Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario Local and Regional Immigration Partnerships

Perspective

Newcomer Settlement Programs One Stop Shop approach A variety of programs and services are offered through Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (TBMA) all under one roof so that newcomers receive the right services at the right times without having to travel across the city or the region to find them. We have a toll free telephone number, website, Skype and access for service to the region as well as a satellite office in Kenora to serve the western part of our catchment area.

Local Immigration Partnerships Our experience and involvement in Ontario. Part of the National Working Group on Small Centre Strategies. Member of the Ontario LIP Consultative Committee 1 st LIP in Ontario Thunder Bay is part of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the UNESCO Cities Against Racism The very first step in our process was to educate the interested LIP members in anti-racism and anti-oppression and to make sure we were all on a level playing field. The last thing you want is to be dealing with racism and discrimination at a planning table for immigrant inclusion.

The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing! - Don’t get derailed. The main goal of our LIPs is to improve outcomes for newcomers and create welcoming communities for all. The 17 Characteristics of a Welcoming community do not necessarily apply to all communities, nor are they what smaller communities need to focus on.

What are the characteristics of a welcoming community? Esses et al. (2010) identifies the following 17 characteristics for a welcoming community. 1. Employment Opportunities 2. Fostering of Social Capital 3. Affordable and Suitable Housing 4. Positive Attitudes Toward Immigrants, Cultural Diversity, and the Presence of Newcomers in the Community 5. Presence of Newcomer-Serving Agencies that Can Successfully Meet the Needs of Newcomers 6. Links Between Main Actors Working toward Welcoming Communities 7. Municipal Features and Services Sensitive to the Presence and Needs of Newcomers 8. Educational Opportunities 9. Accessible and Suitable Healthcare 10. Available and Accessible Public Transit 11. Presence of Diverse Religious Organizations 12. Social Engagement Opportunities 13. Political Participation Opportunities 14. Positive Relationships with the Police and the Justice System 15. Safety 16. Opportunities for Use of Public Space and Recreation Facilities 17. Favorable Media Coverage and Representation

A welcoming community: –has a strong desire to receive newcomers and to create an environment in which they will feel at home; –ensures newcomers are able to participate fully in all aspects of community life; –ensures newcomers have access to a full range of services and programs and can find meaningful employment opportunities. National Working Group on Small Centre Strategies (2007). A Toolbox of Ideas for Smaller Centres. A welcoming community can have a spatial and a discourse dimension: –Spatial dimension: a physical location in Canada – a town, city or region – in which newcomers feel valued and their needs are served –Discourse dimension: a community having agency and engaging in actions that facilitate the integration of newcomers It spurs from a collective effort to create a place where individuals feel valued and included It is a location that has the capacity to meet the needs and promote inclusion of newcomers, and the machinery in place to produce and support these capacities; includes both outcomes and processes that work toward producing and maintaining these outcomes Esses et al. (2010). Characteristics of a Welcoming Community.

LIP Council Welcoming Attraction and Retention Settlement and services Research Portal, anti- racism committees Executive Committee LIP Coordinator LIPs are steered by broad-based coordinating councils tasked with overall stewardship and management control over initiatives such as needs assessments and asset mapping of their community. Some LIPs have created Steering or Executive Committees to support them in this work. Working Groups or Sector Tables focus on particular sectors of interest or need in the community. Common themes include employment, language training, social inclusion, settlement, health or youth. Some LIPs have created Action Teams to work on specific projects emerging from a Working Group. These teams are most relevant at the implementation phase.

Our Local and Regional Immigration Partnerships Thunder Bay developed a local immigration partnership council to plan in the areas of recruitment, attraction, settlement, newcomer service provision, retention and welcoming of newcomers to the city. With only one settlement agency as the hub of the region and a one-stop-shop in Thunder Bay there was no need to focus on coordination of services or avoiding duplication. We moved on to welcoming, integration, awareness and nation building.

Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario Immigration Partnerships Thunder Bay LIP started in 2008 from an already existing immigration committee of TBMA, the city and the North Superior Workforce Planning Board. Northwestern Ontario IP began in 2011 with an expansion and separation from the Thunder Bay LIP. Due to a different structure, mandate and more regional group, the Northwestern Ontario Immigration Partnership meets and plans separately. The two were merged for funding purposes in 2012 but remain separate in meeting and planning.

