Passport to Unity: The event that almost wasn't (15 photos)

Visitors to this year’s Passport to Unity likely noticed something missing from the annual multi-cultural event - the variety of ethnic food, which is what the celebration was founded on nine years ago.

There were just three food vendors set up today at the Essar Centre where there would normally be anywhere from 15 to 20 to choose from.

Originally created by the Sault Community Career Centre, the event grew from its original one-day festival of food, music and culture to a three-day event with a variety of workshops, activities and entertainment.

Unfortunately, the Sault Community Career Centre didn’t have the funding or infrastructure to carry on hosting the event, so organizers with the Bon Soo Winter Carnival decided to step in.

“They were doing a great job, but that isn’t what they’re funded to do,” Bon Soo Manager Kerrie De Poli told SooToday. “That isn’t their purpose, and they were going to cancel [Passport to Unity]. We found that out and we were devastated. Everybody loves Passport to Unity.”

Bon Soo adopted Passport to Unity in order to keep the beloved event alive.

The transition happened at the end of November 2015 giving the Bon Soo organizing committee just seven weeks to plan the event.

Because of the short time frame and Algoma Public Health food preparation guidelines, the deadline for APH approval for food vendors was not feasible, De Poli said.

“Even a licensed restaurant has to go through a secondary process for something like this, and there’s deadlines established for that,” she told us. “We respect that and the work of Algoma Public Health, but the deadline was too tight. For public safety, it had to be this way.”

Stressing that any shortcomings with this year’s Passport to Unity event were strictly circumstantial, De Poli said the celebration will return to its full glory in 2017.

“In 2017 it will be the 10th anniversary, and we see it being bigger, better, different, more. But right now, we’re just delighted that Passport to Unity is still alive.”