Leaving her southern comfort for a trip up north, a world-renowned journalist made her presence felt in Southern Alberta.
Senior reporter for CNN, Moni Basu, traveled all the way from Atlanta to Lethbridge to cover a story on Syrian refugees.
It’s been a global issue for months and once Justin Trudeau was elected Prime Minister, Basu felt the attention would shift from Europe to Canada and saw this as an opportunity to visit the western province.
“I thought it would be appealing to our audience at CNN because many of them can relate to a city like Lethbridge opposed to a city in Germany or other European cities,” said Basu.
During her research, Basu came across a Facebook page titled: Syria to Lethbridge.
Ryan Dueck started the page in the hopes of bringing privately sponsored refugees to Lethbridge, which encouraged Basu to reach out to him.
“We had a great conversation on the phone. He was very open with me and very honest about everything and was very welcoming. He was a big reason why I chose Lethbridge,” she said.
According to the city website, Lethbridge is expected to receive 125 Syrian refugees by March 1.
Dueck felt Basu was a great person to share the city’s story because of her previous work.
“I went through some of her stories in the past where she covered war zones and earthquakes. Seeing those stories she pulled out of those places gave me confidence she could do it here as well,” said Dueck.
Over the last week Basu has spent time with many Syrian refugees and said the experience has impressed her with how Lethbridge has embraced the change.
“I think Lethbridge definitely has the right attitude. I haven’t spoken to anyone who says they are against what’s happening and the general vibe in the community is very welcoming,” she added.
The refugees are escaping war and bloodshed, many families are splintered and they’re dealing with trauma.
Having to start life from scratch, let alone not knowing the language, is bound to be a challenge for anyone.
With that being said, Basu believes Lethbridge has recognized those challenges.
“I’m very impressed to see how involved the city is, including the mayor. The coordination between the official government agencies and immigration services seems to be working, along with a lot of support from the churches and really the entire community,” said Basu.
Mayor, Chris Spearman, agrees with Basu and is happy with the support being shown from every level of the community.
“I’m very impressed with the support that’s been offered by the community organizations. Alberta Health Services are involved, along with school boards and housing organizations, which have allowed us to integrate them into our community very quickly,” said Spearman.
As Basu heads back to Atlanta, she leaves with a heavy heart.
She has spent valuable time in Lethbridge getting to know many of the Syrian refugee families on a personal level while learning their stories.
She has built relationships along the way with members of our community, new and old, and is planning on making a return to Lethbridge in the near future.
