Winkler was the gathering place for 114 people beginning their new lives as Canadian citizens.

The P.W. Enns Centennial Concert Hall was the host site for the Canadian Citizenship Ceremony for Southern Manitoba.

With new citizens from over 23 countries, Winkler Mayor Martin Harder says it was a reflection of the diversity that makes Canada what it is. "Some comment that was made was that it's like a mosaic. When you look at the mosaic of people that are becoming a part of Canada, and that's a great way to describe it, it's not just a melting pot where we come out the other end, and everyone's the same. If we were we would lose the perspective of being a country; that we are each uniquely different, we bring our values, we bring out own identity to our country."

Annamurad Annamuradov and his family live in and shares why his family decided to call Canada home.

"In Canada, it's peaceful, friendly, and stable. We moved from Ukraine five years ago; there was instability, it wasn't peaceful, for all of us there was no hope, and for our kids no future. When we came to Canada, we got hope, and our kids got a future."

Annamurad Annamuradov and family, excited to officially call themselves Canadian

For Regional Connections, many of those who have now reached this new milestone in their life used the services the organization provides.

Being a part of that journey is always remarkable says Alesha Hildebrand, Volunteer and Integration Coordinator.

"Regional Connections has been a fast-growing settlement office within the Pembina Valley. We support and provide services to newcomers in Winkler, Morden, Altona, and the surrounding areas. People who have moved to Canada and made the Pembina Valley their home, have used our services; in just the Pembina Valley alone, we have people from 130 different countries speaking 25 different languages."