A new national magazine aimed at telling stories for and about Canadian immigrants and “third culture kids” wants to change the way people see newcomers, its co-founder says.
The magazine’s name, 3, is a nod to third culture individuals. Publisher St. Joseph Communications defines them as people influenced both by their parents’ culture and the culture in which they are raised. That includes people who live in a different country than that of their parents’ or their own nationality, or those who grew up in a place that isn’t their birth or ancestral country.
The magazine’s co-founder and co-publisher, Muraly Srinarayanathas, is one of them: he has Sri Lankan-Tamil heritage, was born in the U.K., and came to Canada when he was seven years old.
“Canada is the creator and nurturer of third culture kids,” he said in an interview.
His hope, he said, is that the publication will reflect the diverse backgrounds of immigrants in the country and challenge stereotypes amid a recent rise in newcomers arriving in Canada.
Statistics Canada says the country’s population grew by 3.2 per cent in 2023, the highest rate since 1957. Around 97.6 per cent of that population growth was the result of immigration, with 471,771 immigrants settling in the country last year, according to the statistics agency.
“There are many newcomers that come here that are wealthy, that are professionals, and I think the missed opportunity for Canada is we treat them all as if they only have $10 in their pocket,” Srinarayanathas said.
First cover will feature tech executive
Srinarayanathas calls the magazine a “luxury lifestyle” quarterly that will include in-depth profiles and political commentary.
Their debut cover story spotlights Abdullah Snobar, the executive director of DMZ and CEO of DMZ Ventures, which are tech startup incubators affiliated with Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
Snobar moved to Canada as child, moving between Montreal and London, Ont., after living in Amman, Jordan, according to his profile on the DMZ website.
Srinarayanathas says Snobar could’ve taken his business elsewhere, but instead chose Toronto as his base.
“As a responsible Canadian citizen, he is giving back to Canada,” he said.
“I think that’s a responsibility that we all have. There are many challenges here in Canada. It’s on us to take on those challenges and ensure that the next generation has the life that we had.”
Publication for newcomers ‘overdue,’ editor-in-chief says
3 magazine is the latest release from St. Joseph, one of Canada’s biggest privately-owned print, media and communications companies.
In 2019, the company acquired titles such as Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, and HELLO! Canada from Rogers Media.
3 magazine is also published in collaboration with 369 Global Inc., which describes itself as an “international conglomerate” with business interests in a variety of sectors. Srinarayanathas serves as executive chairman of the Ajax-based company.
Chris Radley, executive director of Magazines Canada, a national association of publishers, says though magazines don’t make as much newsstand revenue as they did before the internet age, readership in Canada endures.
“Fifty-four per cent of Canadians are still reading print magazines, and funny enough, it’s the boomers and the millennials that are reading magazines,” she said, noting that many publications have adopted a strategy of producing stories for digital and print to reach larger audiences and potential subscribers.
Radley’s association has no connection to 3, but called the magazine’s mandate ‘”brilliant.”
“The Canadian market has been waiting for something like this because it’s extremely unique,” Radley said.
For 3’s editor-in-chief, Stacy Lee Kong, a publication that focuses on the struggles and celebrations of newcomers and third culture individuals is long overdue.
“Reflecting those experiences, reflecting those identities, reflecting those stories, we should have been doing it all along,” she said. “We’re catching up is what we’re doing.”
The magazine’s first issue comes out on Sept. 3.