The immigrant has made Toronto the most multicultural and diverse city in the world. More than 200 ethnic groups live here and speak 140 languages. Toronto is one of the most educated cities, creating more jobs in tech than New York and San Francisco. There are more cranes here building high-rise condos than in any other city in North America. The Canadian Immigration system has allowed Toronto to become the financial, sports, cultural, and immigrant capital of Canada.

Immigrants continue to shape this dynamic city and make it ‘the promised land’ of ‘milk and honey’ with the promise of ‘freedom and quality of life’. Immigrants pursue economic opportunities, better education, and create diverse businesses. They take the green card, also called the PR card, and enhance this city. Toronto has been converted into a world-class city by immigrants.

Four Columns has had the privilege to interview an immigrant who has gone from a bank teller to a vice president, an F&B manager to vice president of operations, food blogger, STEM entrepreneur, beauty products entrepreneur, social entrepreneur, and an accountant.

Minnat is a new immigrant and has gone out of her way to get to know the city and the country. Her IG profile is about helping new immigrants get to know the new city, learn the soft skills, and embrace them. I talk to Minnat about her journey.

Hi Minnat. I always thought mint.in.Canada meant made in Canada. I now realize it is a play on your name. Tell me something about you?

My name is Minnat. I am originally from India and I currently live in Toronto. I work in the accounting industry for a living. When Covid hit, I finally found the time to pursue my passion for creating social media content. The story behind my social media handle is sweet actually. I wanted a unique yet descriptive social media handle and I wanted something that could be attached to my past, present, and future. My friends back in India called me Mint instead of Minnat, so that brings back memories of the past. “In Canada” signifies my present and future life here. Hence, it is “Mint in Canada”. I started my Instagram page as a hobby and just went with the flow. As time passed, I started gaining followers and started generating revenue out of it. My account is still growing, but I love that people are actually loving and recognizing my work. 

Walk me through your immigration journey. The highs, lows, and why you started a blog on helping immigrants?

I moved to Canada 2 years back. It was not at all easy to leave everything behind and start life from scratch at the age of 25. I felt that when you move to a new country, you have to spend a lot of time and energy researching everything. I had my spouse here to support me whenever I needed help, but what about an individual who doesn’t have anyone there for help? I thought about that person and started creating content with an aim of helping as many newcomers as I can.

Talk to me about your culture, food, and festivals. Explain what Holi is all about?

India is a culturally diversified country. We have a festival almost every month in one or the other part of the country. The food, climate, dialects, etc. are quite varied across the country. My favorite festival has to be Holi. It is celebrated to mark the victory of goodness against evil. It is celebrated for 2 days. On the second day, known as Dhuleti, people come together and put colors on each other while singing and dancing.

Help me understand what women’s empowerment means to you as a modern-day woman? How was it different for your mom and grandmom?

My mom and grandmother didn’t have the freedom to make their own decisions when they were young. As per the Indian culture, they had to obey what their family decided for them. They didn’t have a choice to go to work or to give their input for any financial decisions. Indian society, being a patriarchal one, it was always the men in the house, who were the prime decision-makers. Now things have changed a lot, especially in the urban areas of India. If I talk about me for instance, I was given the freedom and the opportunity to make my own decisions. For me, women empowerment is the freedom of thought, the freedom to speak my heart out without fear of being judged, to be considered at par with men- in personal life and at work too.

Mental health is not discussed in the South Asian culture. Walk me through how a woman who lands here as an immigrant can improve her mental health?

Mental health wasn’t a topic of discussion in India 5 or 10 years back. There was always a social stigma attached to it. Now things have changed. People have started being more open about it and having conversations around the topic. After moving to Canada, I felt that mental health is given as much importance here as physical health and I loved that. For new immigrants, there are quite a few newcomer centers that could help if someone is in a mental health crisis. I love how the Canadian government has provided all the related resources on their official website.

‘The Canadian Experience”…..so much of it is soft skills and to see if you fit in the company’s culture. What can immigrant women do to get this Canadian experience?

When I first moved, I heard a lot of new immigrants talk about the Canadian experience. They said that when they were interviewed for their first job in Canada, they were asked if they had any Canadian experience. When I first thought about it, I didn’t understand how was it possible to get Canadian work experience before actually working here. Later I joined a government-funded placement program for new immigrants. It was then I got to know that the employers want to know more about your transferable skills- communication skills, networking skills, etc. There are many ways to improve those skills like volunteering, bridging programs, etc. I have discussed some of them in detail on my Instagram page.

I love your slogan ‘wear your culture proudly’. I want to know more?

