Liliana Piazza | Owner, Ottawa Bagel Shop and Deli

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“We have a very long history of hiring refugees in our company. Our master baker, who has been with us for 33 years, was a Vietnamese boat person. My father, who started the business, is an immigrant from Sicily. At one point, there were seven languages spoken in our store.

When so many Syrian refugees arrived here, it was really a no brainer to try and help. After they had a chance to get settled and start looking for work, I posted the job. We hand roll and wood-oven-bake our bagels, so it’s very manual labour. It’s a job that would work for anyone who can stand for a long time and has a certain amount of dexterity.

For us, it makes no difference where you’re from.

When this person showed up, I could tell he was a gentle and kind person. Even though his English was limited, it was a good fit. He’s still doing really well with us. It feels good to do a small part to help. I can’t even imagine the experiences of these people.

People are people. If you’re kind and you want to do the work and you’re capable of doing the work, then we’ll hire you. For us it makes no difference where you’re from.”

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Many employment organizations, including settlement agencies, have created programming and events for Arabic-speaking refugees, in addition to the services they already provide newcomers in the job market. Others provide training and support for employers interested in hiring newcomer talent.

World Skills
YMCA-YWCA
Ottawa Employment Hub
Ottawa Community Loan Fund
OCISO
LASSA
Hire Immigrants Ottawa