Thursday 27 June 2024
Ottawa Police Service celebrates the city’s diversity on Multiculturalism Day
by Olivia Barrett
Ottawa Police Service hosted its eighth annual diversity celebration with the help of various cultural communities across the city.
The community was invited to celebrate and learn from each other’s cultures through performances and several vendors on June 27 at the OPS headquarters on Elgin Street. The celebration took place on Canadian Multiculturalism Day and during Welcoming Ottawa Week, which is a week-long series of events, tours, dialogues and more that are designed to “convey the genuine welcome and hospitality of Ottawa to newcomers,” according to WOW’s website.
As the celebration began, the community was treated to a captivating performance by the Kamengo Cultural Troupe. The performance showcased Ugandan dancing and drumming, quickly gaining the attention of the crowd.
In his welcoming speech, Police Chief Eric Stubbs emphasized the importance of celebrating diversity in a city like Ottawa. “We have to remember diversity is our strength,” he said, explaining that the diversity celebration is very important to the OPS.
“Ottawa is very, very diverse,” Stubbs said, adding, “I learn, every day. And today will be no different.” He explained how he has been able to explore the city’s diversity through his role as the Chief of Police.
As his speech came to a close, Stubbs encouraged attendees to talk and learn from each other while also enjoying the multitude of performances throughout the evening.
Sergeant Chabine Tucker of the Diversity and Race Relations Unit later reinforced Chief Stubbs’ sentiment, saying, “if you have a minute, please, go sit and talk.” Tucker also spoke about the importance of the celebration and thanked the community and the team at the OPS that helped put together the celebration.
Steven Carleton, the president of Kisarvik Consulting and Indigenous Relations, also spoke at the celebration. He talked about the efforts of the OPS with Indigenous communities within Ottawa. While he acknowledged these good efforts of the police service, such as the Diversity Celebration, Carleton noted that there is still more work to be done.
“You cannot legislate forgiveness, you cannot legislate reconciliation,” he said. “It does take two parties who are willing to come to the table and have conversations.”
“I so appreciate the leadership here in Ottawa, so appreciate the leadership by our Chief of Police. I think there really are some great days ahead,” Carleton added.
Despite some windy weather and a little bit of rain, the Diversity Celebration was abuzz with conversations about cultures and an audience eager to watch the next performance.
As the celebration continued, attendees were invited to watch several performances from different cultural groups across the city. These performances included Filipino singer Vanessa David, poetry reading by two poets from the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre’s Youth program, a Bollywood performance by DYS Dance Group, a dance performance by SYPD Bhangra and a dance and drumming performance by Buddha’s Light Dharma Drum and Lion Dance.
