Bill WaltersExecutive DirectorImmigrant Integration Branch

Kelowna, June 23, 2009

Welcoming and Inclusive Communities and Workplaces: The role of immigration in

community and regional economic development

Thompson/Okanagan/Kootenay Region

Overview of the Presentation

• WelcomeBC Overview• Welcoming and Inclusive Communities and

Workplaces Program (WICWP)• Creating a Common Vision • Stages of the Journey• Survey Results• WICWP Program Elements and Initiatives• Conceptual Frameworks• Conclusions

*Launched in June 2007

Vision

British Columbia is home to welcoming and inclusive communities where:

• newcomers choose to settle and can achieve their full potential;

• multiculturalism is valued and celebrated; and• racism is eliminated.

*WelcomeBC: a Strategic Framework

• BC is committed to providing the best settlement and integration services possible

• Integration is a two-way process, which involves commitment on the part of newcomers to adapt to life in Canada and on the part of Canadians to welcome and adapt to new people and cultures

• Newcomers should become economically self-sufficient and be able to participate in the social dimensions of life in BC

• The ability of newcomers to communicate in one of Canada’s official languages is key to integration

• Communities in BC are essential to ensuring that newcomers have opportunities to participate in and contribute to the economic and

social life of BC• Newcomers and communities should share the principles, traditions

and values that are inherent in Canadian society, such as freedom,

equality and participatory democracy

WelcomeBC Principles

WelcomeBC Goals(and objectives)

Building a strong foundation for immigrant success

• Using English in daily life and in the labour market• Participating in the labour market• Participating in community life

Creating welcoming and inclusive communities• Welcoming and supporting newcomers• Supporting multiculturalism and addressing racism

WelcomeBC Programs

BC Settlement and Adaptation Program • The primary goal of BCSAP is to support the successful

settlement and adaptation of new immigrants and refugees to British Columbia

Welcoming and Inclusive Communities and Workplaces Program

• Inclusive, welcoming and vibrant communities in British Columbia where immigrants can realize their full potential, racism is eliminated and cultural diversity is valued and celebrated

Family is the reason why many come and quality of life is why

many remain

Top reasons for choosing to come to Canada

• Improve future for family

•Join family or close friends

•Education opportunity

Top reasons for staying permanently

• Quality of life

• Positive future prospects for family

• To be close to family and friends

4 years later…

Source: Stats Canada Longitudinal Survey of Immigrant to Canada, Wave 1

Family, friends and job prospects equally

important reasons behind settlement in smaller areas

Vancouver:1. Family and friends 41.3%2. Climate 20.0%3. Lifestyle 11.7%

Toronto:1. Family and friends 49.7%

2. Job prospects 23.4%3. Lifestyle 4.9%

All other CMAs and non-CMAs1. Family and friends 35.6%

2. Job prospects 32.3%3. Education prospects 12.1%

Montreal:1. Family and friends 31.3%2. Language 18.5%

3. Job prospects 15.8%

Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrant to Canada, Wave 1

Three most important reasons of settlement choice for economic

class principal applicants

WICWP Logic Model

Immigrant Integration Branch

Long Term Outcomes of WICWP

Ultimate outcomes a program desires to achieve or the most removed benefits that the program can reasonably expect to influence

• An enriched and strengthened cultural and social fabric of Canadian society where there is support for the equality of all Canadians in the economic, social, cultural and political life of Canada

• Communities and workplaces are vibrant and inclusive

• Immigrant newcomers view all BC communities as being welcoming destinations

• Community adopts integration as a two-way process, which involves commitment on the part of newcomers to adapt to life in Canada and on the part of Canadians to welcome and adapt to new people and cultures

• Public institutions and workplaces reflect the diversity of the population

Creating a Common Vision (with appealing benefits)

Sample of suggestions from a community forum held in Metro Vancouver

(June 2008)

• A safe, friendly community• Ready access to housing, food, shelter for all• Everyone’s assets and skills are welcomed and used• People living together and supporting each other at an individual and

community level• Shared community spaces that allow for interaction – e.g., community gardens,

healing centres, welcoming centres, block parties• Removing not just the physical walls that separate people, but also the

emotional, social and psychological walls• Respect for who immigrants are and vice versa• Intercultural representation on government and community bodies and

institutions

Summary of emerging dimensions: personal, public space, systemicFrom “Creating Welcoming & Inclusive Communities: What Will it Take?”

Accessibility to services and programs

• Infrastructure/ Resources

•Share experiences

•Dialogue initiatives

•Communities of interests

•Benefits of a Welcoming Community

•Assessing state of readiness

How do I prepare?

What are others doing?

