As more newcomers arrive in Alberta, one organization in Edmonton hopes to be more inclusive by changing its name.
The Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers has officially been renamed the Newcomer Centre.
“We decided to make the name change after decades of conversation, but the moment in time had come where we needed to be really clear what we do and who we serve,” said Meghan Klein, the centre’s executive director. “We really recognize and honour the legacy of our founding churches, but it caused a lot of confusion for people who don’t understand what Mennonite meant, or if they were eligible to come here to get services.
“And we kept hearing about it as people finally found their way to us, and they said, ‘I wish I had known, I would have come sooner.’”