To be honest, I didn’t like to wear Indian outfits when I was in India. Whenever there was a social function to attend, my mom had to literally force me to wear a cultural outfit. Everything changed after I moved here. I got more attached to my culture than I ever was. I started wearing Indian outfits and got photoshoots done even in winters. I love when people told me that they loved what I was wearing. I remember when I wore an Indian outfit known as Lehenga Choli to a Canadian castle, a little boy walks towards me and kept staring at me. Later, his mom approached me and told me that his son thought that I was the princess of the castle and so he wanted to click a picture with me.

Where does Minnat see herself in 5 years?

5 years down the road I see myself as a happy, financially secured, and independent woman, who is making her family proud, by giving her best in whatever she does.

I invite myself to your home for a meal. I tell you I am vegetarian, my daughter loves butter chicken and my wife loves naan. What will you make me and why?

I will make Paneer butter masala (a vegetarian replacement for chicken) and naan. In Indian culture, they say- Atithi Devo Bhava, which means that guests are equivalent to god. Hence, it is important that everyone coming to my home needs to be felt welcomed and happy.

You are chosen to go to Mars and can take only five things. What would it be and why?

1.Water- To survive, 2. Oxygen cylinder- To Breathe 3. My family- I can’t function without them 4 & 5. FOOD

You have a choice to wear the clothes of one designer, live in one city for a day, eat one meal during that day and choose one person to have a meal with. Name me your designer, the city, the meal and person you would choose and why?

Designer- Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Wearing an Indian Lehenga designed by him would be the dream of every Indian girl. He is a famous fashion designer from Kolkata, India. The outfits that he designs are a perfect balance of ethnic designs with a contemporary touch. He has designed costumes for Bollywood movies too.

City- Mumbai (aka Bombay)

It is the city where I was born. I love the cosmopolitan vibe of the city. I find it similar to Toronto in a plethora of ways. Not only it is one of the most vibrant cities of India, but also it has the most amazing food.

Meal- Pav Bhaji

The origins of this dish are in the state of Maharashtra, India. The spicy version of the dish is also known as Bombay Pav Bhaji. Bhaji is a gravy made of multiple vegetables and it’s served with a type of bread known as Pav.

Person to have a meal with- My husband

Although I get to share my meal with him every single day, yet I’ll choose him to be my meal partner for the rest of my meals. He’s the best company that I can have.

The post Canadian Minted Immigrant appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

February is Black History Month. Jean Augustine in 1995 passed a motion in Canada’s House of Commons to officially recognize February as the month to honor Black Canadians. I am proud to present Kunle Tauhid. Kunle is smart, intelligent, humble, and someone who works hard, an example of a successful immigrant in Canada.

Kunle Tauhid is Vice President of Financing and Consulting at BDC. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) promotes entrepreneurship by providing highly tailored financing, venture capital, and consulting services to entrepreneurs. As the Vice President for the Financing and Consulting Business in Eastern and Northern Ontario, he is responsible for leading a team of dedicated sales force that is focused on growing existing client relationships and helping Canadian entrepreneurs achieve their goals. Kunle talks about his own journey as an immigrant to Canada.

Kunle, please tell me a little about you?

My name is Kunle Tauhid, from Nigeria, married to Esther and we have two kids, Alexandra (21) and Andrew (19) both students at York University.

Your hard work, persistence is an inspiration to me.  Walk me through your immigration to Canada, the challenges and how you ended up at BDC?

Thanks, Jerry. My family immigrated to Canada in 2002.

I was a professional banker in my native country Nigeria where I obtained a Bachelors’s degree in finance and a master’s in banking and international finance from two elite Nigerian universities. Canada is an international hub of immigrants and professionals but luckily, having come from a Commonwealth nation it was easy to get my degree accredited and recognized as an equivalent to a Canadian university, through the University of Toronto.

I had a challenge getting into the system and getting senior leadership roles. In Nigeria, I had a decade of experience in banking, of which the last 3 were in leadership roles. It was a humbling experience, which I am thankful for, to have had to start from scratch again being given an opportunity to work for RBC as a bank teller. My last role in Nigeria was as a Manager responsible for a team of professionals with all the perks such as an official car, driver, return tickets and spending allowance to Europe for vacation.

Talk a little about your faith and how it helps you daily?

As an immigrant to Canada required taking a leap of faith for both myself and my wife. We had and have no immediate family here and relied on mostly information from friends who had come earlier. Our faith in God and the comfort of knowing that we had a Church family to come to through the International Church of Christ of which we were members in Nigeria helped a lot. The Church community here helped us a lot in our initial settling down and finding resources for us and the kids. I have to confess that the transition of my career was tough. I was able to overcome the challenges, learned humility through Christ. I had highs and rejoiced and lows and I cried. However, a great combination of hard work, positive attitude, and determination never fail.

