New residents have a new way to learn about their community during continued COVID-19 closures – with a Virtual Tour of Whitby.

This year, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the Town’s annual in-person bus tour for new residents is being replaced with a virtual tour. Through the tour, newcomers will be introduced to their Town, local government and in some cases their new country.

“More than 20 destinations are included in the new virtual tour, including cultural locations and community gathering places which typically play an important role in the Town and bring diverse groups together,”

-    Kim Evans, Whitby’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC) Staff Liaison and Supervisor, 55+ Recreation Services.

Visitors to the tour can click on the map and go behind-the-scenes to learn about the history of each building and how it serves the community today. Destinations include Fire Headquarters, The Abilities Centre, Port Whitby Marina, Downtown Brooklin, Station Gallery and more! Each local landmark includes a video, created and narrated by Town youth.

“We are excited to launch the Virtual Tour of Whitby which virtually guides new residents through a variety of locations within the Town. Moving to a new place can be overwhelming and we hope this tour will provide a sense of belonging to those who have chosen to call Whitby home,”

-    DIAC Chair, Catherine Philogene.

Residents are reminded this is a virtual tour and a number of these buildings are currently closed to in-person visitors due to COVID-19 restrictions. Please visit whitby.ca/covid for important updates about accessing Town Facilities during this time.

The Virtual Tour of Whitby is brought to you by DIAC (Whitby Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee) a group of local residents who work with Council, Staff and Community Partners to provide input to Council on the elimination of barriers for the diverse population and to foster a greater understanding of ethno-cultural and diversity issues in the community.

For more information, visit whitby.ca/diversity