (13:11): Hi, so I'm Tomas and I'd like to ask you a question about the interview transcript. So, if you consent to it, the interview will be uploaded. The transcript for the interview will be uploaded to an online database where people can look through it and read it. And what I wanted to ask is, how likely would you or people you know, be to use such a database and read through the stories that are uploaded there?  Mr. GARCIA (13:44): Well, if you make it to the public and you publish in your Ottawa U website that these studies are being done, and people like from El Salvador, United States, or any other parts of the world are allowed to go and see how the specifically, let's say, Latin community is developing here in Canada, and how we feel and how we are grateful of this nation to give us the chance to keep living, finding a better life like we're going to have in our countries. I think so it's a good work that you guys are doing, because it helps not just Canadians, but other countries to realize that maybe mistakes or maybe mistakes that we as an immigrants did when we came to this country. The way we see society, the way we mentality that we took with us here, now make us a life. So, that especially right now with the world that we are having all across the world, you know, so for these refugees, that will make a difference in making decisions of how they can prepare better and try to realize that there is big difference when you come to a country that when you don't speak the language, you know. So, that's a very helpful tool as long people know how to use it.  TOMAS (15:39): Yeah, okay. Thank you. That's very helpful. Yeah, it is publicly accessible. I think you asked that near the beginning of your answer, but so as a final just note, do you have any other comments or concerns or something you'd like to talk about?  Mr. GARCIA (15:54): Well, basically, I just would like to say thanks to the team that put all this together and you guys that are doing it. So, I don't know if I will be more helpful to you like later on with more other questions or that will be the end or how this is going to proceed. So, I'm here to try to help you and I really appreciate what you're doing and if I can help you with anything, answering more questions, I'm here to do that.  TOMAS and JULIE (16:35): Okay, thank you so much. Mr. GARCIA (16:37): No problem.  KEVIN (16:40): Thank you. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Jorge Garcia Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">This interview shared the story of Jorge Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant living in Canada. Jorge immigrated to Canada after fleeing the Civil War in El Salvador. Throughout this interview, he reflects on memories from his move to Ottawa, the ways he has seen the city transform, his broader experience engaging with Canadian culture as a Latin American man, and how he stays connected to his Salvadoran culture. <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Upon his arrival in Canada, Jorge stated that he prioritized learning about and integrating into Canadian society. He noted that the longer he’s lived in Canada, the more he's come to understand its diversity, particularly between anglophone and francophone communities. Jorge speaks of his efforts to assimilate into Canadian society while not forgetting his roots, and discusses his perspective on Canada’s bilingualism and questions he has had about French culture in Canada, stating,</div> </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">“Personally, I try to keep myself merging in not forgetting my roots, even though I'm in Canada. I'm part of the Canadian society now. Now, I have learned a lot about the Canadian society. What's the French? What's the English side? Why is it so important for the French constitution when they say that this is a country that is bilingual? When in certain parts of Canada, that bilingualism doesn't apply.” </div> <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">Jorge considers his efforts to connect with and learn about the different communities in Canada to sit at the core of his belief system, and described how, as someone living in a predominantly French neighbourhood, he’s enjoyed getting the chance to learn about French Canadian culture and their language. Building on this, Jorge describes how he feels it is his responsibility and pleasure to work towards improving and contributing to Canadian society as a Canadian; his goal is to be there to support not only the Latin American communities in Canada but society at large. Jorge celebrates his Salvadoran roots through maintaining connections to family.  He also prepares and eats Salvadoran food, including rice and bean dishes, and ‘specialty foods' like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupusa">pupusas</a>, tamales, and cow tongue. Jorge explains that in previous decades it was hard to find ingredients for such dishes, but as Canada’s Latin American community grows, so does the market for such foods, and supply has risen to meet demand. Another means with which he maintains his connection to his culture is through Latin American mass media, such as television, which is now accessible online. Jorge attends festivals and cultural events, such as the Latin American community festival in September, and he proudly notes that October is Canada’s designated Latin American Heritage Month. Finally, Jorge concluded our interview, stating that many Latin American immigrants arrive in Canada after being forced to flee their home countries because of traumatic events such as warfare. He articulates this, stating, “Sometimes we deal with those demons when we come here, and we confront a different society.”  With this knowledge, Jorge hopes that his story, as well as those preserved on Anthroharvest, will provide insight and education to Canadians, Latin American immigrants, and those considering immigrating to Canada, helping them adapt to life in Canada.