Toronto councillor promises local Kurdish group permanent location

TORONTO (Kurdistan 24) – A Toronto city councillor has promised a local Kurdish organization that they will be given a permanent location to continue their humanitarian and diplomatic work.

Toronto City Councillor Jim Karygiannis announced on Sunday that The Greater Toronto Kurdish House (GTKH) would have a new home where they can keep serving members of the Kurdish community in Canada.

Karygiannis made the promise during an event, organized by GTKH, to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Halabja genocide.

Kurdistan 24 spoke with GTKH President Chato Wany following the ceremony who said the organization would remain active among the Kurdish community in Toronto and across Canada.

“We’ve been doing lots of diplomatic, lots of humanitarian, and cultural work,” he said, “and we’re here to serve our community from day [one] that we’ve been working in the Greater Toronto Kurdish House.”

GTKH was founded in 2005 and has been active since. The organization used to have previous permanent locations in Toronto but were forced to leave them due to financial difficulties.

Wany said they are looking forward to their new location, and described Karygiannis as a good friend of the local Kurdish community. Indeed, the councillor was at the heart of an initiative which saw the Kurdistan flag raised for the first time on City Hall in honor of the Halabja genocide.

Related Article: City of Toronto raises Kurdistan flag to honor Halabja genocide victims

“Once we get that place and we start our activities from an office or a building, we will definitely provide more services to our community,” Wany told Kurdistan 24.

“We’re also looking forward to the members of the community to come forward and help us in order to serve them better.”