By Dawn Tassone
SUSAN Bond of Port Dover has been influential in and lovingly committed to making a dream come true for her son David, his wife Luisa, and their four children Franklyn, Aysha, Nicolas, and Ethan. The family dreamt of moving from the Dominican Republic to Canada, and with Susan’s help, they started a new life in Port Dover last summer.
David and Luisa Bond met in Luperón, D.R., a coastal tourist town in the province of Puerto Plata, where David vacationed over the years. They married in 2009 and established a home there.
The family said Luperón has blue waters, sandy beaches, warm temperatures, and friendly people. Average temperatures range from 20°C to 32°C, with July the hottest month and January the coolest. David says that “the people of the Dominican are warm and compassionate.”
“They have a lot of pride in how they present themselves,” he said.
For many years, the family aspired to come to Canada for better opportunities in education and health care, to learn English, and to live in a safer environment.
Before realizing their dream, Franklyn, now 16, had the opportunity to come to Port Dover in 2022 to live with his grandmother. Susan said she invited Franklyn to stay with her to attend school here.
“Franklyn had an excellent experience in Grade 8 and is now in Grade 10 at Simcoe Composite School,” she said. He stayed with Susan at her home over the fall and winter months, returning to his home in the D.R. in the summer.
Married for 16 years, David says, “with seven suitcases and four kids later, we arrived in Ontario” in August 2025. The children are Canadian citizens by birth because their dad is Canadian, and Luisa has received permanent resident status.
David is a chef for Cenovus Energy, located in Cold Lake, Alberta, at the Foster Creek oil sands operation. His schedule sees him away from home for three straight weeks before receiving one week off, and he commutes home when he isn’t working. Now that the family has settled in Port Dover, David’s long commute has become a little easier.
Franklyn says he has “met a lot of people and made new friends.”
“It’s more friendly than in the D.R. I like school and feel safe in school here. There are less fights than in the D.R., with about five per week there,” he explained.
Franklyn’s dad started teaching him English when he was just five years old. He studies guitar and would like to play football.
Susan said, “It has given me a new lease on life becoming involved with the family settling in Port Dover.” She found a home for the family, helped furnish it, and provided them with warm clothes for the winter, along with other amenities. They have also received support from the Port Dover community.
The younger children attend Lakewood Elementary School. Aysha, 8, is in Grade 3; Nicolas, 7, is in Grade 2; and Ethan, 5, is in senior kindergarten. Ethan loves school and makes friends easily. He comes home from school and says, “I have a friend.”
Their greatest challenge has been learning English, but they say the school has been very welcoming, and the teachers are committed to helping the children integrate well into the community.
Luisa is also adapting to life in a new country. She says of her new home, “It’s very cold! But beautiful.” She mentioned she “layers her clothing to keep warm.” The family often turns up the heat in the house because they are not accustomed to the cold of a Canadian winter. They experienced their first snowfall since moving to Port Dover.
The Bonds shared some of the family’s preferred foods. Luisa loves baking and creates specialty cakes. While Franklyn says he “loves Dairy Queen,” a favourite meal of the family is called “Dominican Flag,” which consists of chicken, rice, and beans.
Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve by roasting a whole pig. Franklyn says their home in Luperón had lots of fruit growing on the property, including star fruit, mangos, avocados, and limes. “We had a mandarin tree at our old house,” he said.
As 2026 unfolds, the Bond family looks forward to making many new friends, learning English, having better health care and education opportunities, and being introduced to new traditions, keeping their Dominican roots close to their hearts.
—
Originally published January 14, 2026
