Meet Canoo Member Sylvannia Soulet.

After moving to Canada over 20 years ago, Sylvannia officially joined the Canadian family in December 2019 and now lives in Toronto with her fiancé and stepdaughter. She loves Canada’s celebration of cultural diversity, and the way all voices are valued and included. The free health care doesn’t hurt, either! She values inclusion and the many freedoms of being Canadian which to her means that “Everyone gets a seat at the table, regardless of race or creed.”

Sylvannia has fallen in love with her hometown of Toronto, and even with pandemic restrictions in place, has still managed to explore as many Canoo venues in the GTA as possible. The Royal Ontario Museum has become a particular favourite. In the fall of 2020, she was able to take her then 11-year-old stepdaughter to see the Winnie-the-Pooh exhibit, and had a great time discovering the story of the beloved bear of very little brain. “It was during the height of the COVID-19 restrictions, but it was still an enjoyable experience to the history of Winnie-the-Pooh and how he was brought into being.”

Sylvannia believes that arts and cultural places play a role in fostering inclusion and belonging, saying, “Visibility is important. Cultural places introduce groups to other experiences and backgrounds, and in turn instills a curiosity into learning about and experiencing said cultures. Why do you think “Taste of ___ festivals are so popular?” She also believes that active citizenship is important, and was very excited about being able to vote for the first time in the 2021 federal election.

As COVID-19 restrictions slowly start to lift, Sylvannia and her family are looking forward to planning more excursions and discovering all there is to know about Canada using the Canoo app. 

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Canoo gives new Canadian citizens and their families access to more than 1400 arts and culture spaces and parks across Canada. While Canoo is free to use, it’s not free to operate. As a charity, we rely on donations to help keep Canoo available and free for new citizens. With your generous support, we can help thousands of new Canadians and their families feel like they belong. Give the gift of Canoo! Become a monthly donor today.