•Community Profiles

Engaged/involved in the community

Learning opportunities

•Marketing/ Showcasing the community

•Measuring your success

•Measuring progress

Possible Resources and Partners

•Creating and supporting regional partnerships

Where to start•Welcoming new

cultures•Putting a

welcoming program in place

•How to engage Decision Makers

Getting StartedMaximizing the Benefits

Building a Strong Community

Partnering for Success

Becoming Informed

Funding Programs & Specialized Resources

Accessibility to services and programs

• Infrastructure/ Resources

•Share experiences

•Dialogue initiatives

•Communities of interests

•Benefits of a Welcoming Community

•Assessing state of readiness

How do I prepare?

What are others doing?

•Community Profiles

Engaged/involved in the community

Learning opportunities

•Marketing/ Showcasing the community

•Measuring your success

•Measuring progress

Possible Resources and Partners

•Creating and supporting regional partnerships

Where to start•Welcoming new

cultures•Putting a

welcoming program in place

•How to engage Decision Makers

Getting StartedMaximizing the Benefits

Building a Strong Community

Partnering for Success

Becoming Informed

Funding Programs & Specialized Resources

Stages of the Journey and Key Activities

*From “WelcomeBC.ca Project Customer Segmentation Final Report” (not published)

22%

10%

15%

49%

4%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

BecomingInformed

Getting Started Partnering forSuccess

Building aStrong

Community

Maximizing theBenefits

All Segments

Survey Results by Stage (n=452)

*From “WelcomeBC.ca Project Customer Segmentation Final Report” (not published)

Survey Results by Segment (n=452)

25%29%

8%11%

2%

11%

78%

14%

4%

10%

73%

4% 6%

86%

78%

0%3%

20%

27%

10%4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

BecomingInformed

Getting Started Partnering forSuccess

Building a StrongCommunity

Maximizing theBenefits

Municipal NGO Economic Development Educators Post Secondary & Researchers

*From “WelcomeBC.ca Project Customer Segmentation Final Report” (not published)

WICWP Program Elements

Community Partnership

Development

Communities may obtain support to

identify and coordinate key

sustainable partnerships and

collaborations with diverse groups and

stakeholders to work towards achieving a

common vision around fostering welcoming and

inclusive communities

Knowledge Development

and Exchange

Communities may obtain assistance to promote knowledge

development and sharing among

diverse groups and stakeholders, and

with the community members at large

Public Education

Communities may obtain

assistance to facilitate cross-

cultural understanding and increase

public awareness

among community members at

large

Demonstration Projects

Communities, groups or

stakeholders may obtain support to

design, implement, deliver and

evaluate projects that explore strategic and

innovative approaches to

fostering welcoming and

inclusive communities.

Current Community Engagement in WICWP

• 30 B.C. communities engaged; between 5 and 30 organizations per community depending on population size

• 52 organizations providing leadership• 29 organizations in community partnership

development• 38 organizations qualified for knowledge development

and exchange• 37 organizations qualified for public education• 38 organizations qualified for demonstration projects

Current Community Engagement in WICWP

• Lower Mainland/Greater Vancouver/Sunshine Coast = 27 organizations

• Vancouver Island = 6 organizations• Central Interior = 10 organizations• North = 5 organizations• Province-wide initiatives = 3 organizations

Examples of WICWP Projects and Initiatives

• Building Welcoming and Inclusive Neighbourhoods (13 Neighbourhood Houses)

• Safe Harbour (28 communities and 540 safe harbour locations)

• Community Dialogues (10 communities)• Multicultural Health Fairs• Research/Surveys of perceptions and attitudes

1.Urban Social SustainabilitySample definitions:• Development that is compatible with the harmonious evolution of

civil society, fostering an environment conducive to the compatible cohabitation of culturally and socially diverse groups while at the same time encouraging social inclusion, with improvements in the quality of life for all segments of the population ( Polese and Stren, 2000)

• Cities achieve social sustainability when citizens’ basic needs are met, when they have equal access to opportunities, when people live together in harmony and when everyone is able and welcome to participate fully in the economic, social and political life of the community. A sustainable city is a city that is fully inclusive. ... Inclusion means that each person’s participation and contributions are welcomed, recognized, and valued ( Orloff, 2005)

Placing WICWP Within an Appropriate Conceptual

Framework

From WICWP Research Framework (Wachtel, 2008)

2. Workplace Employee Engagement• Various models aimed at improving

organizational productivity and/or profitability

• Often uses survey methodology • Follow up actions can include: working

through the results; using the results to start conversations; making changes strategically; supporting each other through the change

Placing WICWP Within an Appropriate Conceptual

Framework

Conclusions

• Requires a common vision with appealing benefit statements

• Common elements along the journey• Stakeholders may be at different points of the

journey• Range of elements: from the personal to the

systemic• Comparative frameworks: Urban Social

Sustainability, Workplace Engagement• Welcoming and inclusive communities are for

everybody, not just the newly arrived

Thank you!Thank you!

Bill WaltersImmigrant Integration Branch

Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development

5th Floor, 605 Robson StreetVancouver, B.C. V6B 5J3

Telephone: (604) 660-2203 Fax: (604) 775-0670E-mail: ALMD.IIB@gov.bc.ca

Website: www.WelcomeBC.ca