Crokicurl at The Forks combines crokinole and curling. (PUBLIC CITY ARCHITECTURE)
With an influx of asylum-seekers having crossed into the province in recent weeks, Manitobans are doing their best to welcome them to the community.
A new winter game designed by Public City Architecture in Winnipeg is expecting 40 to 50 newcomers out on Sunday. Crokicurl has gained international attention ever since it was introduced at The Forks this winter.
Liz Wreford, principal landscape architect and one of Crokicurl’s creators, says the event is aimed at connecting the community to newcomers through sport and physical activity.
After a few games of Crokicurl, the group will be going skating and tobogganing. Everyone is welcome and organizers are asking for extra toboggans. The event runs from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on February 19.
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has also invited Syrian refugees and new-Canadian families to a free matinee concert of “Once Upon A Dance” on Sunday. Other performances include Friday, February 17 and Saturday, February 18.
“With the mission to create exceptional musical experiences for all Manitobans, the WSO is very excited to be able to invite so many newcomers to this event in the month of the one-year anniversary of beginning of the influx of Syrian refugees in Manitoba,” the WSO said in a release.
At Emerson, Manitoba, 21 people were arrested last weekend. Another 22 refugees were apprehended the previous weekend before making refugee claims with the Canada Border Services Agency.
Earlier this week, The Winnipeg Foundation made a $33,000 donation to Welcome Place, an organization helping to settle refugees in the city once they arrive.