</div> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 9, 2026 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 16 min 40s Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/d17515127c384d9fcdad09d728926954.m4a 93be7667911c1cbec477ffd43540f952 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American & Caribbean Organizations Subject The topic of the resource collection of organizations designed to support and uplift Latin and Caribbean people in Canada. Description An account of the resource <div style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">As the capital of Canada, Ottawa is a city rich in diverse cultures and communities from around the world. Relocating to Canda from the southern hemisphere is a significant shift and challenge. For these immigrants, they face obstacles, including finding people who are culturally similar. Thankfully, there are many aid organizations which connect people with help. In this section of AnthroHarvest, we showcase a few of these groups. They do not just celebrate immigrant cultures, they give them the chance to meet others and learn how to adjust to Canadian life. There are language classes, cultural events, and get-togethers. Each group is different. Some groups focus on keeping languages and traditions alive. Other groups help artists show their work. They provide spaces for people to meet and talk. All of these groups together illustrate the strength of Latin American and Caribbean communities here. In the collections below, you will find more information about them: the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association, the Barbados Ottawa Association, Canada Habla Español, the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students, the Latin Hub and the Latin American Soldiers Committee in Canada. Specifically, we hope to emphasize different events, fundraisers, and resources they have, how to contact them and/or join their association, their social media pages, and a short description of the organization itself.</div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Cover Photo: Day of the Dead altar commemorating Québec artist Jean Paul Riopelle at Maison du Citoyen Photo taken by Noémie Burrs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor Paterson, Soorya Hedayat Omar, Racheal Agofure, Zainab Oyejobi, Amy May Lajeunesse and Roodmya Douge. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Imogene Chapman and Katie Aunger Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Tamara Toledo Location The location of the interview Toronto, Ontario, Canada Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Imogene: Good afternoon. My name is Imogene, and this is my colleague Katie, and, this interview is part of our contribution to the AnthroHarvest Collective. So, we are joined… we're pleased to be joined today by Tamara Toledo, which is one of the directors at the Latin American Canadian Art Projects, or the LACAP, which is a not-for-profit. Imogene: So, we'd first like to start by giving you the opportunity to properly introduce yourself, as well as briefly go through what the organization is, and then Katie will follow up with more in-depth questions about the organization afterward. Tamara Toledo: Yeah. Okay, so my name is Tamara Toledo, I'm the director, curator of LACAP / Sur Gallery. So, LACAP is a non-profit arts organization that has been around for 20 years now, implementing different, programs, initiatives, projects throughout the city of Toronto mostly. And for the past 10 years, one of its projects, which has been… is one of, its most relevant projects now, is Sur Gallery, which is the actual physical bricks-and-mortar space where we program, a lot of, the… yeah, a lot of the programming that we currently hold.  Tamara Toledo: And as an introduction, for myself as well, I am a curator, and the curator of SurGallery. I am a scholar, art historian, and I started off my career as a visual artist. So I also studied drawing and painting at OCAD University in the 90s. Katie: Wow, that's amazing. Thank you so much. So, who does your organization serve? What is the main community that you are working with? Tamara Toledo: So we mainly serve the Latin American, LatinX, diaspora in Canada. I would say it's mostly locally based. But, since we started programming a lot more online initiatives, it has expanded to a more national reach, as well as international, and that, of course, started during the pandemic. We had to pivot quite quickly, and look for different strategies to engage with our audiences. Katie: That's amazing. Tamara Toledo: And that sort of led to reaching other more national throughout different provinces in Canada and internationally. But it's history from the beginning has been very locally based: the Latin American diaspora. And that doesn't mean that we don't engage with other communities that are interested in the art and culture and histories of Latin America. Katie: Amazing! So that must mean that your staff must have grown since having to diversify how you are reaching more of the population. So how many staff did you start with, and how has that grown since? Tamara Toledo: Yeah, it seems like we are a very large organization, but paid staff is currently just two people. Everyone else is by contract, and depending on project funding. So, last year, we had 3 staff that were paid staff, that receive payroll, because of an additional grant that we received. But ongoing operationally, it's just two paid staff, one full-time and one part-time. Everyone else is contract, volunteers, we have a board of directors, we have an advisory board and we have a lot of people that have come and gone throughout the years because it has such a long history. It started off all on a volunteer basis, and slowly we've managed to receive government funding from all streams to be able to operate. Katie: That's amazing. What do you find motivates you to do this work, and why? Tamara Toledo: Well, I would say mostly with the intention, it's very intentional in the way that I would like for there to ignite change within a broader Canadian context in the arts. Because my background is in the arts, that sort of has been my focus with that activist intention of changing the ways in which art is understood, accepted, and the narratives that are a part of the Canadian dialogue. So, 20 years ago there was a lack of representation, visibility, of the Latin American diaspora in galleries and institutions, and so for me the motivation was to change that and to create that change and it had to be done from a grassroots place. And it's slowly changed and been affecting other sectors, so