The Ismaili Community Has a Growing Interest in Atlantic Canada

Our podcast this week features an educational conversation with Dr. Moez Rajwani, the Executive Officer for the Aga Khan Council in Canada representing the interests of the Ismalili community across the country. There are between 100 and 125,000 Ismailis living in Canada. They are part of the Shia Muslim community that follow the Aga Khan as their Iman, the hereditary leader of the Ismailis,and their spiritual leader. There are between 12-15 million Ismailis in the world. The Ismaili community has had a focus on Atlantic Canada in recent years and has held two Atlantic Canada Trade Mission Forums with their communities in Toronto and Vancouver in the last six months or so to highlight the investment opportunities in our region. These forums were well attended and generated significant interest in Atlantic Canada. The alignment of the values of Atlantic Canada to those of the Ismaili community is well recognized by the Aga Khan Council and one of the key reasons for interest in our region.. The Council is also focussed on developing a bigger community of Ismailis in the region and is currently working to bring refugee families to our region and has a well developed strategy to support those resettlement efforts by ensuring access to affordable housing, healthcare, language training as well as assisting in the integration into the local community. These efforts contribute to higher retention rates.