Calgary, 8 September 2023 – Consul General Zaldy Patron joined the recently held Filipino Forum in Jasper, Alberta, organized by the Jasper Filipino-Canadian Community on 3 September 2023.

 

Based on the 2021 Canada Census, the mountain town of Jasper has a total population of 4,029 with 275 of them identifying themselves as Filipinos.

Since that time though, many Filipino temporary foreign workers (TFWs) have arrived in Jasper to work in hotel and restaurant establishments that support the town’s tourism and hospitality industries.

Consul General Patron briefed the Filipino TFWs about the services they could get from the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary, the Migrant Workers Office in Vancouver, and the Office of the Social Security System in Calgary.

He also met with Ms. Astra Fe Penas, TFW Support Worker at the not-for-profit organization Jasper Employment and Education Centre.  They agreed to collaborate to support and assist the Filipino TFWs in Jasper.

In October 2022, the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary was able to assist 11 Filipino TFWs in Jasper who temporarily lost income due to the wildfires that shut down the businesses in the town for about two weeks. The 11 TFWs received welfare assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Assistance-to-National Fund upon the endorsement of the Philippine Consulate General.

After the Filipino Forum, Consul General Patron visited and showed support for Mad Grizzly Bistro Bar, a newly opened Filipino-owned restaurant in Downtown Jasper. He invited the owners to join next year’s Filipino Restaurant Month in Canada.