Sudbury ceremony helps dozens of immigrants become Canadian Citizens
Forty-nine new Canadians from 25 different countries were welcomed in Sudbury this week.
Some had to travel to Sudbury — from Timmins, Moosonee and Bracebridge — to take part in the ceremony, which took place at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School.
Several of them emigrated from countries like China, England and Jordan.
Mark Riley moved to Canada from the United States more than 25 ago — but he said it feels good to finally be an official Canadian.
"I left the United States when I was 29 and I thought, 'I'll wait until I'm over 29 [to go back to U.S.] so I have more time in Canada'," he recalled.
"But, it just became apparent that this is my home. I'll always be American and I'll always be a Canadian now."
He said he enjoys working in a community that is so friendly.
"Sudbury is a tight knit community and they generally care about each other."
'I'm proud'
Indryana Saumweber left Indonesia five years ago and now lives in Moosonee.
She came to the ceremony sporting a feather boa and a top hat, and was dressed in patriotic red and white.
"This is my big day. I know that it only happens once, so I want to dress up. And I just want to show to others that I'm proud."
Omar Aburub moved to Canada with his family four years ago from Jordan.
The 12-year-old boy says he's now looking forward to trying new things, like "going around the world, traveling."
"Now I can do that," he continued.
"I like watching hockey also. I'm a big fan of the Montreal team. And I want to try hockey also."
With files from Samantha Lui. Edited/packaged by Wendy Bird.