A retired prosecutor and community volunteer from Richmond was one of seven B.C. residents recognized as a top Canadian immigrant this year.
Winston Sayson, who immigrated from the Philippines with his family in 1981, said he would like to share the award with his fellow Filipino and Chinese immigrants in the community.
“On the one hand, I’m very honoured and privileged, and frankly, humbled by the award,” Sayson said.
However, he has “mixed feelings” because “there’s just a lot of immigrants who have worked so hard, working two jobs supporting (their) homes, that are unrecognized or not mentioned.”
“There (are), from our community, people who have done well, so the honour belongs to the community,” said Sayson.
The Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award is an annual accolade presented to inspiring immigrants from across the country with diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Since his retirement as a Crown counsel, Sayson has been dedicated to giving back to the community.
Not only is he a member of the Richmond Public Art selection panel, he has also been volunteering as an emergency support services worker for the Canadian Red Cross.
The legal profession hasn’t seen the last of Sayson, either, as he is currently sitting on the board of the Christian Legal Fellowship and the advisory board of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers’ B.C. branch, as well as volunteering as a teacher at local universities.
Giving back to Richmond
Most of Sayson’s siblings graduated from Richmond schools and his family built “friendship, relationships and work” in the community.
In fact, Sayson worked at the very first McDonald’s in Canada at No. 3 and Bennett roads.
“Richmond has been wonderful to me, and it’s been super good to my family —most of my family lives here in Richmond,” said Sayson.
“And I’m really motivated by the fact that we need to continue to give what we can to make the community a better place, a safer place, a more loving place.”
He also wishes to share his experience as a prosecutor with the “new crop” of people working in the criminal justice system.
“For example, the work that I did as a prosecutor, I’ve learned a lot of things and a lot of strategies and ways on being effective in prosecuting crimes committed against children,” Sayson explained.
He told the Richmond News his immigrant experience had its “ups and downs, and mostly ups.”
His challenges included learning to speak English in a way “acceptable to the dominant culture” and “having to deal with the rare cases of racism.”
“As I mentioned in my speech when I was accepting the (award), I’ve been told to go back to Hong Kong. I’ve been told to go back to China. (I’ve been) told to go back to Vietnam,” said Sayson.
“And you know, I’m still here because people have not guessed the correct place where I actually came from, which was the Philippines.”
He wishes to be a bridge builder, as someone who can speak both English and Chinese, and help facilitate “a peaceful dialogue on matters that are raised by either side” in the community.
And for new immigrants, his advice is to follow the five “E’s” — commit to learning English (or French) to communicate “clearly and effectively;” make it a priority to get an education and hone one’s strengths, which will open career doors; be open to volunteer or start with lower employment positions while striving to be an expert in one’s field of work; make time and effort to engage with one’s community; and commit to excellence.
“I just want to express my gratitude for what Richmond, British Columbia and Canada has given to me and my family,” he said.
“And it is simply our joy and privilege to give back to the community and we shall continue to do so.”
