Eight ways we created a more welcoming Bow Valley together in 2025
Thank you to every BVIP member, partner, volunteer, employer, educator, health provider, municipal leader, and community member who contributed time and leadership in 2025. Together, we launched a shared strategy, tested new ideas, and turned commitments into action.
Your effort is making the Bow Valley more inclusive. We are excited to enter 2026 with momentum, clear goals, and stronger relationships.
BVIP members and friends come together to celebrate Inclusion in Action on March 24, 2025
Our shared strategy is making a difference. In March 2025, we launched the 2025-2029 Bow Valley Immigrant Inclusion Strategy with six goals that guide collective action.
Take a look at how our members and partners worked together to make a difference in each goal area in 2025.
1. We kept immigrant voices on top of the agenda during elections.
To advance Goal 1: Valued Immigrant Voices, our members worked together to move the discussion around immigrant civic participation from awareness to action.
Ahead of the April 2025 Federal Election, BVIP moderated the forum Eat, Think, Voice, Vote with Bow Valley Food Alliance. 4 out of 5 federal election candidates discussed their perspectives on immigration, racism, wellbeing, and more. This event wasn’t just about politics, it was about being heard. It showed the power of bringing newcomers and decision-makers into real conversations.
In the weeks leading up to the October 2025 Municipal Elections, BVIP led a community-wide campaign (Bow Valley: A Place For All) calling for inclusion, leading to two key earned media stories:
Many Banff Residents won’t be able to vote in municipal election - “Permanent residents say local decisions shape their daily lives, but the ballot box remains closed to them.” CBC Calgary, October 15, 2025.
All-candidates forum calls for extending voting rights to permanent residents in Banff - “Whether permanent residents or temporary foreign workers, they are in our community, they are the backbone, they are the workforce, and their voice and experience matters so much in Banff." Rocky Mountain Outlook, October 18, 2025
In 2026 BVIP looks forward to working with elected Mayors, Councillors, and Administration in Improvement District 9 (Lake Louise), Town of Banff, Town of Canmore, Municipal District of Bighorn, and Kananaskis Improvement District.
Left to Right: Natasha Lay - BVIP Executive Director; Yellowhead Candidates: Avni Soma – New Democratic Party Candidate; Dale Heath - Christian Heritage Party of Canada Candidate; Vicky Bayford - People’s Party of Canada Candidate; Michael Fark – Liberal Party Candidate, and Michelle Backhouse – Bow Valley Food Alliance Coordinator.
2. Our partners paved the way with culturally responsive mental health activities.
Making progress on Goal 2: Inclusive Wellbeing, we set out to ensure immigrants have equitable and culturally appropriate access to care that fosters inclusion and promotes overall wellbeing.
In 2025, partners like Banff Mineral Springs Hospital and Recovery Alberta translated key mental health resources to key local languages. Resources like See the Signs now have options for other languages, so residents can access important information in the languages they prefer. These materials are being shared across clinics, community agencies, and workplaces.
In its second year running, Banff Mental Health and Addictions Week delivered on more culturally responsive activities to our diverse community including these free community events: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion World Café, Chilean Cultural Lunch, and Cultural Connection – A Community Food Gathering
3. We started coordinating access to learning opportunities, setting up immigrants for success now and in the future.
In the area of Goal 3: Lifelong Learning, our goal is for immigrants to have access to education and training that support success now and in the future. One way of doing that is enhancing language learning and career readiness for all ages.
Bow Valley Adult Learning Centre hosted Senator Karen Sorensen for an informative workshop about how immigrants can engage with Canadian government systems. Activities like this increase civic engagement opportunities for all.
In 2025 BVIP has been supporting Town of Canmore in planning a Learning Needs Assessment. Next year, this will help local agencies better understand local language and learning needs to guide future programming to support immigrants in workplace success.
BVIP’s cross-sector Lifelong Learning working group began to identify shared opportunities and priorities so learners can find the right option at the right time. We’re excited to build on this momentum in 2026, working with partners like Bow Valley Adult Learning Centre, Innovate Canmore, Settlement Services in the Bow Valley, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Bow Valley College, Canadian Rockies Public Schools and more.
4. We co-created dozens more inclusive local workplaces.
Bow Valley employers play an important role in creating more welcoming and inclusive communities. To advance Goal 4: Supportive Workplaces, we were proud to continue building our coordinated network of support, enabling immigrants to thrive in both their workplaces and the broader community.
The Bow Valley Workplace Inclusion Charter saw another successful year - 24 employers completed over 400 actions collectively in 2025. This year we saw policy updates on accommodations and scheduling, training on intercultural competency, safer reporting pathways for sexual harassment and much more. With thanks to Banff Pride, Canmore Pride, Banff and Lake Louise Hospitality Association, Vecova, YWCA Banff, and AWES for their leadership and ongoing commitment to supporting local employers.
