As we wind down the year, it is time to take a step back and reflect on what has been accomplished, what positive change or impact we have had, and how we will appreciate our accomplishments through self-care and organizational care. We do not do enough of this as advocates and practitioners in the public benefit sector. This is as good a time as any to start.
This program by Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion provides high school students from select schools with mentorship opportunities to develop leadership and life skills. Using an anti-black racism framework, the program supports students to strengthen leadership and civic engagement skills while empowering and inspiring them to create their narratives and pathways to success, and prepare to be strong advocates for their communities.
We held the #UsToo Roundtable on March 2, 2018. The roundtable featured voices from leaders from across Ontario, sharing their expertise on how to better serve immigrant and refugee survivors of gender-based violence. We used recommendations from the Roundtable to develop the #UsToo Working Paper, which is available to download here: www.immigrantandrefugeenff.ca/us-too
Allies in Refugee Integration Survey
OCASI and Refugee 613 are conducting an online survey as part of the “Allies in Refugee Integration Project” with the goal of strengthening collaboration between settlement providers and private refugee sponsors. To complete the 10 minute survey, click here. The survey is open until December 19, 2018. Please share widely, and thank you for your participation!
OCMS - Power At Your Fingertips
Are you an immigrant and refugee-serving agency looking for a way to streamline client information? Do you wish you could generate reports quickly and easily, including respond to last-minute changes requested by funders? OCASI’s Client Management System (OCMS) can do all that and more for you. We are better than ever with a move to a new online platform on Microsoft Azure™.
Foundations of Settlement Work in Ontario is a free, comprehensive resource for everyone who works with and supports immigrants, refugees, and people with precarious or no status. Learn about history, immigration policy and law, the immigrant and refugee-serving sector, and how to support newcomers in working through common barriers and challenges to settlement and integration.
The article What is the Assistive Devices Program? has information about the Ontario Assistive Devices Program and how it helps people pay for customized equipment, like wheelchairs and hearing aids. Do I have to get tenant insurance?explains tenant insurance is not mandatory in Ontario but there are many reasons why you might want get some if you are renting.
SECTOR HAPPENINGS
Health Care Coverage For Migrants
Health community practitioners have written an open letter calling for federal government action following a recent UN Human Rights Committee decision. The Committee condemned Canada for denying access to essential health care on the basis of immigration status based on the case of Nell Toussaint. Individuals and organizations in Canada can sign the open letter until Friday, December 14th, 2018.
On November 22, 2018, the Ontario government announced changes to Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). The Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) presents a webinar reviewing the proposed changes, what they will mean for low-income people in Ontario, and next steps that people in the community can take.
Following legalization of Cannabis in Canada, in December 2018 tough new penalties are imposed on those who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including cannabis. In addition to a fine, criminal charges or jail, permanent residents may lose their status and be deported; temporary residents may not be able to enter or stay in Canada.
To mark International Human Rights Day (December 10), the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) will release an interim report on its inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination of Black persons by the Toronto Police Service. The report, A collective impact will be available online following the launch.
A new study from Statistics Canada uses the linked Longitudinal Immigration Database and T1 Family File to examine the initial location and onward migration decisions of economic immigrants landed after 2003 in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver. The study found immigration category plays less of a role in explaining the onward migration decision, compared with the initial location decision.
This new report from Mowat Centre finds Indigenous peoples and certain visible minority groups in Ontario have important and worrisome educational attainment gaps when compared with the Ontario average. Almost three in ten young Ontarians – and one in three young men in Ontario – are entering an increasingly demanding labour market without any postsecondary training or credential.
