York Region rolling out welcome mat for newcomers

Yorkregion.com
April 28, 2014
By Simone Joseph

It takes 15 years for new immigrants to get fully integrated and comfortable in Canada, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti told a symposium today in Markham.

“That is way too long. We must make it easier”said Mr. Scarpitti, co-chair of the Community Partnership Council, which created York Region’s Immigration Settlement Strategy.

It is estimated, newcomers will account for 55 per cent of York Region’s population by 2031.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada chose York Region to create a “Made in York Region” Immigration Settlement Strategy.

To achieve this, a community partnership council was created, made up of a cross-section of the community.

Released in Sept. 2011, York Region’s immigration settlement strategy sets a long-term vision and priorities for the well-being of newcomers.

Today’s symposium provided an update on the strategy.

As part of the next phase in the strategy, Community Partnership Council members, which include community organizations, school boards, labour market planning boards, local municipalities, York Regional Police and all three levels of government, committed to 126 actions to help support the well-being of newcomers and residents.

Some of these actions have already been achieved, including hosting York Region’s first conference for internationally educated professionals in Oct. 2012, expanding settlement programming for newcomers at nine local municipal library systems, establishing the first regionwide municipal multicultural reference group to actively engage all nine local municipalities, hospitals, school boards and the United Way of York Region together on diversity and inclusively and expanding the mentorship partnership program to Markham, Newmarket, York police and the York Region District School Board.

The conference also introduced a new online tool (available at yorkwelcome.ca) to help newcomer entrepreneurs access information. Also, an online resource to be released in the next few weeks will provide international students with links to community supports.