Backgrounder

Government of Canada supports expansion of settlement services for newcomers in libraries across Ontario

The Government of Canada wants to help newcomers to Canada succeed. To make settlement services more accessible for newcomers, the Government is committing more than $1.9 million to seven service provider organizations that provide settlement services in 14 different public library branches in Brampton, Kitchener, Richmond Hill, Windsor and London. The funding is provided under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA).

Organizations receiving funding in today’s announcement:

• Brampton Multicultural Community Centre: $373,059
• Catholic Community Services of York Region: $414,131
• Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre: $398,324
• New Canadians’ Centre of Excellence, Windsor: $543,840
• Centre for Lifelong Learning and LUSO Community Services, London : $130,463
• South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre: $95,808

The Library Settlement Partnerships Program was originally piloted in Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton. In total, the program will now be offered in 46 library branches throughout Ontario, as well as one bookmobile throughout Ontario, and will involve 23 service provider organizations.

Settlement services are an essential part of the federal government’s immigration program. Ontario has the largest immigrant population in the country. Through the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, the Government of Canada has increased settlement funding for Ontario by $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.

In total, since 2006, the Government began investing an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding in provinces and territories outside Quebec.