Immigration Waterloo Region Weekly
October 25, 2021
Immigration Partnership Updates
The #RacialEquityWR Lawn Sign Campaign Concluded With a Bike Ride Event
The second phase of our #RacialEquityWR campaign, launched on August 11th, has concluded. A huge thank you to all who participated and promoted the #RacialEquityWR campaign! There was excellent participation from Waterloo Region residents, businesses and local organizations who showed their support and spread the message of embracing belonging and equity for all by putting up free #RacialEquityWR lawn signs, posters, window clings or stickers. 

Over 750 lawn signs were distributed from the locations of the Kitchener Public Library, Waterloo Public Library, the Idea Exchange and Region of Waterloo libraries. There was significant social media engagement by participants through their posts sharing pictures and messages of solidarity registering over 267,600 impressions.   

On October 1st, the Immigration Partnership's Belong Steering Group along with Arcy Canumay from BYCS - Bicycle Mayor of Waterloo, organized a small bike ride event at the Victoria Park to wrap-up the campaign. During the event, participants had the opportunity to discuss and advance anti-racism, sustainability and cycling initiatives with representatives from CycleWR, Sustainable Waterloo Region, Climate Action WR and others. Stay tuned for further work to advance racial equity in Waterloo Region.
Last Days to Register for the "Strategies and Tools for Harnessing International Talent in the Workplace" Co-Design Webinar
HR leads, executives, entrepreneurs, and equity, diversity, and inclusion professionals can still register for the Immigration Partnership and World Education Services (WES) workshop on October 28 at 1:30pm to co-design strategies and tools for employers for attracting and hiring immigrants and fostering inclusive workplaces that leverage newcomers’ skills, experiences, and education. Learn more and register.
Waterloo Region Residents Can Help Afghan and Other Refugees Restart Their Lives
Join us in welcoming refugees to our region! Community members can support Afghan and other refugees in many ways: Providing affordable housing or primary care, making monetary donations to the Immigration Partnership Fund or Reception House Waterloo Region, donating warm winter clothing and other items, sponsoring refugee families, supporting family reunification efforts, etc.
Visit http://immigrationwaterlooregion.ca/afghanresettlement for more information on the Afghan Resettlement in Waterloo Region!
Follow us on our social media platforms for more immigration events and news!
Community Partner Highlights 
Immigrant Services and Interpretation Open
The City of Waterloo's 2022/23 Ageing Well Directory Now Available,
Read Online or for Download

The Age Well directory was created to help people aged 55+ in Waterloo access information on older adult focused services, programs, and amenities. This directory functions as a one-stop-shop for residents looking for information on housing, home support, health services, recreation and leisure, ethnic and cultural supports, and much more. 

Volunteers Needed for the KW Multicultural Centre's Conversational English Program

KW Multicultural Centre is actively seeking volunteers for its Conversational English Program. Volunteers should be able to speak and write English fluently and also speak Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic or Somali. If you are over the age of 18, and have 1-2 hours to dedicate to volunteering each week, this is an excellent opportunity to help new immigrants reach their full potential in Waterloo Region.

Federal, Provincial and Local Updates
Municipal 
Government
To learn more about the latest information, measures and changes to legislation due to COVID-19 Outbreak across the region , visit the Region of Waterloo website.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are encouraged to consider the COVID-19 vaccine now that it’s been proven to be safe and effective for this group which is at greater risk of severe outcomes.
Provincial
Government
To learn more about the latest information, measures and changes to legislation due to COVID-19 Outbreak across Ontario, visit the
Federal
Government
To learn more about the government support for individuals, businesses and industries during the COVID-19 Outbreak, visit the Government of Canada Website.


The proposed changes to the programs include the Canada Recovery Hiring Program, Tourism and Hospitalist Recovery Program, Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program, wage and rent subsidy programs, Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit, Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit and the establishment of the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit. More Information here.
COVID-19 Information and Resources

Ontarians can now get a new, enhanced vaccine certificate with a QR code that businesses and organizations can scan using the Verify Ontario app. The enhanced vaccine certificate is an easier and more convenient way to have a proof of vaccination verified. People do not need to download an app, they only need the QR code from the provincial portal.

Verify Ontario is the Government of Ontario's official app for businesses and organizations to check visitors' eligibility to enter based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. It will save businesses time by checking a visitor's vaccine certificate quickly and easily without the need to search for details.

