MEDIA RELEASE – APRIL 24, 2009
A Conference Board of Canada Leaders’ Roundtable on Immigration wrapped up in Chatham today with community leaders vowing to renew their efforts to attract entrepreneurs and skilled professions to Chatham-Kent.
The delegates heard that there is growing evidence that immigrants fare better when they move to smaller population areas, such as Chatham-Kent, instead of major population centres. Immigration is a priority in the strategic directions of Chatham-Kent Council.
"These are people who can help to renew our local economy and create opportunities for everyone in Chatham-Kent," said Mayor Randy Hope following the conference. ‘Immigrant entrepreneurs can create new businesses and services, as can skilled professionals. Our Council has formally recognized this important fact."
Hope says that he and other community leaders are planning to form a newcomer employers network organization in south west Ontario: "The details have to be worked out yet", said Hope, "The basic idea is that local employers in all sectors will work together to strengthen our capacity to integrate internationally trained professionals into the workplace. This will do much to make local businesses more competitive and build a thriving regional economy."
The concept has received good initial support from various organizations at the conference.
Hector Delanghe, representative of Foreign Agricultural Resource Management, a farm organization that manages seasonal farm labour, said, "In Chatham-Kent there are more possibilities in agriculture than in any other part of Canada. We have the climate, the infrastructure and skilled farmers. Working with the network, we can ensure the future success of value-added agriculture."
"With our Head Office in Chatham and operation centres in the region in Windsor, Sarnia and London, Union Gas is excited about the opportunity to support the launch of an employer-based council on employment and immigration in this region," said Jeff Bowerbank, the Manager of Diversity and Recruitment for Union Gas Limited.
The conference also resulted in a potential new educational partnership that will support the role of internationally trained professionals in Chatham-Kent. Ryerson University’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education and St. Clair College Thames Campus have arrived at an understanding that could help both immigrants and employees work more effectively together. The Chang School is a central hub for continuing education, the largest of its kind in Canada. Today the two institutions announced their intention to seek funding to extend a Professional Communication for Employment program to Chatham-Kent and support the integration of immigrant professionals into the Canadian labour market. The basic program is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario.
"We don’t have anything like this in Chatham-Kent right now," said Mark Benoit, Chair of the St. Clair College School of Academic Studies. "and because our community has established immigration as a priority, it will be important both to support immigrants in adjustment Canadian workplace culture and to help employers understand the cultures of their employees."
Dr. Nava Israel, the program manager at Ryerson, says the program brings immigrants into Canadian culture and Canadian born people into a multicultural world. "This program lays some of the ground work to attract immigrants to the community," said Israel, the program manager at Ryerson. "It is a competency based program. The people learning must demonstrate what they can do and the performance is evaluated by objective standards that are based upon the needs of employers."
The theme of the conference was Immigrant-Friendly Communities: Making Immigration Work for Employers and Other Stakeholders in Small Town Canada. Business and municipal officials shared ideas on how smaller Canadian communities can attract, retain and integrate immigrants, with a focus on the role of employers. The event was held in collaboration with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, The Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Union Gas – A Spectra Energy Company, and RM Classic Cars.
Speakers on Thursday’s program include Mayor Martin Shields of Brooks, Alberta, Conference Board of Canada, Associate Director of Education and Health - Diana MacKay and McCain Foods Ltd., Chief Information Officer - Roman Coba. Friday's presenters include Jean Augustine, Fairness Commissioner - Office of the Fairness Commissioner Government of Ontario and panellist Lenore Burton, Director General of Citizenship and Immigration.
General media contact:
Communications Officer – Chief Administrative Office,
Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Civic Centre,
315 King Street West,
Chatham ON N7M 5K8
Tel: 519.360.1998
E-mail: ckcommunications@chatham-kent.ca