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“Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2024–2026 saw a significant decrease in immigration levels over the next three years, but that does not excuse Canada from fulfilling our humanitarian obligations,” says Katie Crocker, CEO of the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA). By overseeing more than 90 member agencies and hundreds of community…
“The future I see is very bright,” says Ish Kumar, manager of employment programs at the Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society, referring to immigrant women’s participation in the trades. Through their Immigrant Women Trades Apprenticeship (IWTA) program, PICS provides opportunities for immigrant women to gain employment in five Red Seal trades. “120 women [are]…
As a B.C. and Lower Mainland-based organization that has been providing Canadian newcomer-immigrants with settlement services for 45+ years, MOSAIC has had a long and storied history. Yet, the organization is still venturing to shuffle government priorities for improved support regarding immigrant welfare. On Nov. 17 2023, MOSAIC CEO Olga Stachova spoke to the House of Commons…
The GHETTO exhibition, now showing at the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) until November 12, is “a theoretical rezoning project that proposes the development of housing for refugees through the transfer of wealth created by the sale of timeshare condominiums to American tourists.” The GHETTO concept is about innovative methods to accommodate new, rapidly growing urban…
In the years leading up to the pandemic, the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia (ISSofBC) noted accelerated arrival numbers of refugee claimants in Metro Vancouver. Though the COVID-19 outbreak ushered in a brief period of a reduction, as of 2022 the number of refugee claimants in British Columbia has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. “Last year…
When then-Simon Fraser University (SFU) student Saba Fatemi and her peers won the 2019 SFU Student Community Engagement Competition with their “CommuniCreate” initiative – a program for refugee and newcomer children pre-pandemic – she didn’t specifically have Ukrainian children in mind. “My university peers and I learned that newcomer youth were a growing demographic in…
The United Nations’ designated World Refugee Day on June 20th will be a day observedto celebrate and honour “the strength and courage of people who have been forced toflee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.” Last year, Immigration,Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported over 90,000 asylum claims, includingnearly 4000 from claimants seeking refuge…
Speaking with Veronika Kotyk about her recent work, A Nest in the North, revealed the kindness, unexpected support and welcoming hospitality of Canadians to new immigrants, refugees and displaced people. It is immediately apparent that Koytk is both surprised and grateful for the welcoming support and assistance she received when arriving in Canada and every day…
People often study for years to achieve the degree of professional experience they need to excel in their careers. However, all this effort can seem wasted when a person immigrates to a new country, only to find their credentials and experience are not recognized or not enough for the host country. Even in a place…
In their public conversation on Jan. 26 entitled “Homelands: Exile and Return,” Amyn Sajoo and Kamal Al-Solaylee will delve into that feeling of belonging and the yearning immigrants have about returning to their homelands. Al-Solaylee will look to unpack these restless quests, including his own. Sajoo, a term lecturer and scholar-in-residence at SFU, and Al-Solaylee,…
Released last December, a new study, entitled Perceptions of shared values in Canadian society among the immigrant population, compares the proportions of Canadian-born people and immigrants who believed that Canadians share values to a significant extent. These values represent the democratic norms or standards that provide a basis for social inclusion in a diverse society, providing…
Last October, MOSAIC launched the Accessibility for Newcomers Program, an innovative new program that will enhance accessibility for immigrants, refugees and newcomers in the Lower Mainland. Funded by the City of Vancouver in accordance with their new Accessibility Strategy, the innovative program will connect newcomers with disabilities to employment and disability support services while working…
How did Indigenous communities historically view immigration to Canada? As immigration is predicted to rise in the following decades, it is important for fresh voices to join in on matters of global importance. Marking its 50th anniversary, the Immigrant Society Services of BC (ISSofBC) will offer, in a joint effort with the Ismail Centre Vancouver,…
