Welcoming Week 2026
Belonging Starts With Connection
Welcoming Week
From September 10 to 19, 2026, New Westminster will join communities across Canada and around the world in celebrating Welcoming Week.
As part of Welcoming Week 2026, the New Westminster Local Immigration Partnership, hosted by Lower Mainland Purpose Society and partnering with the New Westminster Homelessness Coalition Society’s Will You Be My Neighbour? initiative, invites residents to celebrate belonging, connection, and community.
This year, everyone is invited to:
• Participate in the New West Community Belonging Challenge
• Share and engage with New West Impact Stories online
• Visit us at the New West Farmers Market on September 17
• Join Mayor and Council for the City of New Westminster’s official Welcoming Week Proclamation
1. Join the New West Community Belonging Challenge
1. Join the New West Community Belonging Challenge
The New West Community Belonging Challenge invites people of all ages to take simple actions that help build a more connected and welcoming community.
Participants are encouraged to:
• Connect with neighbours
• Discover local community spaces and assets
• Practice small acts of kindness and inclusion
• Strengthen relationships across the community
• Reflect on what belonging means to them
Challenge brochures are available at:
• Anvil Centre
• Century House
• New Westminster Public Library
• Queensborough Community Centre
• təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic Centre
Download the brochure at Belonging Challenge flyer FINAL.pdf – Google Drive
2. New West Impact Stories
When people feel welcome, they belong. When they belong, they contribute.
Throughout Welcoming Week, we will share New West Impact Stories featuring immigrants who have found a sense of belonging in New Westminster and are making positive contributions through community leadership, volunteerism, entrepreneurship, advocacy, arts, mentorship, and everyday acts of neighbourliness.
These stories celebrate the many ways immigrants help strengthen our city and demonstrate how welcoming communities create opportunities for everyone to participate and thrive.
Follow the stories throughout Welcoming Week on Facebook.
3. On September 17th, 2026 Visit Us at the New West Farmers Market
Join us at the New West Farmers Market on September 17, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Tipperary Park.
September 17, 2026 | 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM PDT
Activities will include:
- 🎗️🌳 The Belonging Tree
- Community conversations about belonging
🏆 Prize Announcement for Belonging Challenge participants
Why?
Belonging helps create stronger, healthier, and more connected communities. Together, New West Impact Stories and the Community Belonging Challenge encourage residents to recognize one another’s contributions, build relationships, and foster a shared sense of responsibility for community well-being.
Together, we are building belonging, one story, one moment, and one neighbour at a time.
5. City of New Westminster Welcoming Week Proclamation
As part of Welcoming Week 2026, the City of New Westminster will officially proclaim Welcoming Week, recognizing the importance of building a community where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and a sense of belonging.
The proclamation acknowledges the many contributions that immigrants and newcomers make to the social, cultural, civic, and economic life of New Westminster. It also recognizes that when people feel connected and included, they are more likely to participate in community life, share their skills and talents, build relationships, and contribute to the wellbeing of the city.
The New West Community Belonging Challenge, New West Impact Stories, and Welcoming Week activities highlight how small acts of welcome can create lasting impacts for individuals, neighbourhoods, and the community as a whole.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate that belonging is not only about being welcomed, but also about having opportunities to contribute, connect, and thrive.
Join us at City Council as the Mayor and Council officially proclaim Welcoming Week 2026 and reaffirm New Westminster’s commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive community where everyone has the opportunity to belong and contribute.
Date and time of the proclamation ceremony will be announced once confirmed by the City of New Westminster.