SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
SUBHEAD: Thousands of miles and many climate zones away from their home country, Filipinos are making their mark in Yellowknife.

Mayor Mark Heyck watches as coun. Rommel Silverio raises the Filipino flag over city hall.

From the very first arrivals to the city over 40 years ago, the demographic has grown to thousands across the territory.

Nene Santos, one of the early immigrants to Yellowknife, was at city hall on Monday to see the Philippines flag raised for the first time in honour of the 119th Philippines Independence Day.

Santos immigrated to Yellowknife with her husband and family 36 years ago, when a period of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos made life in the Philippines very restrictive. A teacher by trade, she began her career in Canada as an administrator at St. Patrick High School.

At the time Yellowknife was very small, with a population of 10,000 to 12,000 and the only games in town were mining and government work.

Despite the harsh weather and the separation from family, she found comfort in the small Filipino community already in the city.

"They were not very many, but they were so welcoming," she said.

"It makes us adapt very well to the climate and to the way of life."

It was that friendship that kept Santos here even after her husband's passing.

The community has now grown. Although exact numbers are not available, Coun. Rommel Silverio, who emigrated from the Philippines in 1998, estimates there are upwards of 4,000 people of Filipino heritage in the NWT. And they are not confined to the capital - Silverio knows of families in Hay River, Inuvik and Deline.

He said many work in the health care and service industries. Silverio is himself a registered nurse at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

"We played a big role in building the community itself," he said of the early immigrants from the Philippines. "We are helping the economy of Yellowknife as well."

Being one of the largest visible minority groups in the North comes with its challenges.

Lea Barbosa-Leclerc, the president of the Philippine Cultural Association in Yellowknife (PCAY) said she often hears people ask why her community is here to take the jobs of locals. She attributes this sentiment to a vast gap of knowledge about her people, their background and their challenges when immigrating to Canada.

Many Filipinos come to Yellowknife for work, she said, often leaving their entire family behind. Many take service-sector jobs despite their educational achievements back home. Some work two or three jobs to send money home in support of their family, and Barbosa-Leclerc said the first few years in Yellowknife can be very lonely.

"Not all the time it's a happy time for them when they're here, because they're always thinking of their family," she said of the immigration experience. "Initially, they self-isolate."

This isolation is one reason why PCAY is making a big push to reach out to newly arrived Filipinos. Barbosa-Leclerc would also like to see the government check in with those who work as caregivers and might not know what types of support exist for them.

Despite some significant challenges, people from the Philippines are thriving in Yellowknife, according to Barbosa-Leclerc.

"Filipinos are very self-reliant," she said. "We've gone through many colonizations ... And for that reason we become a lot more independent. So we go out, and socialize with others."

Silverio, now representing the community in city council, said the trait most associated with his people is the ability to adapt.

He knows this firsthand, having seen and touched snow for the first time when arriving in Yellowknife. He knew nothing of life in the Arctic, yet knew there were opportunities here and was able to build a career in nursing and now in city government.

Barbosa-Lecler would like to see more multicultural events and opportunities to showcase the variety of cultural groups in Yellowknife.

When not working one, two or even three jobs, Filipinos of Yellowknife are organizing and attending social gatherings, she said, or possibly playing a game of basketball in a league that started in the past few years and has grown to become one of the biggest leagues in the territory.

"If we have these games, we feel like we are in the Philippines and you know we feel like it's a family and we're happy," said Silverio.

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