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“It is a natural experiment, in some ways, because New Brunswick has never accepted that many people from a single origin country, which is great, because what happens, then, is that you have the opportunity for built-in communities and networks.”

What the professor means is: if you can actually transport an entire community, with family bonds and friendships and common points of cultural reference intact, and drop them down in, say, Fredericton, they might stick around for the long haul.

The Syrians, as per federal directive, are to be matched with communities where there are settlement supports in place, with consideration given to whether they have family in a given place. If they don’t, McCallum has said they will be grouped together, ideally in batches of 10 families, to ensure ties are already established.

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Fredericton has already shifted into high gear. Woodside has established a refugee task force, spearheaded by the community’s Multicultural Association. Thirty-nine Arabic speakers have come forward, offering to translate. Each Syrian is to be matched with a “First Fredericton Friend,” a local who will meet with them regularly to practice English or French, show them around town and teach them about Canada.

In Moncton, Mike Timani is getting ready, too. His three children are Moncton-born. All speak Arabic with a “cute” accent, their father says. New Brunswick is their home and, in helping the Syrians, the immigrant/entrepreneur sees an opportunity not only to do the right thing, but to brighten the outlook of a province in need.

“I’ve had a taste of civil war, that’s the only reason I came to Canada,” Timani says. “So I understand what it is like to lose everything. We’re here to help the Syrians. So let’s do this. Let’s go.

“Let’s get moving with the Syrians, because without immigration we are going to be in big trouble here in New Brunswick.”

National Post

• Email: joconnor@nationalpost.com | Twitter: oconnorwrites