Volunteers sought to mentor new immigrants

BY THERESA MCMANUS, THE RECORD AUGUST 24, 2011

 

 

The Community Immigrant Mentorship program is on the lookout for newcomers and not-so-new-anymore immigrants to New Westminster

The program, offered by Family Services of Greater Vancouver, pairs established immigrants (mentors) with newcomers, immigrants or refugees.

Launched in January 2010, the program has been fine-tuned to better meet the needs of its participants.

"We started with a leadership program," said facilitator/community liaison Maylen Crespo. "It changed to a mentorship program."

The first mentorship program required a six-month commitment for mentors and newcomers. Participants recommended it be reduced to four months.

"It's a long commitment," Crespo said about six months. "People start getting jobs and getting more involved in the community. It was too long."

The program is now looking for mentors and newcomers wanting to get involved in upcoming classes. Ten mentors and 10 newcomers will participate in sessions getting underway in September and January.

"I have quite a few application for mentors," Crespo said. "To get to newcomers, that is the most difficult thing."

Crespo said people from other communities have expressed an interest in attending the program, but it's really focused on New Westminster.

"The purpose this time is going to be a little bit different. We are going to create a manual on how to run a mentorship program," Crespo added. "It will be for any other communities who want to create a program to support immigrants."

The Community Immigrant Mentorship program

includes weekly workshops for newcomers where they learn about local resources, building relationships and learn the benefits of volunteering.

While the program provides newcomers with important information that helps them settle into New Westminster, Crespo said the guest speakers have also noted that they've gleaned a lot of helpful information from their visits with the newcomers. Guests have included representatives from government (federal, provincial and municipal), and police, health, library and recreation services.

"Every time it is a new session, I learn something new," said Crespo, who immigrated to Canada 10 years ago.

Newcomers who participate in the program have to set a personal goal that they want to accomplish during the four months they're involved with the program, whether that's becoming more active in the community, exploring the city or volunteering. They also have to agree to share their experiences and knowledge with others, which could be something as simple as helping to make others aware of good places to find cheap meals.

"They have to do a practicum," Crespo said. "They have to share information they have learned. The mentor will be assisting them with all of this."

In addition to those weekly sessions, the newcomers and mentors meet to decide how often they'll meet and the sorts of things they'll do to help the newcomers become active members of the community.

Crespo said people who have been mentored through the program have said they have an increased sense of belonging in the community. The mentors, having once been newcomers themselves, enjoyed sharing their knowledge and experiences.

For more information on the free program or to receive an application, contact Maylen Crespo at 604-525-9144 or email mcrespo@fsgv.ca.

tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com

© Copyright (c) New West Record

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More immigrants are in Canada's national interest

GEOFFREY CAMERON AND IAN GOLDIN

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s announcement that he’s launching stakeholder consultations on Canada’s immigration program presents a timely opportunity for a national conversation. How will we adapt to a century of unprecedented mobility? Will we harness migration to build a more dynamic society and economy, or will we quietly recede from the frontiers of globalization, sacrificing innovation and prosperity for a more static society?

With new policies aimed at clamping down on human smugglers and enhancing U.S.-Canada border security, many perceive that Canada’s door is closing. This is false – so far. Canada accepted 17 per cent more migrants last year than in 2005. In a time of recession when other Western governments are imposing strict limits on migration, Canada admitted 50,000 more migrants in 2010 than in 2009.

Over the past 25 years, the total number of international migrants doubled to more than 200 million. We should expect that number to double again in the next two decades. The world is entering a period of hypermobility, the product of a growing supply of potential migrants from developing countries and a burgeoning demand for both low- and high-skilled workers in developed countries such as Canada. Skype, Western Union, low-cost airlines and other advances are enabling an unprecedented scale of movement.

The drivers of mobility will grow stronger in the coming decades for three reasons:

• Intercountry inequality is increasing rapidly. Millions of Europeans left for the Americas in the late 19th century to seek, among other things, wages that were two to four times higher than those at home. Today, migrants stand to earn as much as 15 times more by moving to another country to work.

