A Business Point of View

The Growing Interest of the Ismaili Community in Atlantic Canada

I first became of aware of the Ismaili community when I was invited to present to their Atlantic Canada Trade Mission Forum in Toronto last fall which was organized by the Aga Khan Council for Canada. The forum was focussed on investment opportunities in Atlantic Canada. It was the previous Aga Khan (Shah Karim al-Hussani who served as Imam for nearly seven decades prior to his death in 2025) who had encouraged the Council to start to think about our region as a place to both invest and establish a community for new members arriving in Canada. I came away from that experience completely impressed with their community, especially their entrepreneurial spirit, their friendliness and genuine interest in learning more about Atlantic Canada.

Who is the Ismaili Community

The Ismailis are part of the Shi’a branch of Islam, which has between 12-15 million members worldwide, mostly in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria, but increasingly in North America and Europe. The Shi’a faction follows the belief that their Iman is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and that the title of Imam is hereditary. The larger Sunni faction does not accept a hereditary line of succession. For the Ismailis, their Inman is not just a religious authority but also provides guidance in matters of social and ethical life. The Ismaili community originally developed in Canada in the early 1970s following the expulsion of thousands of Asians. Canada accepted 6,000 Ismaili refugees during this period which marked the beginning of the development of the community in Canada. The community is currently mainly concentrated in major urban centres such as Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

The Ismaili community has a real commitment to giving back to the communities where they reside. It is a part of their culture and religion to do so. Over the past five decades, Ismaili Canadians have built a vibrant community that is deeply rooted in its religious traditions and actively engaged in Canadian civic, economic and cultural life. There are currently between 100,000 and 125,000 Ismaili Canadians.

The concept of pluralism is central to understanding the Ismaili community. The Ismailis have historically often lived as minorities in various regions of the world, including the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa. This reality has shaped their worldview that values coexistence, dialogue and adaptability. Canada’s multicultural framework has allowed the Ismailis to thrive while maintaining their distinct identity

The Aga Khan Council

The Aga Khan Council is a central administrative organization for the Ismaili Muslim community. Moez Rajwani is its Executive Officer. Rajwani was a recent guest on the Insights Podcast and used the opportunity to talk about his community and its interest in Atlantic Canada. It provides community governance through regional and the national councils. The Council has four primary focuses beginning with the support of the social and cultural affairs of their community, which include education, gender equality and social development. The Council supports immigration through its refugee program. It also focuses on settlement planning and support for newcomers, and finally with engagement in civil society.

The Aga Kan Development Network

The Ismaili community is highly organized through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) that was established by Prince Karim Age Khan IV in 1967. This network was established an non-denominational organization that operates hospitals, schools and cultural institutions globally to improve the quality of life. Today the Ismaili community is known for its emphasis on education, pluralism and active engagement in the communities where they reside.

Interest in Atlantic Canada

The previous Aga Khan’s interest in Atlantic Canada was driven by his perceptions of the alignment of values in the region with the values of the Ismaili community. That has led to the recent efforts of the Aga Khan Council to introduce their community members to the economic opportunities in Atlantic Canada. To that end, the Council has sponsored two Atlantic Canada Trade Missions to highlight those opportunities. The first was held in Toronto in the fall of 2025 which drew a lot of interest and featured Frank McKenna as the keynote speaker. I was one of the speakers on the agenda and it was clear to me that the community had a high level of interest in our region. The Ismaili community is very progressive and highly entrepreneurial. As an example, members of their community owned between 20 and 30 percent of all the hotels in Canada. Their Chief Officer, Moez Rajwani, is an entrepreneur in his own right having established a number of chiropractic clinics.

The most recent Atlantic Canada Trade Mission event was in Vancouver in February of this year, where Scott Brison was the keynote speaker. I was again asked to be on the agenda. The event attracted another large audience and there is now interest in other Ismaili communities like those in Edmonton and Calgary to do a similar event. There are early plans to organize a trade mission visit to the region as an outcome of the events that have already taken place. The community is also working to build a $20-$30 million investment fund directed at Atlantic Canada and is focussed on the hospitality sector, long-term care facilities, manufacturing and supply chain opportunities and real estate development, especially affordable housing.

Building a Community in Atlantic Canada

The Aga Khan Council is actively working to attract members of their community to Atlantic Canada. The Council has established am Administrative Committee for Atlantic Canada to help both with investment in the region and building a local community for its members. Currently, there are efforts to bring 200 refugees into the region. The Aga Khan Council is deeply immersed in the process of refugee relocation. It works to find affordable housing for the refugee families in advance. It provides workplace language training, pre-screens refugees for health and works to integrate families into communities using mentor families in that process. In many ways, the Council’s approach augments the settlement processes already in place in the community.

The Ismaili community provides a compelling example of successful integration into Canadian society while maintaining their cultural and religious identity. The progressive nature of their community and level of entrepreneurism, the clear alignment of values with those in Atlantic Canada and their interest in our region as a place to invest and build a community is welcomed news for everyone.