things have changed quite a bit in 20 years. There is some representation in some of these institutions currently, but there is a long way to go still. Katie: Do you have some specific institutions you've loved working with, or that you find have been a great asset to your organization? Tamara Toledo: We've certainly collaborated and partnered with several institutions and organizations throughout the years, which have been instrumental to the growth of LACAP and Sur Gallery. I think that for a smaller organization like ours, those partnerships and relationships are essential, and so we've tried to foster them. Throughout the years, we've collaborated with so many, not only institutions and galleries, but also festivals, and the relationships have been, of course, mutual in terms of gaining access to resources and sharing knowledge and resources. Tamara Toledo:  So just examples, let's see. We've collaborated with… I'll start with larger institutions. We've partnered with the AGO, with the Power Plant, with Harborfront Center; we've partnered with Artist Run Centers like Gallery 44, A Space Gallery; with universities, York University, OCAD University, with George Brown College; we've partnered with festivals like 7A*11D, Mayworks, Planet in Focus, so… Oh my goodness, like, I can't remember all of them, but, yeah, I think that most importantly it’s relevant to emphasize that those relationships are so important to the growth of the organization. Katie: Amazing, wow, that is amazing. Also, being in Toronto, you have so many areas around you being so artsy. It's a great center to be surrounded by all the creativity and build amazing relationships. Do you have a specific relationship or story that really stood out to you? That really maybe pushed you to continue what you're doing, or just really is highlighted in your mind? Tamara Toledo: Like, a particular partnership or relationship? Katie: Yeah, like, if you have a story about one of your favorite partnerships that you've worked with, or even just helping an individual in the community that stood out; anything that in your past years in this organization that really stood out to you? Tamara Toledo: Hmm… I mean, it's difficult to point out just one example, because it has been years of collaborations in different ways. Not just cross-promoting, but also working together on programs, and collaborating with changing that narrative which I spoke about before. So yeah, it's kind of difficult to think about just pinpoint one example. Katie: So what would you say is your personal mission statement. Tamara Toledo: My personal, like, as Tamara? Katie: Yeah, as an individual or even as an organization, you could also elaborate on that; how do you want to continue growing in your organization? What do you see in the future for it? Tamara Toledo: Okay. I would say that LACAP right now is going through some change, some internal change of growth. And I believe that this is a moment where a lot of things can develop, and a lot of things can happen. We've already gone through 10 years of running a gallery and so we're presently looking at what does our mission, our mandate, and the things that we can contribute with and how to foment and continue to change and to grow. Within the next 10 years, what does that look like and how can we still be relevant in the next 10 years? So we're going through that process of strategically thinking about our position and what are the ways we can contribute to that. The world is changing dramatically not only with AI, but geopolitically as well. And so, I think that all of those things should be under consideration when we start developing this plan for the future; for the next 10 years. From the very beginning of LACAP's inception, we've always responded to the needs of the community, what that need was in the beginning, so I think that ultimately, that has been the mission from from the beginning, and it continues to be, so that's why we're questioning currently what is the needs of our immediate community right now and how to address that need? So, yeah, I mean, there are so many layers to how we've contributed throughout the years, but essentially, um, if you have to narrow it down, it's sort of addressing the needs. Katie:  Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much for really delving into everything you have done. This is amazing to hear. Is there anything else you'd like to bring up that we did not ask you today? Tamara Toledo: I'm not sure. I mean, like, I would like to know a little bit more about the project and how I could address perhaps some things that I haven't mentioned, or mention something additionally to what this project is about, it's hard to… it's hard to say. Katie: Of course. Mm-hmm. So, our project focuses on archival work. So we are an anthropological class, we are studying Latin America and the diaspora, and how Latin American individuals are interacting with a modern-day community in Canada. So our task was to reach out to a Latin American organization, ideally Canadian and close to us. I have a background in art history, so I also am very familiar with the art world and the growth it has been evolving very rapidly, especially since the pandemic. So we love we love that you were able to talk to us, because having those ties to art history but also having ties to anthropology is very hand-in-hand. I think they do go quite coincidely together to really understand the experience of Latin Americans in Canada, and how we can improve your experience as well. Tamara Toledo: Amazing. Well, I think that, with that said what I could add would be the work that we've done with Archivo and with Profiles, which are two projects that we've led through Sur Gallery to address this sort of representation and visibility of the Latin American diaspora. I'm not sure if you're familiar with those two. You can find more information at <a href="http://surgalleryvirtual.ca">surgalleryvirtual.ca</a>. Profiles is basically a series of video portraits of Latin American artists across Canada. We went to four different cities and interviewed 15 artists and created these 5-minute videos to represent the various types of artists that you can find. They've been curated, all of them are very different: different approaches, different mediums, different themes.  