• The connected processes of economic development, urbanization and population growth in developing countries are positioning more people to seek their fortunes abroad. Those with the greatest propensity to move are educated young people with access to resources and networks for migration. Climate change will also threaten rural livelihoods, pushing more people into cities and some across borders.

• Demand for migrants will increase as declining fertility and population aging create severe labour shortages, often in developed countries such as Canada. The fiscal burden of an aging population will be borne by a shrinking work force, and staff for nursing homes and retirement facilities will continue to be scarce. Just as Canadian farms rely on temporary foreign workers during harvest time, our elderly population will benefit from the care provided by new Canadians.

We should embrace higher levels of migration because it’s in our national interest. High-skilled migrants innovate at a higher rate than the native-born population, and low-skilled migrants meet crucial service sector gaps. On the whole, migrants contribute more to the public purse than they receive in benefits. It’s no wonder the provinces are seeking increased quotas.

We should also increase levels of migration because it can deliver far more for global prosperity than foreign aid and international trade ever will. Completely opening borders, World Bank economists predict, would produce gains as high as $39-trillion for the world economy over 25 years. These numbers compare with the $70-billion that is currently spent every year in overseas development assistance and the estimated gains of $100-billion from fully liberalizing international trade. If we want to revolutionize our foreign aid policy, we can start by giving more people a chance to work in Canada.

The debate on immigration policy is undermined in many countries by partisan agendas and dysfunctional politics. Other governments are tempted to choke off migration in the interest of short-term expediency and political gain. We must resist this trend, remembering that Canada is a society built with the ingenuity and hard work of generations of migrants.

Geoffrey Cameron, a research associate with the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford, works in Ottawa. Ian Goldin is director of the Oxford Martin School and a professorial fellow at Balliol College, Oxford. With Meera Balarajan, they are the authors of Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our Future.

Durham's changing workforce

August 24, 2011 By Geoff Zochodne/The Oshawa Express Twenty years from now, two of the following three will be true of the labour force: It will be older. It will be more diverse. It will be based on the second moon of Jupiter. The first two are accurate, states a recent report from Statistics Canada. The third is a flight of fancy. StatsCan’s report, titled “Projected trends to 2031 for the Canadian labour force,” outlines a future workforce that contains more workers over the age of 55 and who were born outside Canada. Overall, the labour force will increase by at least 20 million additional workers. And, according to StatsCan, nearly one in four of those workers will be over 55. By 2031 one in three members of the labour force would be foreign-born as well. This forthcoming trend will not escape Durham Region either. A general demographics report done by the Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA), “a public-private partnership supported by the governments of Ontario and Canada, and a wide range of regional stakeholders from the private sector, universities, colleges, and research hospitals,” says similar things for the local scene. In the report, the Oshawa Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes Clarington and Whitby, is expected to grow both older and more diverse in the near future. By 2015, more than one-third of the Oshawa CMA’s population would be over 55 and a fourth would be immigrants. An aging population and workforce is not a bad thing, says Jim Freeman, president of the Durham Region Labour Council; if you prepare ahead of time. What Freeman would like to see is an increased Canadian Pension Plan (CPP), which would entice older workers to retire comfortably while opening up jobs to a younger generation as well. “The Canada Pension Plan as it stands is not enough to keep seniors out of poverty,” says Freeman. “If you actually make it affordable for people to retire they would.” He also thinks that the jobs of the future are green ones and that the government should be investing in new technology for skilled workers. “The factories are already there and they’re sitting there empty,” he states. As for an increased amount of immigrants living and working in Durham Region, Freeman is concerned they are not being given the chance to become Canadian citizens and instead wind up being rented workers. “They aren’t given the same rights as other Canadian workers,” he says. “They’re bringing them in and then sending them home.” Deficit-cutting may be the hot-button issue in Ottawa right now, continues Freeman, but he asks why the government is cutting jobs that could be used for the same purpose. “The smartest way to get out of the deficit is create jobs and you don’t do that by laying people off,” he explains. Aubrey Andrews, a manager for diversity and immigration for Durham Region Social Services, says that the growing immigrant population will be part of the reason why Durham will top over a million residents by 2031. “A fair bit of that growth can be attributed to immigrants,” she says, adding that between 2001 and 2006, 34 per cent of all growth in the region came from immigrants; which is being incorporated into the local economy. “If you’re in business, you’re in the business of serving a diverse population,” Andrews explains. “We anticipate population shifting.” Durham Region is not a first-stop population for immigrant families, she adds. “Durham is traditionally a site of secondary migration.” But enticing foreign-born workers here can do things for the region, like opening up foreign markets and diversify and bolster creativity among the work force, maintains Andrews. “I think that immigration is an opportunity, and it’s an opportunity to live in a place like Durham Region.”

