The Regional Director for Communities stated in Kitimat that the Government of the Azores will be present "wherever there is an Azorean community, bringing emotions from the archipelago as well as all the consideration and pride of the Region for the life path of emigrants" who left the archipelago.
 
Paulo Teves spoke Thursday at the Canadian Portuguese Association of Kitimat, a small town in the province of British Colombia with about 8,000 inhabitants, of whom 30% are of Azorean origin. The government official stressed that "the emigration waves in the 50s, 60s and 70s led many Azoreans to search for many destinations as their new home. They became fully integrated in different societies, but have not forgotten their identity and  traditions."                                                                                         
 
"But we can also see how much they are recognised by all those who welcomed you here, either for their dedication to the maintenance of cultural ties or for the hard and competent work they develop in  various sectors of activity," said Paulo Teves.
 
In this meeting with the Azorean community in Kitimat, a place located over a thousand kilometres north of Vancouver, the Regional Director also highlighted "the role of youth in the preservation and dissemination of Azorean heritage values," noting that "it is essential to captivate, energise and call all this human potential for the development process of the Azores and communities."
 
"The Azorean communities in the Diaspora make the Azores proud insofar as they were able to consolidate their inclusion in host societies at different levels and, through these communities, the Region marks its effective presence in these countries, a fact which is of great importance to the archipelago," said the government official.
 
For the Regional Director, "the Azores are also built off the islands, through the dynamics and ongoing commitment that unites Azorean emigrants and their descendants to their roots, contributing to a fruitful relation between both sides of the Atlantic."
 
The meeting brought together Azorean emigrants living in Kitimat and Terrace. It was attended by several mayors, who highlighted the importance of Azoreans in the social, cultural and economic development of the city.
 
The Luso Canadian Association of Kitimat was founded in December 1961 by a group of Portuguese emigrants; the majority of whom were Azoreans.
 
With about 300 members, the only Portuguese association in the city develops a series of initiatives, including the Holy Spirit Festivities, the Luís de Camões Day as well as the awarding of scholarships to young people of Azorean descent.                                      
 
Also on Thursday, Paulo Teves met with Phil Germuth, the Mayor of Kitimat, who thanked the "support the city council has given to the Azorean community, not only for its representation" but also for its "dynamism."                                                    
 
Before the visit to Kitimat, the Regional Director for Communities met with the Friends of Pico Association in city of Surrey. He reiterated the commitment of the Government in becoming an active partner in the development of initiatives that combine the "preservation of Azorean identity to promote the Region in Canada, "highlighting the work this association has developed among young people through its Portuguese school.
 
Paulo Teves concludes Saturday his visit to the Azorean communities in Canada and the United States. He will also participate in the 25th anniversary of Artesia Radio Television in Southern California.