Taste of Fort St. John 2022 moving inside

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The FSJ Multicultural Society’s annual Taste of Fort St. John has changed its venue to inside due to weather uncertainty.

The International Food Festival will be happening on June 25th at the Curling Club from 11 a.m. until the food runs out.

There will be food from local First Nations, Greece, Jamaica, India and the Philippines, with international candy packs also available.

Photo opportunities with a First Nation Teepee, a family from India in traditional attire, a Chinese Lion and a Chinese Dragon will also be on-site, said Alan Yu, the founder and director of the Fort St. John Multicultural Society.

Yu started the society in 2017 to foster unity, understanding, acceptance and mutual respect among the citizens of Fort St. John.

He says that the society has collaborated with the biggest visible minorities in the city, people from India and the Philippines.

Yu mentions that the pandemic caused a big challenge for the society, as the cultural performers couldn’t practice, they couldn’t hold their annual food festival in one large venue, and they could not hold in-person meetings.

This didn’t stop the society and the Filipinos in Barangay FSJ Society from welcoming over 200 international students to Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.

He adds that this year’s festival is a “restart” with the hope of returning to where they were previously, as they are still short board members, volunteers, sponsors and supporters.

Additionally, he says they have lost financial support from the Government of Canada.

Yu says the society is very thankful that the City of Fort St. John and the Province of British Columbia, through the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, have helped keep them afloat.

The FSJ Multicultural Society would like to thank their sponsors and supporters, The Doig River First Nation, Blueberry First Nations, The City of Fort St John, the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Petronas Canada, Pembina Pipeline, ConocoPhillips, North Peace Savings & Credit Union, Peace Country Rentals, and the volunteer cultural performers.