Tuesday 30 October
The Ottawa Local immigration Partnership (OLIP), in partnership with the Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), hosted a workshop last Tuesday at the YM-YWCA Centre on Argyle Avenue. The purpose of the event was to provide a forum for providing input to the upcoming consultation with Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada, as a prelude to defining Canada’s immigration policies and targets for the next decade. Among the participants were: OLIP Director, Hindia Mohamed; IRCC Mananger Richard Lecours; Executive Director Catholic Centre for Immigrants, Carl Nicholson; Executive Director, Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organisation Leslie Emory; Somali Centre’s Executive Director Abdi Karod; Senior Director, YM-YWCA Employment & Immigrant Services, Melanie Vaughan; Director, Newcomer Information Centre, Salma Yarjani; Immigrant Women Services Ottawa Executive Director Mercy Lawluvi; as well as other managers, advocates and stakeholders from the settlement sector, housing, employment, social services, health and related programs. Following reports from small group discussions, a final set of recommendations was provided to IRCC staff to take back to their department for consideration.
All photos copyright Black Ottawa Scene