Having lived in more than a dozen countries for work, Nigerian-born Kingsley Madu was familiar with the process of starting over in a new country, but nothing prepared him for what he had to deal with when he immigrated to Canada in 2019.
“It was the toughest experience ever,” Madu told CBC News.
From the moment Madu and his family landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, he was faced with financial struggles. While he had money, he didn’t have any credit.
Now, the Kitchener, Ont., resident is helping others by creating the first BIPOC-focused digital banking app in Canada for newcomers with no Canadian credit history. It will help them rent cars, hotel rooms, homes and apartments while building credit.
“We come from regions of the world where there isn’t credit history, but the banking system [in Canada] is asking to see that, and so that is the barrier that does not allow us to gain access to the banking system, to phones, to everything.”
Difficult start
When their plane landed in Canada, Madu said, he couldn’t even book an Uber to drive his family and their luggage to a hotel because he didn’t have a Canadian credit card. Madu ended up paying cash for a limousine.
After arriving at the hotel, he was told that without a credit card, he would have to pay for three nights in advance in order to book a room for one night.
It was the same reason Madu was unable to rent a car and instead had to “walk kilometres to the house where I was hoping to rent.”
When Madu got to the home he was interested in renting, the landlord told him he needed to have at least six months worth of credit history.
“At this point, I’m super frustrated,” he recalled.
Not knowing where to acquire a credit history, Madu went to the bank, only to be told he would need a home address in order to open a bank account.
App gains momentum
The shock of that first experience in his new country is what led Madu to start working on Expedier, although getting started on the digital banking app was “tough to say the least.”
A pivotal turning point came when Madu secured a deal with the Digital Commerce Bank in Calgary.
“That made it a whole lot easier for us to leverage the existing infrastructure and build out,” Madu explained.
As the app gained momentum, Madu brokered an agreement with Equifax that is in its final stages. The partnership will allow Expedier users to establish and build credit, access specialized credit and debit cards and transfer money from other countries into their Expedier accounts.
There are other similar apps, like Mogo, that are available to newcomers to help them manage their finances, but the Equifax deal means Expedier will differ in a major way: by allowing payments like rent and debit card purchases to count toward a person’s credit history, a feature currently being worked out through the federal government by way of a formal banking licence.
“The rent is a horrible loss for us,” said Madu. “It’s a double-edged sword loss. We’re losing money, cash. We’re not building equity. We’re not building credit at the same time.”
Typically rent payments aren’t automatically reported to credit bureaus. You can however sign up for a rent reporting program, like Front Lobby which is offered through the Landlord Credit Bureau, that requires both the landlord and tenant to be involved in the process.
The app’s success story continued with Expedier being selected to participate in the Google for Startups Accelerator: Black Founders program earlier this year. It also became a part of the Black ecosystem of Liftoff WR, a Waterloo tech incubator run by the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region.
LISTEN | Hear the full interview with Expedier creator Kingsley Madu:
The Morning Edition – K-W7:32A new digital bank app is helping remove financial barriers immigrants face when they come to Canada
Moving to a new country is a big undertaking and establishing yourself as a newcomer comes with a variety of barriers. Especially when you have no credit history in a country that relies on credit for everything from renting a house, a car, even a hotel room. That was Kingsley Madu’s experience when he came to Canada four years ago.
Addressing a gap in the system
Madu’s experience immigrating to Canada is a familiar one, said Ana Luz Martinez, settlement program manager at the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre.
“What I hear when somebody wants to rent a place, one of the issues that they are dealing with is the credit score. I mean, they don’t have any credit history here.”
However, Martinez said, there has been a shift in attitude from some banks recently.
“The banks I have seen are more open now to open a bank account for a newcomer. They are actually providing some good offers,” he said, adding that’s likely because “they want to have customers.”
Ana Luz Martinez, settlement programs manager at the KW Multicultural Centre, says she’s heard from newcomers trying to rent a home or apartment that it’s hard to do without a credit history. (kwmulticultural.ca)
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told CBC News it collaborates with both government and non-government partners in the financial sector to advance newcomers’ financial literacy skills.
A statement from an IRCC spokesperson said the organization recognizes there are some gaps that need to be addressed.
“As part of its regulatory role, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada [FCAC] issued a supervisory bulletin that sets out its expectations on how banks can actively support vulnerable consumers, including newcomers, who want to open an account but face barriers in providing standard identification documents, such as utility bills, a driver’s licence or passport,” the statement said.
The bulletin recognizes that, in certain situations, consumers — including newcomers to Canada — might not have access to the most commonly accepted forms of identification.
It details the FCAC’s expectations for banks regarding the use of non-standard ID by consumers who are facing barriers when accessing banking services.
‘Phenomenal’ feedback
Madu said his app makes it easier for immigrants to ease into the financial landscape and he hopes it helps people start their lives in Canada.
So far, he said, the app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times.
“The feedback has been phenomenal. A lot of people are reaching out saying, ‘Hey, what you’ve built is revolutionary,'” he said.
“Users reach out to us to say, ‘I never knew it would be this tough, but because of Ex [Expedier], it’s a whole lot easier for me. I’m able to pay tuition, I’m able to pay rentals, I’m able to live my life.’ And that’s the kind of feedback that we’re looking for, to validate what we’ve built and to ensure that this system keeps working.”
