City of Vancouver launches settlement strategy for immigrants and refugees

Vancouver has rolled out a plan to help newcomers in the city.

Although there are a lot of services available to recent arrivals, many immigrants and refugees face barriers to their settlement.

As an example, newcomers are more likely to have unemployment rates that are higher than established immigrants and those who were born in Canada.

In 2014, the City of Vancouver entered into a partnership with the federal government to strengthen local capacity to integrate newcomers.

The result is a new settlement and integration strategy that was presented to council Wednesday (September 21).

Vancouver social planner Baldwin Wong told councillors that the plan is compatible to the objective of building a healthy city.

Called New Start, the strategy covers four major areas. One is the enhancement of access to services and programs. The second is strengthening intercultural and civic engagement. The third is creating welcoming and inclusive workplaces. The fourth is having governments and public institutions address the news of newcomers.

The strategy document notes that based on residency status in 2011, slightly over half or 52 percent of the population in Vancouver was born in Canada.

The paper cites that in the same year, 37 percent of the population was comprised of established immigrants or those who came before 2006. Seven percent of residents arrived in Canada between 2006 and 2011. The remaining four percent includes temporary workers and international students.