Give my audience three tips on their household finances?

First, don’t spend what you don’t have. As an immigrant to Canada coming from a cash environment taught us this lesson early.
Secondly have a budget every month. We have been married for over 23 years and never gone a month without writing out our budget. A budget that is not documented is not a budget. It saves you a lot of stress
Third have a backup plan. Save for the rainy day.

How important is it for someone to maintain their credit rating?

In North America and indeed most credit-driven economies a positive and good credit rating gives you access to opportunities. Not only do you need a good credit history for access to financing but you also need it to earn your income. Today employers as part of due diligence use one’s credit history as a determining factor to hire as it speaks to one’s character. Landlords use it to determine if one will be a good renter. I cannot overemphasize the importance of a positive credit rating and history. And there are very simple tricks to maintaining that.

Explain the different kinds of credit ratings?

In Canada, Equifax and TransUnion are the two major rating agencies and the higher one’s credit score the better their rating. They range from poor, fair, good to excellent. Good to excellent give you better access to personal and commercial credit facilities

How has becoming a husband changed your life?

Becoming a husband has made me a better man. I have been blessed by God to have a beautiful and God-fearing woman, Esther as a wife for 23 years. Lessons in humility, listening, caring, extending grace, giving people a benefit of doubt and most important having someone to share with have come from being a husband. Despite being the finance “man” of the home, the discipline of having a budget came from my wife even before we got married. I made a lot more money than her but was always broke before the next pay cycle. It was my wife (fiancé at the time) who introduced me to the concept of budgeting and since then we have not looked back.

Has your approach to life and finances changed after having children?

Not at all. With life, God comes first and we teach our children to understand the same. The values that were instilled in us by our parents, we instill in our children. The financial discipline we had before having children is what we still maintain and our kids see and luckily are embracing those values as well. They understand that credit card is not free money and is used to create a positive credit history. My daughter has a credit card but uses it to make purchases that she already has the cash to pay for and as soon it is done, she transfers money to pay off the balance even before the statement arrives.

Give new immigrants some tips, advice on how to become successful like you?

Canada is a great country and every employer wants to hire and grow with employees that will help them succeed.

As an immigrant to Canada, do not be intimidated by the color of your skin, your accent or foreign degree. This is a beautiful country that is inclusive and embraces diversity. Be confident in your abilities and skill set. Be humble. Your first job may not be the high-power job you had in your country. Take your entry-level job as your door opener that will enable you to prove your mettle and capabilities. Come daily with a positive attitude and can-do mentality. Do not settle. Do not join water cooler conversations at work. Focus on your job and give it your best daily. Your employer and manager will reward those that help them succeed. Develop yourself professionally at an earlier opportunity and keep learning and taking personal lessons. There are many free resources that can help you to be better at your job. Give back. Volunteer, be part of your community.

Most importantly hold on to your faith. God and your faith that saw you through and brought you to this country don’t change.

When we move to a new country, we need to acquire a new skill set, explain what it means to do that for the corporate world?

As an immigrant to Canada, we may never get a job exactly in the field we were in, so it is important to be open-minded. For example, my wife worked in a PR agency in Nigeria but we found out quickly that the setting was different here and so we acted quickly after trying for a couple of months. She looked at other options for a career that she would enjoy. Since she liked working with kids and had lots of fun in our Church’s children’s ministry decided to go back to school to obtain an Early Childhood Education certificate in one of the colleges here. A job was waiting for her as soon as she was done schooling and she had a good career working for YMCA starting as a daycare teacher and rising through the ranks to a manager and then Director before leaving for another opportunity.

Tell me little about your culture, and where can I find good Nigerian food in Toronto?

I am from the western part of Nigeria of the Yoruba tribe. What we call Naija proper.  There are a few good Nigerian restaurants in the west part of Toronto, especially on the Jane street axis and Weston road. There is also a popular “suya “joint in the Etobicoke area.

As an immigrant to Canada, how do you balance faith, family, finance and food in the 21st century?

The 21st century is a fast-paced era in every aspect of life. With advanced technology, family dynamics have changed. Gone are the days when as kids fun was all outside playing soccer, running around, playing in the rain. As an immigrant to Canada and to keep one’s sanity there has to be balance. I have to remember that creation was set by a higher power and our wisdom with which we make things happen here is superseded by a higher power. I remain grounded in my faith.

The post How to be a Successful Immigrant in Canada appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.