May 2017 – Consul General Julius D. Torres led a Consulate team on an outreach mission to Camrose, Alberta from 19 to 21 May 2017, providing passport and notarial services to more than 250 Filipinos in the city and surrounding areas.

The outreach mission, held at the Norsemen Inn, was organized in cooperation with the Wetaskiwin Filipino Community Foundation (WFCF) headed by its President, Mr. Manolito Calina, and the Camrose Filipino Community (CFC) headed by its President, Mr. Melchor Tiangson.

During the two-day outreach, the Consulate was able to render 266 consular services comprised of 242 passport applications, 20 notarial services and four civil registrations.  An additional two persons who had submitted their dual citizenship applications took the Oath of Allegiance during the outreach mission.

Aside from the regular consular services, the Consulate team was able to register 19 new overseas voters.

Volunteers from the WFCF and CFC assisted the Consulate team in the outreach mission by finding the appropriate venue for the outreach and publicizing the outreach mission through their community organizations and social circles.  They also acted as ushers during the outreach mission and ensured the orderly flow of people at the venue.

Camrose is about 90 km. southeast of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta and the province’s second-largest city.  Although Camrose is a small city with a population of approximately 18,700, it is a major economic center for the many farming communities around the area.  Filipinos who live in Camrose work mostly as staff in the food service/accommodation sectors while those who live in the surrounding communities work on the farms