Citizenship and Immigration Canada Selects CSC for Visa Services across Latin America

FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug 22, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has entered into a service agreement with Computer Sciences Canada Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CSC CSC +2.97% , to provide administrative support to facilitate the successful submission of visa applications from Latin America. The service agreement has a two-year base period and two one-year options.

"We are pleased to support Canada's visa services in support of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's efforts to provide better service to Latin America," said Charlie Whelan, president of Canadian operations for CSC's North American Public Sector (NPS). "Our visa application centers and information services will provide improved access, onsite client service and secure transmission of applications and documentation that will eliminate unnecessary delays in processing at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Visa Office."

As part of this service agreement, Computer Sciences Canada will establish and operate Visa Applications Centers (VACs) in 15 countries across Latin America. These centers will handle applications for residents of Latin America applying for temporary resident visas to Canada, as well as permit and travel document applications for people seeking to travel to Canada from Latin America. Computer Sciences Canada will also provide information services for visa applicants via web sites and contact centers. Since 2009, Computer Sciences Canada has provided similar services to the citizens of Mexico under a separate service agreement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Computer Sciences Canada will go live with these new services in September 2011.

Currently, CSC supports the governments of the United States, Austria, Canada, Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom with services in more than 100 countries and in more than 20 languages. Since 2000, CSC has provided accurate visa information and prompt services to more than 40 million visa applicants, scheduling more than 20 million appointments. Since beginning our visa applicant biometric collection services, CSC has securely enrolled millions of applicants.

About CSC's North American Public Sector

As a go-to partner for critical national programs, CSC offers thought leadership, specialized skills and innovative services in critical areas for government clients. Leveraging a global footprint in both private and public sectors, and experience gained from serving almost every U.S. government agency, CSC's North American Public Sector (NPS) brings innovative ideas and proven best practices to help the U.S. government meet mission-critical requirements. For more information about CSC's government solutions, visit http://www.csc.com/government .

About CSC

CSC is a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., CSC has approximately 93,000 employees and reported revenue of $16.2 billion for the 12 months ended July 1, 2011. For more information, visit the company's website at www.csc.com .

SOURCE: CSC

CSC 
        Michelle Herd 
        Senior Manager, Communications 
        North American Public Sector 
        703-205-6186 
        mherd@csc.com 
        or 
        Chris Grandis 
        Media Relations Director 
        Corporate 
        703-641-2316 
        cgrandis@csc.com 
        or 
        Bryan Brady 
        Vice President, Investor Relations 
        Corporate 
        703-641-3000 
        investorrelations@csc.com
        

Copyright Business Wire 2011 

Lest we forget, demographic change still often rules the economy

Alex Carrick

Chief Economist, CanaData

Lest we forget, demographics still rule much of what takes place in the economy.

The following are some trends that I personally find interesting with respect to population size, rate of change and make-up in Canada, the provinces and the major urban centres.

In the latest year, Canada’s population increase – from births and immigration less deaths and out-migration – was +1.06%.

The nation is adding about 90,000 people per quarter. That means the population will climb above 35 million in the first quarter of 2013, only a year and a half from now.

Ontario accounts for almost 40% of the nation’s total population. That’s by far the largest provincial share. It presents a huge “hive” of humanity near the geographic centre of the country.

Quebec (23.2% of total Canada) is the next largest province by population, but its share of the national total has fallen below the historically significant 25%.

