Rochelle Ivri stood on the stage last Thursday looking over the Niagara Women in Business Awards crowd of more than 250 people, mostly women, in attendance at the Marriott on the Falls.
Much to her surprise, she was on stage to accept the Community Impact Award from the Women in Niagara Council, an offshoot of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.
“It was great to see all these amazing women doing great things for this region,” says Ivri. “I spent my entire afternoon reading over the brochure, making note of people I want to connect with, stories I want to tell my kids about, and some I can incorporate into my speaking engagements and ceremonies.”
The ceremonies to which she is referring are citizenship ceremonies. For just over five years Ivri has been a citizenship judge with Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In an average week in this role she swears in between 1,200 and 1,500 new Canadians.
In the relatively short time that she’s been one of nine judges in the Niagara and Hamilton offices of the department, she has welcomed more than 100,000 newcomers to Canada. Besides her family - husband Eldean and children Elijah, Zachariah, Ezekiel and Michaiah - she says it’s the most rewarding thing she’s ever done.
Ivri herself comes from an immigrant family. Her mother Valerie came to Canada to visit an uncle in 1967, leaving behind her husband Roosevelt and their son back in Jamaica. On leave from her job as a customs officer there, Valerie went to a Canadian immigration office to extend her visa. An officer there suggested she instead apply for citizenship, so she did.
“It wasn’t her intention when she came to visit, but it’s what happened,” laughs Ivri. “She started working in Canada, then my Dad and my brother came up and the rest is history.”
Rochelle was born in Canada, and remembers her mother telling her how much of a privilege it was to be born in the country, with all of the opportunities that status implied.
Prior to applying to become a citizenship judge Ivri was teaching in Mohawk College’s Paralegal program and running an immigration practice part time, helping clients with their entrepreneurship and business applications.
“I saw a posting and realized that all my experiences to that point gave me the skill set to do this job,” she tells The Local, a sister publication of ThoroldToday. “I applied along with probably thousands of other people, and I was appointed as one of 10 new judges in June, 2018.”
Since the pandemic the ceremonies have become a mixture of online and in-person events. The Hamilton and Niagara offices also serve the Kitchener, Windsor, and London areas. Each online ceremony typically welcomes 180 to 200 new Canadians. In person, the number depends on the location, but usually it’s about 60 to 80 people.
She’s seen the volume increase exponentially over the past few years, partly because of the convenience of the online ceremonies. She’s also been involved in mega ceremonies in Scarborough and Montreal, which can handle 300 people in a single event, up to 600 in a single day.
“It’s a beautiful privilege to be able to do this,” she says. “I am a part of, for most people, one of the most important days of their lives. Most people don’t have the ability to be even a fly on the wall for something like this, never mind an integral part of it.”
She’s a strong believer that every Canadian should attend a citizenship ceremony.
“It gives us a deeper appreciation of what it means to be Canadian,” says Ivri, “and what it means to become a part of the Canadian family.”
Ivri recounts the story of a recent ceremony she presided over in Kitchener. There was a gentleman there crying profusely. He told Ivri that for his entire life he had been stateless. His emotion was a reaction to finally having the feeling that he actually belonged somewhere.
She is currently on leave from Mohawk, but is teaching a course in citizenship in the Queen’s University graduate Law program. This week Ivri is preparing for an annual guest speaker slot for Brock University’s Law Plus program.
In addition, she co-founded a mentorship program for Black youth, which earned her the Lincoln Alexander Award, given to an Ontario lawyer who has shown an enduring commitment to community service. She has served on the boards of the NOTL Public Library and Bravo Niagara!, and was the first Black woman appointed to the Niagara Region’s Women’s Advisory Committee.
At the Women in Business celebration, Ivri was handed her award by last year’s winner, NOTL resident and couns. Maria Mavridis. Ivri gave a heartfelt speech that outlined her surprise at even being nominated.
“I felt so special that anyone would think that I had had such an impact on the community,” says Ivri about her reaction to the nomination. “I have great respect for all of the women who were nominated. I honestly went in with no expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised when my name was called. It’s very affirming of the work I’ve been doing over the years.”
Full List of 2023 Women in Business Award winners:
Business That Gives Back Award, sponsored by Niagara Community Foundation
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Community Impact Award, sponsored by Anchor Niagara
Rochelle Ivri
Corporate Leadership Award, sponsored by Hatch
Cassandra Ogunniyi, Niagara Region
Cultural Arts Award, sponsored by CAA Niagara
Jean Bridge, Rodman Art Institute of Niagara
Emerging Business Award, sponsored by Niagara Region Economic Development
Stacey Stemplowski, Grounding Balance Wellness & Psychotherapy
Entrepreneurship Award, sponsored by The Pen Centre
Lori McDonald, Provisions Food Company
Equity Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by Niagara College
Arielle Smith, Fix My Books Inc.
Excellence in Trades Award, sponsored by Kraun Electric
Shelley Parker, Alectra Utilities
Excellence in Hospitality and Tourism Award, sponsored by DDL & Co.
Whitney Rorison, Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers
Excellence in the Not-for-Profit Sector Award, sponsored by MNP
Nicole Regehr, Gillian’s Place
Health Care Hero Award, sponsored by Alectra Utilities
Karen Lutz, Niagara Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Award, sponsored by Mountainview Homes
Dr. Darby McGrath, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
Young Professional Award, sponsored by Ridley College
Krystal Riddell, Essentials Cremation and Burial Services Inc.
Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Airbus
Valerie Pringle
Ruth Unrau Legacy Award, sponsored by LJM Developments
Deborah Rosati