Building Migrant Resilience in Cities (BMRC-IRMU) presents the findings of this research that sought to examine how the pandemic affected pre-existing challenges facing international students and the institutions supporting them, assess the evolving needs of international students during the pandemic and identify the strategies, resources and networks used, to adapt to the rapidly evolving crisis and prepare for future crises.
Other Information and Resources

Since 2017, Elevation Church in Waterloo annually hosts a $1,000 scholarship for refugees and new Canadians who are pursuing full-time post-secondary education. Applicants need to be permanents residents or refugee claimants and reside in or have a family connection to the Kitchener-Waterloo area. The deadline is Nov 25, 2021 and is for the 2021/2022 academic year. Click here for more details on how to apply.

This program will build on the strengths of the Region of Waterloo Home Child Care program by providing opportunities for caregivers in Waterloo Region with diverse first languages other than English to become contractors within the Home Child Care Program.

"Waterloo region needs to rethink how it hires people, deals with the mental health emergencies of residents and also funding for equity, diversity and Indigenous initiatives and spaces," the anti-racism working group recommends in a report presented to regional councillors during a meeting last Wednesday. Read this CBC News article for more information.

"And while diversity in schools is largely an accepted and comfortable fact of life for Canadian children, a new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute in partnership with the University of British Columbia finds some – in particular those who identify as a visible minority – struggling to fit in more than children who do not identify this way. " Read more here.

Check out the latest Affordable Housing Solutions Report from the Leadership Waterloo Region's 2021 Core Program Class. Over their 10-month journey they researched, interviewed and dug in deep to develop 6 innovative solutions: Community Housing Action Group, Housing Innovation Fund, Humanizing Affordable Housing, New Canadian Employment Database, Time is Now Community Advocacy Network and Waterloo Region Land Declaration.
Virtual Events and Webinars
Parents Talk it Though, Oct 26, 1:15-2:45pm
Carizon organizes this conversational group where participants will have opportunities to share wisdom, learn new tools for promoting positive mental health in their families, and support each other on their parenting journey in their new country. This group promises to help promote the total well-being of parents. For parents of children of all ages. 
Youth in Diverse Cultures, Oct 26, 3:30-5:30pm
Carizon is calling young men ages 15-20 to participate in games and activities that promote both physical and mental well-being. Topics will be covered by guest speakers, group conversations, presentations, and engaging activities.
Advance Your Career with Support from a Mentor, Oct 28, 10-11am
The TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program helps internationally trained newcomers reconnect with their career in Canada through one-on-one career-based mentoring with an industry professional. Join this webinar to learn about how the program can help you kickstart you career in Canada.
Workshop for CGs & CoSponsors of SAHs, Oct 30, 2-5pm ETD
This workshop will provide an orientation for the Constituent Groups (CGs) and co-sponsors of SAHs that are sponsoring refugees under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program.
Hiring, Discrimination and Newcomer Resilience, Nov 10, 12:15-1:30pm
This webinar will provide research updates on the following research topics undertaken by researches at Building Migrant Resilience in Cities: 1. Temporary Migrants and Resilience 2. Sounding Different, but Still Equal? Assessing Discrimination against “Audible Minority” Experts in Urban and non-Urban Settings in Quebec and Ontario 3. Employer Recruitment Strategies, Newcomer Employment and Resilience.
Growing Up Too Soon? A Panel Discussion on the Parentification of Newcomer Children and Youth, Nov 10, 1pm
In this National Newcomer Navigation Network webinar, a psychologist, a settlement worker in the education system and a manager of mental health centralized intake will share their experiences working with newcomer children and youth who have taken on adult responsibilities to contribute to the success of their families in adapting to their new country.
Ensuring No One is Left Behind: The Virtual Care Equity Matrix, Oct 27, 12-1pm
Join the Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) Community of Interest and the Ontario Mental Health and Addictions Virtual Care Collaborative for a discussion on The Virtual Care Equity Matrix that aims to capture the equity issues that policy makers and providers need to address in the delivery of virtual care. It highlights the conditions that are necessary for everyone to access high quality, timely, equitable, and person-centred virtual care.
COVID 19 Coverage and other News

The Immigration Waterloo Region calendar has information about local programs and events for newcomers. Subscribe for a digest of events coming up in the next week or add your own events to share.
Feel free to send suggestions or relevant events/resources to include to the Immigration Waterlooo Region weekly by emailing Dan Vandebelt ([email protected]) and Alejandra Amezquita Gutierrez ([email protected])
Like us and follow us