Immigration Waterloo Region Weekly
September 21, 2020

Stay healthy, Waterloo Region. We are in this together.


Immigration Partnership Updates
Newcomer Landlord Award Stories
For Marlene and Frank Hoekstra, “the opportunity for a landlord to offer a place of safety, peace and hope to a refugee in a time of great uncertainty creates the kind of region we love to call 'home'.” Marlene and Frank are wonderful people who devote themselves to the service of others and have a long history helping refugees. Play the video and learn how they have been helping recent immigrants and refugees find a home.
"When you encounter a landlord who is enthusiastic about wanting to rent an affordable home to our refugee clients, it can really make your whole week! We have worked with some landlords who have really gone above and beyond to make our families feel welcomed," says Emma Jennings, Manager, Resettlement and Housing, at Reception House Waterloo Region. Play the video and learn how Reception House Waterloo Region and landlords work together to help recent immigrants and refugees find a home.
This is the last week to nominate landlords for the 2020 Newcomer Landlord Award.
2020 Report on Perceptions of Immigration in Waterloo Region
The Immigration Partnership is pleased to present the findings of this survey on public perceptions of immigration in Waterloo Region that was conducted by the University of Waterloo’s Survey Research Centre. Public perceptions of immigration vary widely around the world. They are the topic of significant public opinion research in Canada. Immigrants add richness to the social and cultural life of communities like Waterloo Region, and there is a pressing economic imperative for immigration to fuel labour force growth. Public perceptions influence behaviours in community, impact the experiences of immigrants and their desire to stay and contribute to a thriving, prosperous community. Read the full report on perceptions of immigration before and during COVID-19 here and consider how you can positively impact this. 
FindYourJob.ca Virtual Job Fair
Immigration Partnership is partnering on this virtual job fair organized by Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin on October 6. Job seekers will have the opportunity to connect with 20 employers that are hiring for over 300 positions by registering for the findyourjob.ca. This job fair will have a special focus on manufacturing and health care jobs in Waterloo, Dufferin, Wellington, and Guelph. Job Seeker Registration Now Open.
Building an Organizational Culture of Evaluation. Stories From the Field, Sept 24
The Centre for Community Based Research is organizing a series of webinars related to evaluation. The first of them will focus on organizational culture of evaluation on Sept 24 and will feature the participation of our executive director, Tara Bedard, along with Rich Janzen, Research Director and Co-Executive Director at the Centre for Community Based Research, and Nabiha Atallah, Advisor on Strategic Initiatives at Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia. Registration to attend this event is open.
Lessons Learned by Not-for-Profits During the Pandemic, Sept 30
Immigration Partnership is partnering with the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce and TD Bank to present this virtual session of the Manulife Business Success Series. Elizabeth Heald of Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation and Susan Dusick of St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation will talk about the lessons learned by Not-for-Profits during the Pandemic. Registration is open.
Community Service Updates 
Immigrant Services and Interpretation Open

New: St. Louis has a mix of delivery models for its ESL and LINC classes at this time:
  • Literacy and CLB 1 levels
  • Daytime classes will run on a hybrid model of 2 cohorts. Each cohort will attend in person for 2 days and will work online from home on the other 3 days
  • Evening classes will have each cohort attend 1 day/week and work from home the other day
  • Saturday classes will run remotely
  • CLB 2+ level
  • All classes will run remotely
  • St. Francis
  • All levels will run remotely until the school is ready. Then the Literacy and CLB 1 levels will pivot to the hybrid model. More information, please email Janet.Waito@wcdsb.ca.
Nominations Are Now Open for the 2020 University of waterloo President’s
Community Impact Awards

These annual awards hosted by the University of Waterloo recognize individuals or teams of community members, students, staff or faculty who embody the University’s spirit of innovation and contribute to making Waterloo Region strong and prosperous. The deadline for nominations is October 5, 2020.
Apply for the Region of Waterloo Anti-Racism Advisory Working Group

This Working Group will develop recommendations for Regional Council to create an Anti-Racism plan based on community input. Waterloo Region residents interested in applying to be a member of the Anti-Racism Advisory Working Group have until October 5 to submit an application. The Selection Committee select members by October 16. 
Presentation of the Evaluation of OK2BME Services on October 22

Join members of the OK2BME team and its partners from Wilfrid Laurier University  in presenting and discussing the findings of a three-year evaluation of the OK2BME program funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

