New Canadian citizens can now enjoy a number of cultural attractions in the city for free with the Calgary launch of the Cultural Access Pass by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship.
Initiated in Toronto in 2008, the pass allows new Canadians to enjoy complimentary admission to participating institutions and attractions for one year after gaining citizenship. “This program is really critical because we have found that in the process of becoming a new Canadian, one of the issues is not just being Canadian but feeling Canadian,” says Daniel Roukema, the director of communications for the Institute for Canadian Citizenship.
The program has been extremely successful so far, with more than 600 attractions from coast to coast already on board, including Alberta’s provincial parks and sites in Edmonton and Fort McMurray. Organizations in Calgary that will join that list include Cantos, the Glenbow Museum, Heritage Park, the military museums, the Triangle Gallery and the Police Interpretive Centre. “There is also a reciprocal advantage in that, as the population ages and changes, this provides a really good opportunity for these organizations to find and build loyalty with new audiences,” Roukema says.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi was on hand at the launch on Wednesday night. Nenshi says of the program, “Canada, and Calgary in particular, has an amazing and unique culture. Sharing the gift of our natural, historical, and cultural heritage with newcomers is important.” Roukema adds that by giving new Canadians access to the culture Canadians have grown up with they will have a better understanding of the regional and local culture of our country. “They are able to curate their own idea of how they want to see themselves as Canadians,” he says.