The face of Simcoe County is changing.
In 2016, the county was home to nearly 62,000 foreign-born residents, accounting for 13 per cent of the total population.
While most settled in Barrie, many other municipalities in Simcoe County, including Bradford West Gwillimbury, have seen an increase in the number of residents for whom English is a second language.
Several county and Bradford organizations are trying to get the word out about some of the local resources offered for newcomers and employers.
“Success looks like immigrants (who) want to stay in Simcoe County,” said Sandra Lee, manager of the county’s Local Immigration Partnership, which was established in 2011.
In 2012, “a lot of people were unaware that we have a growing immigrant population,” she said.
Municipalities, schools, social services needed to prepare the resources that would help to integrate the newcomers to Canada and the county.
“Opportunity (involves creating) mechanisms that will support the economic integration of newcomers,” she said, adding other goals of the partnership include embracing and celebrating multiculturalism, and encouraging immigrants to play leadership roles in their communities.
The County of Simcoe has since launched a number of programs to create welcoming communities, including the #ItStarts program that asks residents to stand up against racism and discrimination, and a series of Community Connections fairs bringing together community partners to address key problems facing newcomers, such as isolation and lack of employment.
Studies and surveys show that “recent immigrants are more likely to be unemployed,” Lee said.
One of the county’s Community Connections fairs was hosted at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Leisure Centre May 1 to introduce local immigrants to organizations offering everything from school preparedness programs, to job-hunting services.
Many of the programs focused on families, and helping children of newcomers adapt to Canadian schools.
The Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library, for example, is a community hub for children’s programming and crafts, and it carries books and DVDs in 12 languages. It also offers Mango Languages online training.
EarlyON Child and Family Centres provides a welcoming Stay and Play program for all parents and caregivers and their children, and it has extensive resources in multiple languages on child development, health and education.
Bradford Immigrant and Community Services has long provided a welcome centre for newcomers and programs, such as Getting Ready for Kindergarten, and SCAMP, a free summer camp in July that helps children whose first language is not English prepare for school.
On the employer side, bradford WORKS is available to help newcomers find work.
Approximately 40 per cent of the employment agency’s clients are newcomers who tend to be “unemployed or severely under-employed,” said bradford WORKS’ Valerie Ellis.
“Seventy-three percent of the people we deal with end up employed. We’re very, very proud of that number.”
She said employees are often hampered by bias in the workplace and barriers created by employers who demand “Canadian experience” of new hires.
Job developer Ram Mohan has been working with local employers to overcome those barriers. “Bradford employers are willing, but they are not sure,” Mohan said, so bradford WORKS does the preliminary screening, follow up, and even offers incentives to willing employers.
“We give them the confidence and support. We try to hand-hold.”
The result, Mohan said, has been positive.
“We have excellent success stories. If there’s ever an issue, we will work with the employer … to see they get the best person.”
More resources:- County of Simcoe, https://immigration.simcoe.ca.
- CONTACT Community Services/bradford WORKS, 95 Holland St. West, unit 105, 905-778-9058, www.bradfordworks.ca
- Bradford Immigrant Community Services, 11 Holland St East, 905-775-3343 or 905-775-1498, www.bradfordimmigrant.com
- BWG Public Library, 425 Holland St. West, 905-775-3328, www.bradford.library.on.ca
- EarlyON Child and Family Centre, 118 Barrie St., 905-775-3039, ext. 229, www.simcoecommunityservices.ca