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
OTTAWA – A Métis member of Parliament is calling on the employment minister to resign over what he calls harmful false claims to Indigenous ancestry.
Randy Boissonnault, who had said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman,” has also been described as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal party.
He has walked back those comments after it was revealed that a company he co-owned applied for government contracts while claiming to be Indigenous owned.
NDP MP Blake Desjarlais, who is Métis, says Indigenous people have been victimized by what has happened, and that people in Boissonnault’s Edmonton Centre riding are “embarrassed” by what is going on.
Desjarlais says Boissonnault should resign and if he doesn’t, the prime minister should remove him from cabinet.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu did not say whether she believes Boissonnault should remain in cabinet when asked repeatedly today.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2024.
“The Sandwich of Sandwiches” opens its first Canadian location on
Tuesday, Nov. 19, in Toronto
First 200 guests will receive a free six-inch Classic sandwich and 16oz beverage during the grand opening event
Toronto, November 19, 2024 –Jimmy John’s, the popular American sandwich brand known for its high-quality ingredients and speedy service, will open its first Canadian location in Toronto on November 19 near Sherway Gardens, at 197 North Queen St., Etobicoke. Jimmy John’s debut in Canada reflects the brand’s commitment to growing across the country with Foodtastic, the Montreal-based restaurant operator.
“We recognize exceptional brands and products when we see—and taste—them,” says Peter Mammas, President and CEO of Foodtastic. “The bold flavours and diverse menu at Jimmy John’s are truly unmatched, and we’re confident they’ll keep our guests coming back for more—and bringing their friends.”
To celebrate the brand’s expansion north of the border, Jimmy John’s will offer the first 200 in-store guests one complimentary six-inch Classic sandwich and a 16oz beverage during the grand opening event to be held on November 19 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST.
Obsessed with quality, Jimmy John’s uses premium meats and fresh vegetables that are hand-sliced in-house every day, along with freshly baked bread, to create “The Sandwich of Sandwiches.”
The menu includes a mix of classic, cold cut sandwiches and a lineup of new, signature sandwiches. Guests have the option to toast any sandwich on the menu and choose between Jimmy John’s iconic fresh-baked bread or a carb-friendly alternative, the popular “Unwich” lettuce wrap. The brand also offers its signature Jimmy Chips, made fresh from real potatoes and cooked to perfection.
There are 15 sandwiches on the Canadian menu, and favorites include the Meatball Parmesan—which has chopped tender meatballs topped with marinara, melted provolone and parmesan cheeses on toasted garlic butter bread—and the Chicken Bacon Ranch—which has shredded chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese ranch dressing and arugula. The Turkey Tom—a classic turkey and cheese sandwich that is a Jimmy John’s staple and the number-one seller in the United States—is also on the menu.
Guests can place their orders in-store, on JimmyJohns.ca or via the newly launched Jimmy John’s app (available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store), which features the Jimmy John’s Rewards program. The menu is also available on the Uber Eats and Skip third-party delivery platforms.
Jimmy John’s is part of the Inspire Brands portfolio, which includes more than 32,600 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, and Sonic locations around the world.
“Canada is one of the largest sandwich markets in the world, and we couldn’t ask for a better franchisee than Foodtastic,” says Michael Haley, president and managing director, international for Inspire Brands. “Canadian consumers are hungry for Jimmy John’s straightforward approach to making delicious sandwiches on their terms — a blend of quality ingredients and convenience that is second to none.”
Jimmy John’s expansion into Canada marks another step forward in its recent international growth journey, which began earlier this year. The brand made its international debut in El Salvador in September and South Korea in October. Jimmy John’s aims to open additional international markets in 2025.
Peter Mammas, President and CEO of Foodtastic (left) and Michael Haley, President and Managing Director, International, Inspire Brands (right), celebrated the official opening of the first Jimmy John’s in Canada on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, in Toronto. The Sandwich of Sandwiches has officially arrived in Canada. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/Monica Healy
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is lending her support to a gun control advocacy group as it urges the federal government to complete a list of banned assault-style weapons before a federal buyback program comes into effect.
PolySeSouvient, a group that represents survivors and families of the 1989 École polytechnique massacre, joined Plante at Montreal’s city hall today.
The group says it met with federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc one year ago and he assured them the list would be completed by this month.
In May 2020, more than 1,500 models of firearms were banned by the Liberal government in the aftermath of the Nova Scotia mass shooting that left 23 people dead, including the gunman.
Nathalie Provost, a survivor of the Dec. 6, 1989 Montreal antifeminist mass shooting that killed 14 women, says there is concern that owners of weapons prohibited four years ago will simply take the buyback money to buy new assault weapon models that don’t appear on the list.
The group estimates about 450 firearms need to be added to the list of banned weapons and it is urging the government to complete the task before the next federal election.
LeBlanc previously said the long-promised gun buyback would begin this fall.
First, the government will buy banned firearms from retail stores and have them destroyed. An individual buyback program for people who own prohibited weapons begins next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2024.