Tamara Toledo: So,that is one project. And the other one is Archivo, which is a database of the Latin American diaspora of artists, of LatinX artists that identify as Indigenous from the region (from the Latin American region), Black, and Latin Caribbean. So, that one has taken about 2 years, and it continues to grow. It's project-based, and it's been implemented through project-based funding, and we hired an archivist to research and develop that particular project, and now we have over 140 entries of different artists across Canada. So, I think for your particular interest, I guess that those two would be most relevant, those two projects. And of course, we also implement a vast array of different different programs. More notably, I would say the exhibitions that we host every year, and the programming around those. There's also a symposium we held a few… maybe 3 years ago now? - called Positionality: Latin American art in Canada. And, that also is posted on our website. We have a huge archive of different events on our website that you can look through. Katie: If I'm ever in Toronto again soon, I would love to come by and check out the gallery and see if any events are on. Tamara Toledo: Amazing. Katie:I have had a blast talking to you today, and I have learned so much about you and what you do for the community, and I appreciate the time you've spent with us. Tamara Toledo: Thank you! Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 20m59s Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Tamara Toledo from the Latin American Canadian Arts Project (LACAP) Description An account of the resource We interviewed a representative-Tamara Toledo-- of  the Latin American Canadian Arts Project or LACAP.  Their mission showcased a good example of support for the community, by the community.  Tamara's passion was infectious: “Because my background is in the arts, that sort of has been my focus with that activist intention of changing how art is understood, accepted, and the narratives that are a part of the Canadian dialogue.”  LACAP is a Toronto-based organization that helps contemporary Latin American artists who are living in Canada connect to resources, such as help with exhibitions and research. They also provide public programming. LACAP frequently works with Toronto's institutions, such as Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD) and York University, providing lectures and seminars about Latin American artists and the history of Latin American art. LACAP’s two founders are Tamara Toledo and Rodrigo Barreda, who is in operations management. Toledo’s background in Art history and curation allows her to understand the artists' needs on a deeper level and provides mentorship for up-and-coming Latin artists. Having attended OCAD herself, she first-hand encountered the issues that many fellow artists were experiencing, allowing her to work directly with the University's programming to create a more inclusive curriculum.  LACAP only has two paid employees; everyone else is contracted, depending on project funding. In 2025, they had 3 paid staff who received payroll thanks to an additional grant they received. In general, the organization relies heavily on a fluctuating number of volunteers, meaning that lots of people are constantly coming and going. LACAP is always looking for helping hands--you can apply on their website if you are interested in getting involved with the Latin arts community.  One of LACAP’s main initiatives is Sur Gallery, located right on Toronto's Waterfront. The gallery is a dedicated space used to present contemporary Latin American and LatinX art. This venue and its programming focus on the dialogue between artists, scholars, and communities while encouraging collaboration across borders and artistic disciplines: “Initiatives are aimed to socially innovate, critically engage, lending itself to opportunities of national relevance to begin to develop global networks of exchange.” (LACAP, 2026) Toledo saw the lack of Latin American representation in the art scene of Toronto and understood the issues many Latin artists were experiencing throughout the art community. This left her and her partner to create LACAP to allow the artists to build a strong foundation in their craft to succeed in the Canadian art world. One of her favourite projects is at the Sur Gallery. She visited four Canadian cities and interviewed 15 Latin American artists for the exhibit. Toledo and her team curated a series of video interviews, forming video portraits of Latin American artists across the country, providing a platform for the artists' voices and experiences. The work that the organization does is incredibly important as it acts as one of the only support bodies for the Latin American art community in Canada. LACAP strives to employ a mainly grassroots approach, as explained by Tamara in our interview: “(...)20 years ago there was a lack of representation, visibility, of the Latin American diaspora in galleries and institutions, and so for me the motivation was to change that and to create that change and it had to be done from a grassroots place.” The gallery plans for the long term; The Covid epidemic required them to shift gears and create alternative plans to showcase their artists.  Currently, LACAP is  undergoing structural and organizational changes, in order to continue to serve their community as best as they can by responding to  constantly changing needs.  One of the ways you can support this organization is by donating. In this context, dollars go toward promoting Latin American art in different ways, such as by inviting classes to visit their galleries, by providing resources to artists for seminar-style workshops, or by supplying art tools to beneficiaries in the community. These donations can be made by cheque or via their website: <a href="https://lacap.ca/support-lacap/donate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://lacap.ca/support-lacap/donate/</a>. You can also visit their most recent project, Sur Gallery, by appointment only (for now), situated at 100-39 Queens Quay East in Toronto, Ontario. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Thursday, February 19th, 2026. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource M4A file (29,758 KB) Language A language of the resource English