By Sean Moriarty

A Beaufort man is in the running for the top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards.

The annual awards are run by a magazine and website called Canadian Immigrant and celebrates the contribution international people have made to Canadian business and social life.

Ruairi Spillane first immigrated to Vancouver in 2008. Initially working in finance, he became frustrated after the global financial crisis and wanted to do something more meaningful. As a newcomer, he was curious about how other newcomers settled in Canada. Spillane began researching success factors that allowed newcomers to settle quicker, and realised that access to independent, quality information had a huge impact on newcomers’ transition to life in Canada.

“Instead of being a gatekeeper of information, Spillane set out to change the game and build a free, independent platform, working with partners who value being part of the newcomer experience. In 2012, Moving2Canada.com was born and would soon attract a motivated newcomer community, armed with the knowledge they need to be successful in Canada. In the decade since, many people around the world have used Moving2Canada to learn more about this country and the success factors that go into building a dream life here,” said an event statement.

Spillane’s other business, Outpost Recruitment, also has a newcomer focus — placing international talent with Canada’s leading construction firms.

In 2018, he was a co-founder of the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce Vancouver and served as president from 2019 to 2021, promoting increased trade between Ireland and Canada.

Voting for the coveted competition closed on Friday of this week.