Canadian Government Offers $38 million to help newcomers in Toronto

On December 7, 2007 The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Diane Finley announced a $38 million in funding for 15 partner agencies in the Halton and Peel Regions of Greater Toronto Area to deliver settlement and integration services to immigrants in the community. This funding, will help more than 150,000 newcomers access settlement services including help finding a job through employment related services, orientation, translation and interpretation services; help with referrals to community resources; and counselling services.

The Minister announced that "The Government of Canada is committed to helping newcomers succeed with their new lives in Canada, The Halton and Peel Regions in Toronto, Ontario are two of the fastest growing immigrant communities in Canada. With this funding, thousands of new immigrants will be able to better integrate into their communities and have more opportunities to find work for themselves and their families."

Citizenship and Immigration Canada, in partnership with provinces, territories and settlement providers, delivers programs and services that help newcomers settle, adapt and integrate into Canadian society. In addition to the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program, these services include: Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC), which provides basic language training; and the Host Program, which helps immigrants by connecting them with volunteers who help them access services, establish contacts in their field of work and participate in the community.

Funding for the fifteen agencies is provided under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement. Through this Agreement, the Government of Canada has increased funding for settlement and language training to Ontario by a total of $920 million over five years. Under COIA, Citizenship and Immigration Canada works with the province and immigrant-serving agencies to make a real difference in the lives of immigrants. Overall, the federal government is providing $1.3 billion in settlement funding over five years to provinces and territories outside of Quebec, which receives annual funding through a separate agreement.