How to Help
New refugee arrivals recently resumed in Waterloo Region. #High5ForNewcomers is the new campaign of Reception House to raise money to help refugees who recently arrived in Waterloo Region and had to self-isolate in a hotel room. They need some essential hygiene items and snacks. With just a $5 donation, you can make a difference in their lives. Please consider donating here!
Federal, Provincial and Local Updates
COVID-19 Information and Resources
Are you looking for COVID-19 multilingual resources and support in Waterloo Region? Visit the Immigration Partnership Website for a running list of resources and tools for immigrants and newcomers.
This report released by Statistics Canada on Sept 17 shows that “the experiences of discrimination (...) varied across ethnocultural characteristics. Chinese, Korean, Southeast Asian and Black participants were more than twice as likely as White participants to report that they had experienced discrimination.”
The Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin is holding virtual sessions to hear from youth about their employment, job seeking and learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using that information, they will develop employment programming to assist youth during the crisis and in the new workplaces post-pandemic.
The University of British Columbia Migration brings this podcast series entitled "Global Migration: COVID- 19 and Beyond.” Exploring migration during the time of COVID-19, the series brings together a diverse array of experts to discuss the many ways the outbreak of the novel coronavirus is transforming global migration.
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses and physical distancing is relaxed, immigrants will have to adapt to new realities in workplaces (and when searching for job opportunities). This TRIEC article includes some recommendations for managing some of these realities as an immigrant professional.
In this article, the Conference Board of Canada offers insights on August’s Labour Force Survey (LFS), developed by Statistics Canada. It says: “Employment rose by only 245,800 in August, the smallest increase since the recovery began in May. With restrictions largely lifted across the country, slower employment growth will be the norm through the recovery.”
Other Information and Resources
Newcomer Families Learning Together Program
Newcomer Families Learning Together is a fun free online program hosted by Project READ Literacy Network Waterloo – Wellington for parents and children age birth to 4 years who are newcomers to Canada. It is to help parents get children ready for school and to share fun learning activities to do at home with their child. Families can register by calling 519-570-3054 Tuesday to Thursday from 10am to 4pm.
This short video introduces the subject of mental health and well-being in a way that resonates with a wide audience of newcomers and reduces stigma. The direct messaging from IRCC to newcomers on this topic is intended to complement existing resources and videos in the health and settlement sectors.
"The positive effect of immigration on productivity is consistent with the proposition that immigrants are complementary to native-born workers in terms of skills and firms increase job/task specialization to benefit from the comparative advantages of immigrants and native-born workers," says this study presented by Statistics Canada.
Visit the Government of Ontario website to access training and support to get a license or certificate in your profession or trade. Bridge training programs help immigrants who have international training and experience to find employment in Ontario.
This edition of the Refugee Sponsorship and Training Programs (RSTP) bulletin includes information on how sponsored refugees can apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN) online if they are not issued one on arrival at the airport and the details of upcoming webinars and online workshops in English and French.
Anti-Black bullying and systemic racism in schools have been more widely reported across the country in recent years, yet, among educators and school administrators, there’s still often an unwillingness to acknowledge this and make changes. Watch this HuffPost Canada video to hear from two Black Canadian students on what Canada’s schools should do to fight anti-Black racism.
We Are In This Together
Local Man Doing Odd Jobs in Exchange for Donations
By Kitchener Today

Chris Hussey, as the team captain for the Reception House Freestylers in the Ride for Rescue, his goal is to raise $500 – he plans to do this by offering his services to the community in exchange for donations. (...) “There are a lot of people who have been impacted by the pandemic much more than I, so if I can use this campaign to give back while also raising a bit of money for refugees, I think that would be really amazing,” he said. Read the full story here.
Virtual Events and Webinars
Google Analytics for Small Business: Online Webinar, Sept 22, 7-8:30pm
Join Ontario Digital Main Street Initiative to learn how to connect your website to Google Analytics, to set up Google Analytics properly to filter out irrelevant traffic, to create custom views and set goals within Google Analytics and much more.
Black Lives in Child Welfare Matter. A Listening to Community Voices, Sept 23, 5:30-7:30pm
As Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region continues to work on implementing the One Vision One Voices 11 Race Equity Practices to end the overrepresentation of African Canadians in the child welfare system, they want to invite community members to this community online forum. Register by Sept 21.
Service Canada Webinars for Settlement Agency Workers, Sept 23, 11:30am-1:00pm, and Sept 24, 1-2:30pm
Service Canada in collaboration with Canada Revenue Agency is offering free webinars to learn about the Federal programs and benefits such as Social Insurance Number, Employment Insurance, Old Age Security, Canada Pension Plan, etc.
For more information and registration, please email elina.udhin@servicecanada.gc.ca. Register before Sept 22, 2020.
"Becoming an Active Bystander," Porch Chat, Sept 24, 7-9pm
Facilitated by the Mennonite Central Committee, in this Porch Chat participants will discuss the theory and practice behind being an active bystander. This Porch Chat is part of a series facilitated in partnership with the Keep Families Safe Coalition striving to prevent family violence in the Region of Waterloo due to the increased stress and isolation due to the pandemic.
Setting the Course for Cultural and Religious Diversity, Sept 29, 11am-1:30pm
Governance indicators can be important tools for governments and civil society actors to monitor and assess the impact of policies and practices and to gauge public perceptions and attitudes towards diversity and inclusion. This CERC in Migration and Integration workshop will explore the role of indicators in supporting good governance.
Navigating Online Communications: Essential Tips for Healthcare and Settlement Service Providers, Sept 30, 1pm
Gain practical tips with this National Newcomer Navigation Network webinar on navigating online communications: How to engage and gain rapport with your clients in an online environment, harnessing effective speaking skills, special considerations when communicating with Canadian newcomers online, and much more!
Income Benefits during COVID-19, Oct 1st 10:30am-12pm
CLEO Connect is hosting this webinar for front-line workers on CERB to Employment Insurance (EI) plus new Canada Recovery Benefits. CERB payments will soon end but many people will not be returning to work. This webinar focuses on what the new EI program will offer and who will get access and who can apply for the new Canada Recovery Benefits. ASL interpretation will be available.
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 (dvandebelt@regionofwaterloo.ca) and Alejandra Amezquita Gutierrez (AAmez@regionofwaterloo.ca)
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