Throughout Canada’s history to-date, Quebec’s important position in the country has often been guaranteed by its one-quarter share or more of the population.

Then there are some significant blocks.

For example, the Atlantic Region as a whole (6.8%) accounts for almost exactly the same proportion of the nation’s total population as Manitoba plus Saskatchewan (6.7%).

And if Ontario is 40% of the total, then one has to wonder what the pattern is in the other 60%.

Interestingly enough, there is an almost precise East-West split. The Atlantic Region plus Quebec provide 30% of the total as do the Prairies plus B.C.

The Territories with only 111,000 people barely figure in the percentage-of-total calculations.

Since Ontario is 40% of Canada and Toronto is 40% of Ontario, the Queen city is 16% of the national total. That’s a very significant piece of the pie.

The Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA) is adding more than 100,000 people per year. The next closest city is Vancouver (+54,000), advancing at about half that rate.

Adding 100,000 people per year is the equivalent of plunking a city nearly the size of Peterborough within Toronto’s CMA boundaries each year.

By the way, a Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is defined by Statistics Canada as an urban area with a 50,000-person downtown core.

All of Canada’s 33 CMAs have total urban plus suburban populations in excess of 100,000.

It’s mentally difficult to come to terms with the notion of an additional 100,000 people per year. Consider what it means in terms of infrastructure needs to serve new homes, stores and offices.

At its present rate of population increase, Toronto will shoot past 6 million people in late 2012.

In Statistics Canada’s latest city population estimates (for July 1, 2010), Montreal added 41,000 people on an annual basis (i.e. compared with July 1, 2009) and Calgary, Ottawa-Gatineau and Edmonton all recorded nearly matching gains of 20,000 to 22,000.

The seventh-ranked city in terms of actual population increase was Winnipeg, at +11,000.

The 33 largest cities in Canada now account for more than two-thirds of the nation’s total population.

While that’s an interesting statistic on its own, it contains within it another perhaps more interesting comparison.

The three largest cities in Canada – Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have populations that are 50% of the nation’s urban total, as calculated by the addition of the 33 CMAs.

Combine some of these ratios and you’ll quickly determine that Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver make up one-third of the nation’s total population. That carries a further implication. Montreal and Vancouver added together shelter only about half a million more people than Toronto. Toronto is a behemoth on the Canadian demographic scene.

Toronto’s population growth rate in the most recent year for which data is available (2010 versus 2009) was +1.90%, placing it fourth among all of Canada’s CMAs.

The three fastest growing cities on a percentage change basis were Saskatoon (+2.81%), Vancouver (+2.31%) and Regina (+2.26%).

Note the representation from Saskatchewan, where resource projects are attracting workers.

Only two Canadian cities had a decline in population between 2009 and 2010, Great Sudbury (-0.13%) and Windsor (-0.34%).

At the time, Sudbury was in the throes of a mining sector strike and Windsor was struggling with a downsizing in its auto sector. Both situations are in the process of turning around.

With respect to construction activity, population growth plays an obvious role in the demand for streets, highways, transit projects, schools and medical facilities.

With respect to the latter, the age make-up of the local population can be important.

The median age – i.e., that point at which half the population is older and half younger – of Canadians in mid-2010 was 39.7 years.

Cities with residents notably older were Saguenay and Trois-Rivieres (both with median ages of 45.0), Peterborough (44.7), Victoria (43.5), Kelowna (43.2) and St. Catharines-Niagara (42.8).

Cities harboring a younger population were mainly in the bustling West – Saskatoon (35.4), Calgary (35.8), Edmonton (36.0) and Regina (36.9).

However, high-tech hub Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (36.9) also stood out, in the East, and Toronto (37.9) wasn’t too shabby on the youth front either.

For more articles by Alex Carrick on the Canadian and U.S. economies, please see his market insights. Mr. Carrick also has an economics blog. His lifestyle blog is at www.alexcarrick.com

To see Alex Carrick and other economists with expertise in the construction industry in person, register for the CanaData Construction Industry Forecasts , scheduled September 22 at the Liberty Grand in Toronto.