Infographic: Celebrating Diversity in Calgary
- September 12, 2015
- By Cody Battershill
Calgaryism Infographics: Celebrating Diversity in Calgary
Home to Canada’s first Muslim Mayor, Naheed Nenshi
Back in 2010, Naheed Nenshi became Canada’s very first Muslim Mayor, beating out two more well-funded candidates at the voting box.
Today he is still mayor and even won the “World Mayer Prize” in 2014, honoring his development and vision for urban living and naming him as one of the best mayors in the world.
The 25th Annual Pride Parade had nearly 60,000 people in attendance
The numbers were right! IN early September 2015, Calgary’s Annual Pride Parade saw close to 60,000 in attendance, about 10,000 more than the previous year.
The event was held along 9th Avenue SW between 11th Street SW and 1st Street SE and included Shaw Millennium Park. It goes to show just how much acceptance YYC has of people from all walks of life!
Over 30 consulates representing countries from around the world
While most consulates in Calgary are located in the downtown area, you will still find a select few in the north and south parts of the city.
A few of the consulates you`ll see around town include: United States, Mexico, Sweden, Poland, Britain, Hungary, Chile, Belize, Germany and Thailand.
Nearly 25 percent of Calgarians are foreign born
Did you know that there are nearly 314,000 Calgarians who are immigrants – about 26.2 percent of the total population – which puts Calgary close behind Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver as a preferred destination of choice for newcomers to Canada?
By 2020, Calgary’s immigrant population is expected to surge to half a million with people from China, the Philippines and India leading in migration.
Home to the largest mosque in Canada, the Baitun Nur Mosque, at 48,000 square feet
Built by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Castleridge, the Baitun Nur Mosque (translated to “House of Light”) was completed in 2008 after three years of construction and cost approximately $15 million to build.
The 97 foot tall building has 99 Arabic words written on its exterior, each attributed to one of Allah’s character as mentioned in the holy book of the Qur’an. Inside are also classrooms, a kitchen, community gathering area, office space and a children’s play area.
12,000 plus new immigrants come to Calgary annually
In 2001, Statistics Canada shows that only 20.9 percent of Calgary’s population was made up of immigrants. Today, that number is at 26.2 percent and is rising as time passes by.
By the year 2020, it is expected that about 30 percent of Calgary's population will be immigrants! Amazing!
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