"They Call It Syria Town"

In a shrinking city in Canada’s only shrinking province, one of the country’s largest Syrian refugee communities has found an unlikely home. Inside the tentative transformation of one family and one city.

Saint John, New Brunswick, has long fought the tide of out-migration. But in recent years, the arrival of hundreds of Syrian families has shifted the demographic and cultural landscape in ways few expected.

For families like the Abazids, the transition between the life they left behind and the life they are currently building is marked by both deep trauma and burgeoning hope.

Statistics provided by municipal stakeholders show a concentrated effort in integration. The local community, often referred to as "Syria Town," is a direct reflection of this communal effort.

As the city looks to the future, the integration of these new neighbours offers a blueprint for survival in an era of Atlantic Canadian economic uncertainty.