Bangladeshi expat community recognised by Toronto Police at a community partnership programme

An apparently 'laidback' Bangladeshi community has finally been recognised as a growing expat group at a function organised by the Toronto Police as part of its community partnership and diversity programme.

Roving Correspondent, Torontobdnews24.com
Published : 6 Dec 2017, 08:17 PM
Updated : 6 Dec 2017, 08:53 PM

Some 200 participants from over a dozen south and west Asian countries were invited to the police headquarters at a meet-and-greet programme in police's bid to reach out to the communities that comprise the multicultural city like Toronto.

Inviting the guests, Inspector Richard Hegedus of Toronto Police said, "Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world where people from various ethnic backgrounds are living."

"Some 140 different languages are spoken in the city where south and west Asian communities make 12 percent of the population," he added.

'Community relationship' enhances the quality of their work, he also said.  

Rimon Mahmud, President of the Bangladeshi Canadian-Canadian Bangladeshi or BCCB, received a certificate of recognition on Friday night on behalf of BCCB for its contribution to the community.

BCCB is the Facebook platform of the Bangladeshi Canadian Foundation or BCF with over 17,000 members and 40,000 connections.

BCCB recently persuaded and liaised with the opposition leader of the Ontario Provincial Assembly, Patrick Brown, to host Bangladesh Night at the assembly building.

"There are police constables, officers and even assembly members from almost all Asian communities but we hardly see anyone from among the Bangladeshi expats," said one BCCB member present at the meeting.

BCCB is trying to bring the community to the mainstream which would encourage young Bangladeshi Canadians to take up government jobs or join politics, he added.

According to Bangladesh high commission statistics, over 100,000 Bangladeshi expats live in Canada, and most of them live in Ontario.