Portage la Prairie has a newLocal Immigration Partnership Coordinator.

Mitch Tilk will be taking over the reins as the new coordinator.

Tilk says that he has a strong background in Portage.

"I've lived in Portage since I was 8. My family moved here for work when I was young, says Tilk. "It became home and we put down roots here."

Tilk's job is to make services more accessible to new immigrants. Tilk likes to use this analogy to describe his job

"Have you ever walked into a restaurant that you're unfamiliar with, and there's no sign that says seat yourself, or please wait to be seated? You just stand there awkwardly until someone wanders by," says

Tilk. (I'm trying to help people) to get rid of that feeling of where do I go, and what do I do, but for everything."

Tilk wants to address issues of transportation, childcare, employment, public and Indigenous relations. But Tilk says that's not the ultimate goal.

"The idea is to make Portage a more welcoming community, so that means welcoming for everybody," says Tilk. "There are some particular areas I'm planning on focusing on but that's the general idea."

Tilk's office is located at the PCRC and he notes that anyone is welcome to drop by and he's excited to hear your opinions on making Portage more open.