May 16, 2007
Peel Newcomer Strategy Update
This is our second update to you since the community meeting on immigration of February 7, 2006. At that meeting, a preliminary vision emerged to ensure the successful integration of newcomers into all aspects of community life through a coordinated and integrated community plan.
The “Peel Newcomer Strategy Group” has been meeting monthly for a year now to move forward on the community vision. This group now includes the Boards of Education, as well as Peel Regional Police, along with the federal government, provincial government, Region of Peel, boards of trade, service providers, Peel LINC Partnership, Peel ISAP Committee, Social Planning Council of Peel, United Way of Peel Region, and the University of Toronto at Mississauga.
Here are some highlights of progress to date:
- Dixie-Bloor Training Project - Funding has been received from the Province to provide learning opportunities between settlement agencies and generic community agencies to better harmonize services to immigrants in Peel. The grant is administered by Dixie-Bloor Neighbourhood Services. A consultant has been hired and a schedule of workshops has begun.
- Funding Proposal For Community Collaborative Model Serving Newcomers - A funding proposal has been submitted to Citizenship and Immigration Canada to staff and support the strategy for a collaborative network serving newcomers in Peel, including development of capacity building among agencies that serve newcomers. The proposal includes staff supports to gather information, analyse, consult with the community, and prepare a model based on wide input. The project will be managed by the United Way. We will keep you updated on the status of this proposal: the signals are promising.
- Municipal Immigration Web Portal - Funding has been approved by the Province for the development of a web portal to inform immigrants about services and employment opportunities in Peel - even before they leave their country of origin. This will be tied in with a network of such portals across the province. The project will be managed by the Region of Peel and co-ordinated through the Newcomer Strategy Group.
- Boards of Trades and Barriers to Employment for Newcomers - The Brampton and Mississauga Boards of Trade have both just completed surveys and consultations with employers that address the barriers to employment of newcomers. These studies will be used to lay the ground for employer-driven initiatives to better access the skills of newcomers. Here is the link to the BBOT site: http://www.skillswithoutborders.com/
- UTM partnership - A partnership has been formed with University of Toronto, Mississauga campus, to provide research supports for the newcomer strategy in Peel. A student will begin working on a literature review in September.
- Liveable Peel Immigration Project - The Region of Peel is proposing extensive research into the long-term requirements for successful integration of immigrants in to a welcoming community, through its Liveable Peel Immigration Project. This research will also be used to support the Newcomer Strategy. A funding proposal has been submitted by the Region of Peel to Citizenship and Immigration Canada to support the research requirements for the first year of the project.
The Peel Newcomer Strategy Group has become a collaborative table around which all the related initiatives will be shared and used for mutual advantage. Members of the group are listed below and would be happy to have your input and ideas; or call either of us for more information.
Shelley White
905-602-3610
E-mail: swhite@unitedwaypeel.org
Janet Menard,
905-791-7800 ext. 4939.
E-mail: Janet.Menard@peelregion.ca
Peel Newcomer Strategy Group
(April 17, 2007)
| Janet Menard | Executive Director, Transition & Integration Admin, Region of Peel, Human Services |
| Shelley White | CEO, United Way of Peel Region |
| Lynn Petrushchak | Executive Director, Dixie Bloor Neighbourhood Centre |
| Ania Dymek | ISAP Program Supervisor, Catholic Cross Cultural Services Chair, Peel ISAP Committee |
| Effat Ghassemi | Manager, Peel Adult Learning Centre Chair, Peel LINC Partnership |
| Naveed Chaudhry | Executive Director, Peel Multicultural Council |
| Paula DeCoito | Executive Director, Social Planning Council |
| Dr. Colin Saldanha | Family Physician |
| Varsha Naik | Community Liaison Co-ordinator, Peel District School Board |
| Patricia Rossall | School Support Officer, Peel District School Board |
| Tony DaSilva | Peel Catholic School Board |
| Heather Andrews | Detective, Peel Regional Police |
| Sheldon Leiba | Executive Director, Brampton Board of Trade |
| Elizabeth McIsaac | TRIEC |
| Jyotsna Inamdar | Newcomer Information Centre |
| Kathi Wilson | Professor, University of Toronto at Mississauga |
| Bryan Hill | Manager, Region of Peel, Planning Department |
| Norm McLeod | Region of Peel, Manager, Strategic Social Policy |
| Naheeda Jamal | Principal Planner, Region of Peel |
| Giancarlo Cristiano | Region of Peel, Social Policy Analyst |
| Jennifer Grass | Consultant, Incom Strategic |
| Cliff Fast | Manager, Citizenship & Immigration Canada |
| Yvonne Ferrer | Manager, Ministry of Citizenship |
| Lorraine Hogan | Manager, Ministry of Citizenship, Culture, Sports, Tourism |
| Pat Leigh | Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities |
| Cathy Wilson | Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities |
| Anita Stellinga | Director, Community Investment, United Way of Peel Region |