Saint John Multicultural and Newcomers Resource Centre Inc.
Arts Group Moderator
Who We Are[edit]
The Saint John Multicultural and Newcomers Resource Centre Inc. (SJMNRC) is a non-profit organization that provides an integrated approach to services for newcomers including one-on-one employment-related counselling, as well as referral and placement services to immigrants. The mandate of the Centre is overseen by a Board of 13 Directors and a small yet dedicated staff.
The mandate of the SJMNRC is to:
• Facilitate the integration of newcomers to Saint John and help to retain them;
• Create a road map for newcomers;
• Build a centrally coordinated service delivery model that connects the existing service providers, community stakeholders and clients
• Support the programs offered by existing settlement and multicultural organizations; and
• Serve as an advocate for newcomers and the multicultural community in the Saint John region.
The centre is located on 47 Charlotte Street, 3rd & 4th floors of the City Market Building, and has the support of the five surrounding municipalities, the provincial and federal governments, and various private sector and non-profit partners.
Board of Directors[edit]
Vijay Kawatra
Vijay Kawatra is the former General Manager of the Saint John Hilton where he worked for fifteen years.. While living in Saint John, Vijay has contributed greatly to the community. He has served as the President of Hospitality Saint John, was a member of the Saint John Board of Trade Business Development Committee, and is a Board Member of the Saint John Rotary Club. He was also recognized as a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow for Service to the Community. Vijay has lived in Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and in various cities in Canada.
Paul-Émile Chiasson
Paul-Émile is the Education Coordinator at UNBSJ and was a member of the former Saint John Immigration Board. His interest and passion continue to lie with addressing the needs and retention of all immigrants to our city. Paul-Émile has served or continues to serve on several committees related to immigration including Advantage/Avantage Saint John, Benefits Blueprints, and the Department of the Environment Sustainable Communities Committee. He is also part of the UNBSJ CURA Research Team, under the direction of Dr. Robert MacKinnon. His area of research is “The Francophone Community of the Greater Saint John Region, Challenges and New Directions.”
Michel Côté
Michel is the Executive Director of L’Association Régionale de la Communauté francophone de Saint-Jean .Inc. The association represents the second largest cultural community in Saint John and plays an important role in welcoming French-speaking people to our community. Michel has a background in Education and is on the District Education Council for the Kennebecasis Valley. He is also the president of the organizing committee for the Acadian Games in Saint John in 2010.
Juliette Ramzi-Trofimencoff
Juliette is a learning specialist in School District 8, in this role one of her responsibilities is to help new immigrant students register in the school system. She is also responsible for EAL (English as an Additional Language) services for these children. Prior to this new position, Juliette had 25 years experience as a teacher in Saint John. She is an immigrant herself from Egypt, and understands what it’s like to move to a new country.
Janet Thompson-Price
Janet Thompson-Price is a Senior Litigation Associate with the law office of Stewart McKelvey. One of her areas of practice is Citizenship and Immigration Law, and she is currently serving her second term as the New Brunswick Section Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Citizenship and Immigration Law Section. Janet also serves on a national agenda committee for the CBA’s National Citizenship and Immigration Law Conference and is a Board Member of the Saint John YMCA-YWCA.
Tim Lui
Tim was born in China. As a young boy, his family moved to Hong Kong and lived there for a few years before moving to Saint John. After high school, Tim went to UNB Saint John and graduated with a BBA degree. With 12 years of management experience in the banking industry, Tim holds a Certified Management Accountant designation and currently works as a Senior Commercial Account Manager for RBC Royal Bank.
Yuki Huang
Yuki graduated from UNBSJ with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree majoring in accounting, and has lived in Saint John for three years. Over the past year, Yuki has been busy working as a volunteer with New Brunswick Chinese United, a non-profit organization that helps Chinese families adjust to a new life and culture in Saint John, and working part-time for Bayview Credit Union. She also co-owns and helps manage Sunstar Lounge, a Karaoke Bar Uptown. Yuki has also been involved in organizing Saint John’s Chinese New Year Celebrations as well as volunteering with the East Coast Chinese Newspaper.
Linda Estabrooks
A professional real estate appraiser with over 30 years experience in both private and social housing as well as commercial and industrial real estate, Linda is an active community member in Grand Bay-Westfield. Having served on or been appointed to numerous board and committees at both a regional and provincial level, this experience will be a definite asset to the Centre.
Thorbjorn Bordevik
A citizen of Norway who moved to Canada in 1987, Thorbjorn has traveled the world by sea and worked with people of many nationalities. After ending his career at the position of Captain in the Norwegian Merchant Marine, he transitioned to operations management and currently works as a consultant. His life of travel has led to a strong interest in culture and global affairs, and being an immigrant himself, Thorbjorn has a passion for issues related to immigration.
Anne Marie Gillis
With over 10 years experience as an International Consultant with NBCC–Saint John, Anne Marie brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that she has developed by working with international students and project staff. As an active member of the community Anne Marie is a member of HOLA Saint John and the Refugee Support Center Advisory Board, as well as Past Chair of the NBCC Saint John campus International Committee. Her work experience is coupled with a Masters in Adult Education, as well as training in intercultural awareness and diversity.
Chol Kim
As a multi-published author and former Director of Emergency Medicine in Korea, Chol has a keen interest in working with newcomers to help them understand the New Brunswick health care system, including working with nurses and doctors to help patients understand the whole picture. After becoming more familiar with immigration issues in Saint John, Chol decided to become more involved with the establishment of the SJMNRC.
Carolyn Gupta
As a specialist in ESL, Carolyn has over 15 years experience working with newcomers through teaching and developing second language training. She has worked at Saint John College, UNB Saint John for over 10 years and has recently developed a new English language program for business immigrants being offered in both Fredericton and Saint John. A very active volunteer, Carolyn has been involved with many immigration-related-committees and boards throughout New Brunswick.
Heather Ann Scott
Heather is a local business owner and a graduate of UNB Saint John. She has extensive experience working with immigrants and living abroad. Her volunteer efforts range from working as a Host/Settlement Worker with the YMCA/YWCA, to assisting Canadian Immigration and Citizenship with refugees from Kosavo. Heather currently volunteers with the Hampton United Church Refugee Committee.