Welcoming Week: September 10-19th, 2026

Welcoming Week is an annual campaign that celebrates the work in communities to become welcoming places for all, including immigrants. Launched in 2012 by Welcoming America, today Welcoming Week is delivered in partnership with organizations worldwide as a national and global campaign. It provides individuals and organizations the opportunity to showcase their values through events and initiatives that foster connections and collaboration between immigrants and non-immigrants, as well as belonging for all.

In our region this Welcoming Week, September 10th to 19th, we want to introduce the East Kootenay Zonal Immigration Partnership (EKZIP).

The East Kootenay Zonal Immigration Partnership (EKZIP) is a community-driven collaboration led by CBAL and community partners – designed for the East Kootenay region, by the communities involved.

Together we work to improve newcomer belonging and build inclusive communities across the region.

We believe the East Kootenay can be a place where newcomers arrive, belong, contribute, and stay, where diversity is celebrated, and where we all have the opportunity to thrive.

We have spent the last year listening to experiences and insights from local individuals, businesses, community service organizations, and municipal and regional governments, that shape our 2026-2029 community plan.

Our priorities for the next 3 years are:

We believe this work all starts with a smile, a hello, and a simple belief: Belonging Starts Here.

This Welcoming Week, we’re encouraging all interested businesses, organizations, community groups, and individuals to join us in building a more welcoming East Kootenay for Everyone.

If you would like to join us and show your support, you can:

1. Share that Belonging Starts Here with our downloadable social images and printable posters.

2. Learn more about our priorities in our 2026-2029 Community Plan.

3. Sign up for our upcoming newsletter or connect with our Program Coordinator Katherine Hamilton to learn more about our committees and working groups.

4. Learn more about Welcoming Week in Canada at welcomingweek.ca.

5. Smile. Say hello. Start to know your neighbours. Many of us are newcomers ourselves. We all have stories behind why we are here.

If you are a local East Kootenay organization hosting a Welcoming Week event, we would love to help spread the word. Send us your event and we will add it to our Diversity Calendar.