2024 Bow Valley Workplace Inclusion Champions celebrate at the Awards Ceremony on March 24, 2025
5. We started learning more about the unique housing needs of Bow Valley residents.
Housing solutions can be complex, but by working together and including immigrant voices, we can build communities where more people have the chance to feel at home. To advance Goal 5: Better Housing Experiences,
The multi-sector Inclusive Housing Working Group has discussed how to align research agendas to ensure housing solutions are accessible, inclusive, and culturally sensitive. BVIP is proud to convene community partners to create more inclusive housing, including Banff Pride Society, YWCA Banff, Homelessness Society of the Bow Valley, Fairmont Banff Springs, Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts, and more.
6. We strengthened local skills and systems so our community can be more welcoming for everyone.
Our work on Goal 6: Welcoming Communities is to build a Bow Valley where immigrants feel a deep sense of belonging, are valued for their contributions, and are actively included in community life. Here’s who we fostered belonging for immigrants by improving public perceptions and strengthening community connections in 2025:
We’re collectively moving from Words to Action on Truth and Reconciliation. Building on the success of a collaborative event on Creating Meaningful Land Acknowledgements during Community Week 2024, a working group has continued to meet to ensure our commitments to Truth and Reconciliation are rooted in action. We’ve submitted a joint grant application to seek funding to continue this important work in 2026 and beyond.
In collaboration with Settlement Services in the Bow Valley and Foreign Worker Support Services, BVIP staff were proud to host a discussion with the Canmore Business Alliance, exploring opportunities for Harnessing Cultural Diversity in small businesses.
Between 2021-2023, BVIP hosted Bow Valley Community Week - and it grew so popular we needed to rethink our strategy! We heard loud and clear that the community wanted opportunities to join inclusive events all through the year, not just during Community Week. Throughout 2025 we’ve been working on re-imagining what Community Week could look like and are working on making inclusion-focused events more accessible.
As our local Francophone community grows, we were excited to connect with CANAF, Settlement Services in the Bow Valley (SSBV), and ACFA Canmore-Banff to bring in-person Francophone settlement services to the Bow Valley. In 2025, we worked behind the scenes to explore what was possible. We are excited to see more support in 2026.
To strengthen the capacity of the whole community, in November, Settlement Services in the Bow Valley trained 35 community members in intercultural competence. Participants learned about cross-cultural communication, values in action, and practical ways to better work with and connect with people from different cultural backgrounds in the workplace.
7. We showed what shared leadership can look like, and laid the groundwork for anti-racism.
Spotlight on our anti-racism campaign - Bow Valley: A Place For All
In 2025, our community chose action. Residents, employers, municipal candidates and more stood up to say the Bow Valley must be safe and welcoming for everyone. We shared an Open Letter focused on anti-racism, and it became a simple tool to turn values into daily practice.
171 community members and organizations signed the Open Letter and committed to concrete anti‑racism actions.
20 municipal candidates engaged with the campaign across Banff and Canmore.
Banff: 1/1 Mayoral candidates (100%), plus 10/14 Councillor candidates in Banff (71%)
Canmore: 2/2 Mayoral candidates (100%), plus 10/12 Councillor candidates in Canmore (83%),
This momentum matters for municipal leaders and all community members. It gives councils and administrations a clear public mandate for inclusion. It also provides partners with a shared framework so efforts line up across departments, agencies, and neighborhoods. Visible commitments and updates show residents that words and actions lead to results.
8. We strengthened our relationships and structures for greater collective impact.
At BVIP’s ‘Inclusion in Action’ event on March 24th, 2025, we welcomed almost 100 supporters from local businesses, municipalities, education sector, nonprofits, healthcare, community groups, and more. Together we created new cross-sector connections and strengthened commitments to creating more welcoming and inclusive communities in the Bow Valley
We revised our governance model to support more transparent decisions, stronger accountability, and created more ways for community members to get involved.
We launched multi‑sector working groups aligned to the six strategy goals. These are dynamic, action-based, and focused on moving the strategic plan forward to create real impact.
We successfully secured 3‑year funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)to continue facilitating our collective impact work.
What we’re excited about in 2026:
Expanding anti‑racism work across the region
Strengthening newcomer voices and opportunities for engagement
Scaling inclusive workplace practices by facilitating a more connected network of employers
Strengthening cross-sector collaboration to advance the 2025-2029 Bow Valley Immigrant Inclusion Strategy
Exploring more community-wide activities to celebrate belonging for all
Thank you!
Thank you for the care, time, and leadership you invested in 2025. Because of you, more newcomers are shaping decisions, accessing services, learning, and thriving at work and in community. Your actions are building a Bow Valley where every resident can participate, contribute, and feel they belong.
Here’s a list of five ways you can get involved to create a more welcoming and inclusive Bow Valley:
Work with like-minded community members and join a BVIP Working Group to advance our shared 4-year strategic plan
Join over 170 community members standing against racism - sign our Open Letter with our campaign, Bow Valley: A Place For All
Create more inclusive workplaces through the Workplace Inclusion Charter
Save the Date: We’re celebrating Inclusion in Action in Banff on February 5th, 2026 from 8AM-12PM. We would love to see you there!
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