50 people become citizens at Canada Day ceremony in Thunder Bay

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 6:37 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

This Canada Day was a peculiar 1 for 50 radical successful Thunder Bay who took their citizenship oaths on the country's 158th birthday.

Individuals and families from 15 antithetic countries became Canadian citizens astatine a ceremonial successful the Spirit Garden successful Thunder Bay connected Tuesday. 

They are present capable to vote, tally for governmental office, service connected a jury and get a Canadian passport.  

"I consciousness similar the consciousness of belonging, similar you yet consciousness similar this state is really your location now," said Tia Phan, who was 1 of the recently minted Canadians astatine the ceremony. 

Phan, who works arsenic a pharmacy technician astatine St. Joseph's Hospital, said she came to Canada arsenic an planetary pupil astir 10 years ago. She moved to Thunder Bay from Toronto for a amended occupation opportunity, she said.  

"Thunder Bay, I emotion the the nature, and I don't similar the upwind much, but different than that, I emotion everything else... everyone's truly nice," she said. "I would ne'er spell backmost to Toronto."

Finding a occupation and adjusting to a caller civilization was difficult, said Phan. 

"There are times erstwhile I didn't privation to enactment due to the fact that of however hard the process to go a citizen was... I'm gladsome that I did effort my champion to to stay."

Kristine Manlosa and her girl Eliza Manlosa were 2 much to instrumentality their citizenship oaths Tuesday. Kristine, who works arsenic a nurse, said she has lived each implicit Canada since coming present arsenic a pupil successful 2013.

"It's a small spot of a agelong travel to get the citizenship, but it's each worthy it," she said. Kristine is primitively from the Phillipines. 

She said she was motivated to go a national due to the fact that she wanted her children to person a amended life. 

"They person a agleam aboriginal present successful Canada. And I deliberation besides due to the fact that of wellness [care]. As we each know, we person the precise champion wellness [care] successful the world," she said. 

Kristine said she's lived successful Thunder Bay for 4 years and is blessed here. 

"I emotion it present due to the fact that it's much [quiet] and I tin conscionable spell to enactment five minutes distant from our home...  here successful Thunder Bay you tin conscionable find antithetic lakes and tons of camping sites, and a waterfall." 

Brothers Abdallah Khamis and Hassan Khamis besides became citizens Tuesday. They attended the ceremonial with their mother, Fadne Hamid, who said she was precise arrogant to spot her sons instrumentality their citizenship oaths.

"It's similar you consciousness similar we beryllium present and you tin consciousness similar harmless and blessed and you don't person to beryllium afraid," said Abdallah.

The brothers said it took implicit 5 years aft arriving successful Canada to go citizens. 

Hassan said that helium looks guardant to getting a Canadian passport and driver's license.  "I'll effort to question astir much due to the fact that I similar traveling a lot," helium said.