Backgrounder - Announcement of settlement funding to help newcomers settle in the Scarborough area

Canada’s Government wants to help newcomers succeed. Toronto has one of the largest immigrant populations in the country. To help newcomers settle in the community of Scarborough in the City of Toronto, the Government is committing more than $10 million over the next two years (through to 2010) to six agencies that provide settlement services.

The funding is provided under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement. Listed below are the six agencies receiving the funding in today’s announcement.

• Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto :  $2,636,961
• Catholic Cross-Cultural Services :  $4,458,538
• East Metro Youth Services :  $220,730
• Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA):  $420,208
• Canadian Arab Federation :  $2,544,815
• Tropicana Community Services:  $203,954
• Total:  $10,485,206

Funding was also announced earlier this year for a number of other organizations that serve newcomers in Scarborough. Listed below are three organizations that have received funding since January 2008.

Previously Announced Funding

• Centre for Information and Community Services of Ontario :  $6,203,960
• YMCA of Greater Toronto :  $1,520,485
• South Asian Family Support Services:  $1,397,171
• Total:  $9,121,616

Settlement services are an essential part of the federal government’s immigration program. Through the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), the Government of Canada has increased settlement funding for Ontario by $920 million over five years. Under the COIA, CIC works with the province and immigrant-serving agencies to make a real difference in the lives of immigrants. In 2006, the Government of Canada began investing an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding in provinces and territories outside Quebec.

The 2008 Budget also introduced changes to modernize the immigration system and to shorten the time it takes to bring newcomers and their families to Canada. Under this system, instructions will be issued to immigration officers related to the processing of applications, including in relation to the jobs available in Canada, so that people with those skills and experience can be brought to Canada more quickly. With these changes, newcomers could have more opportunities to find work sooner, to provide a better life for themselves and their families and to benefit more from life in Canada.