Welcoming Communities: Working to Improve the Inclusion of Visible Minorities and Immigrants in Second and Third Tier Ontario Cities Victoria Esses Co-Chair, Ontario Welcoming Communities

Background and Premises Changing face of Ontario communities Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement and goal of more regionalization Increasing recognition of need for immigrants in centres outside of Toronto Social and economic challenges: cities must work on accommodating the ethnic, racial and religious diversity provided by immigrants and the increasing second and third generations

Challenges to meeting the needs of a more diverse community: - -selling it to long-term residents - -removing barriers to full participation: economic, social - -reconfiguring existing services, new models of service delivery - -new ways of living together, new forms of spatial and social belonging - -implementation and coordination Ontario Welcoming Communities Initiative: developed to help meet these challenges - capitalizes on local expertise and intellectual capacity in world-class universities in 2 nd and 3 rd tier cities across the province Intent is to work with stakeholders to identify strategic priorities, conduct analyses, and shape policy guidance and practical advice

Major Project Goals 1) Strengthen municipal capacity to attract and benefit from diversity and immigration in 2 nd and 3 rd tier Ontario cities 2) Strengthen the capacity of the voluntary sector to contribute to equitable and inclusive communities 3) Maximize the economic benefits of diversity and immigration for 2 nd and 3 rd tier Ontario cities

4) Understand barriers to social cohesion, and test and implement strategies for creating and sustaining communities in which all members feel comfortable and valued 5) Share findings and recommendations widely 6) Train highly skilled personnel: training opportunities for students, postdoctoral fellows, community personnel, faculty

Key Players Researchers at 16 Ontario Universities: BrockQuébec en Outaouais CarletonQueens GuelphTrent Huron University CollegeUOIT Lakehead Waterloo Laurentian Western McMasterWilfrid Laurier OttawaWindsor

Partners in Second and Third Tier Ontario Cities Universal Service Providers (e.g., United Way/Centraide Ottawa) Immigrant-Serving and Ethnocultural Agencies and Associations (e.g., Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County) School Boards (e.g., Thames Valley District School Board) Municipal and Regional Government Departments (e.g., City of Hamilton, Community Services)

Association of Municipalities (e.g., Association française des municipalités de lOntario) Business and Employment Associations and Networks (e.g., Niagara Training and Adjustment Board) National Associations (e.g., Canadian Council on Social Development) National Research Organizations (e.g., Environics) Provincial Government Departments (e.g., Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration) Federal Government Departments (e.g., Canadian Heritage)

Important Feature = Collaborative arrangements with Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) Committees: designed to optimize efficiencies and effectiveness

Governance Governing Council - -co-chaired by university rep and community/municipal rep - -equality across participating universities - -full partnership between universities and communities / municipalities Executive Committee University Subcommittee - -1 rep per university Community and Municipal Subcommittee - -1 rep per community Domains

Domains 1) 1)Community Civic Resources and Initiatives: led by Caroline Andrew (Ottawa) & Carl Nicholson (Catholic Immigration Centre) - municipal social services (including employment assistance and housing); recreation policies and programming; local cultural policies; relations with the media; and capacity of the voluntary sector. 2) Health and Healthcare: led by Bruce Newbold (McMaster) & Heather Lee Kilty (Brock) - provision of health care; access and barriers to health care; determinants of physical and mental health and wellbeing; care and prevention; utilizing skills and experiences of immigrants and visible minorities; and health policy and best practices

3) Education and Educational Policy: led by Dawn Zinga (Brock) & Cynthia Levine-Rasky (Queens) - integrating equity and diversity issues in all education areas; educational outcomes and educational inequalities for immigrants and visible minorities; second language learning practices and policies; approaches to equity and diversity issues in teacher education. 4) Children and Youth: led by Audrey Kobayashi (Queens) & Xinyin Chen (Western) - social and psychosocial conditions affecting integration; responses of long-settled non-minority children and youth to their immigrant and minority peers; specific issues faced by the second generation of visible minority youth; labour market integration of immigrant and minority youth; and programs and policies to promote inclusion.

5) Optimizing Social and Cultural Integration: led by Victoria Esses (Western) - determinants and consequences of local attitudes toward visible minorities and immigrants; role of the local media and opinion leaders; experiences of visible minorities and immigrants; definitions of personal and Canadian identity; and strategies to promote inclusion. 6) Entrepreneurship, Immigrants, and Visible Minorities: led by Benson Honig (Wilfrid Laurier) and Margaret Walton- Roberts (Wilfrid Laurier) - explaining immigrant and visible minority enterprise; promoting information and trade flows; transnational entrepreneurship.

7. Labour Market Participation and Social Capital led by Ravi Pendakur (Ottawa) and Dirk De Clercq (Brock) - opportunities and barriers for immigrant and visible minority labour market participation; individual-level social capital; community-level social capital. 8. Immigration Policy and New Models of Migration Management led by Vic Satzewich (McMaster) and Jenna Hennebry (Wilfrid Laurier) - selection, recruitment, and integration policies; integration of specific groups

Initial Research Strategies Focus on CMAs outside of Toronto 2nd tier cities: populations of 300,000 to 1,000,000 (Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Oshawa, Ottawa, St. Catharines-Niagara, Windsor) 3rd tier cities: populations of 100,000 to 300,000 (Barrie, Brantford, Greater Sudbury, Guelph, Kingston, Peterborough, and Thunder Bay)

Comparative studies Multidisciplinary, multimethod Baseline projects that will provide data for all domains Iterative process with continual refinement as new knowledge and questions are generated by the research process Scholarship of Engagement

Initial Lead Projects 1) City profiles, and inventories and audits of local resources and services - - Analysis and collation of preexisting data - - Population profiles - - Resources, services, measures to promote inclusion - - Gaps and deficits - - Successful practices and initiatives - - Sector-specific study of local policing

2) Visible minority and immigrant service utilization and service experiences - - Questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, detailed journal of use and satisfaction - - Utilization and experiences with municipal services and voluntary organizations - - Identify barriers to inclusion from the perspective of visible minorities and immigrants themselves - - Whether and how immigrant web portals are being utilized

3) Mutual perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of community members - - Focus groups, interviews of local opinion leaders, standardized survey - - Mutual attitudes and perceptions - - Key drivers of attitudes and perceptions - - Strategies for change: implemented and evaluated

4) Entrepreneurial experiences - - Interviews, case studies, life history calendars - - Opportunities and challenges - - Business strategies - - Community capacities to attract and retain immigrant and visible minority entrepreneurs and their children

Communication Strategies Annual Summer Institute Best Practices Training Modules (e.g., Training sessions on non-discriminatory workplaces and practices) Tool Kit for Improving Access and Provision of Services in 2 nd and 3 rd Tier Cities Tool Kit for Reducing Racism and Discrimination in 2 nd and 3 rd Tier Cities Advice to Local LIP Committees, United Ways, Municipalities

Annual Conference Workshops and Community Forums Methodological Manuals for Comparative Studies Antiracism Materials, Public Information Campaigns Curriculum Resources Policy Briefings and Presentations Public Speaker Series Monthly E-Bulletin Community and Academic Publications