John Halani
John Halani was born in Masaka Uganda as one of seven children in his family. In Uganda, he participated in a significant amount of non-profit work with various local community organizations. He was a Ugandan citizen since he was born and raised in the country. After the announcement of the expulsion decree John was rendered stateless in his mid-thirties.
After being admitted to Canada as a refugee, John worked a glass factory in Vancouver before moving into the hotel business in 1975. Since then, John has owned and managed several hotels while sponsoring his parents to come to Canada from England in 1973. He has continued to manage several investments and currently serves as the Honorary Consul to Uganda.
This oral history was conducted at the Tropicana Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia.