A different kind of diversity: Peterborough immigration centre’s response to quadrupled clientele
Why It Matters
With immigrants being blamed for everything from a lack of affordable housing to stretched health care, Canada’s once wide-open policies have become more restrictive. Add in escalating Canada-U.S. tensions, and government funding is no longer guaranteed.
An immigrant support centre in southern Ontario says it’s trying to diversify quickly after its client numbers nearly quadrupled over the past ten years.
Peterborough’s New Canadians Centre (NCC) has grown to expand to meet the needs of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine, record high levels of immigration and a local community that wants to do more to help and learn about newcomer experiences.
“[Receiving funding through the Resettlement Assistance Program in 2015] was a major moment of growth for us,” said Executive Director Andy Cragg.
“There was the galvanizing of community interest. … The community wanted to step up.”
According to statistics in its annual reports, the yearly intake of clients has grown from 578 to 2,082. Staffing numbers, which Cragg said hovered around 20 before the program’s launch, are up to
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