LIP members include Thunder Bay Multicultural Association who holds the funding agreement, training board, employers and the City of Thunder Bay. Who else is at the table? Libraries, housing, Health Unit and clinics, Hospital, Workforce Planning Board, Business, School Boards, Employment agencies, Ethnocultural organizations, Multi- faith groups, University and College, Banking, Adult Education, Settlement services, social services, Refugee Sponsorship groups, City Council members, municipal economic development officers, Francophone organizations, Employers, Immigrant business owners, M.P. and M.P.P. office staff, Newcomers, Police, Long- term care, youth centre, and many others.

14 Steps in the LIPs process 1. Establish a partnership council 2. Create terms of reference for the partnership council 3. Conduct research and establish a local settlement strategy to be implemented over three years 4. Develop an annual action plan to address local priorities 5. Implement the action plan annually Assess progress and measure outcomes

Annual immigration forum meeting with all partners combined with a learning day. Community welcoming strategies to engage the entire city around newcomer welcoming. Employer engagement and training. Promotion and visibility of services combined with networking and seamless service plans.

Feed into Settlement Program outcomes (from Settlement Program Logic Model) Intermediate outcomes 16 Key expected results of the LIPs Partnership council allows for meaningful engagement of a diversity of members Partnership allows for cross- sector collaboration Newcomers’ needs identified Community assets and gaps mapped Partners have the tools to become more welcoming Relevant strategy and action plans developed on the basis of newcomers needs and the assets and gaps mapping Immediate outcomes Services coordinated at the community level Adapted programming and service delivery by non- settlement institutions Improved accessibility of newcomers to services and enhanced uptake LIPs secured resources from diverse sources Sustaining partnerships at the community level Ultimate outcomes Newcomers find employment commensurate with their skills and experience Newcomers enjoy their rights and act on their responsibilities in Canadian society Canadians provide a welcoming community to facilitate the full participation of newcomers Newcomers contribute to the economic, social and cultural development needs ofCanada 1-2 years3-5 years5+ years Build capacity Effect community change Improve outcomes for newcomers

Background and what we have learned - Big picture was not considered before and there was no plan. Now everyone wants to be at the table. - Agencies, municipalities, service providers, and employers all play a role in the settlement of newcomers. They are all starting to realize that immigration has a local impact and can also fill labour market needs as well as bring economic benefits. - Many focus on attraction and filling their needs without paying attention to retention and successful settlement. Our role has been to educate on all of these issues and help strike a balance between attraction and retention. -Evaluate what is, and what is not working for newcomers. -We did a lot of teaching in our first years. (newcomer needs, experiences, gaps, referral processes, awareness of what is out there in the community) -The BC Welcoming Communities program is very successful and that should be woven into the LIP process going forward. All of the welcoming work come into play in the LIP. -Many stakeholders at the table has improved awareness, planning, referral, promotion of services and newcomer outcomes.

Committees Identification and Attraction of Newcomers - Attraction, Recruitment, and Employment initiatives. Fostering a Welcoming, Supportive and Inclusive Community - Community Connections, education, promotion and active participation Coordinated Services – Ensure that services are available, coordinated and accessible to newcomers. Areas covered are settlement, education, employment, housing, health, etc. Research and planning – local awareness and involvement in settlement planning, outreach, attraction, retention and welcoming. Big picture planning and gap analysis.

Northwestern Ontario LIP The Northwestern Ontario Immigration Council is in the earlier stages of development and has a very different dynamic and structure. Made up of 35 regional municipalities, economic development officers, local planners, employers and settlement providers, it has a different make up and meets less often due to the size of the region. Makes use of technology and any other regional meetings taking place to connect and plan. It requires more coordination and training due to the size and remoteness of communities and experience with newcomers.

My suggestions for a successful LIP Create a network of connections, awareness, collaboration and inclusion. Bring together the doers. Create an environment where newcomers become a part of the planning and awareness of all agencies, services and members. On-going education of members and an awareness that this is really an integration and awareness exercise. Coordination. This process doesn’t work without a dedicated coordinator and meeting planning. The LIPs, Immigration Portal and Settlement Services all work hand in hand to attract and retain newcomers as well as create a welcoming community for them.