Pathways to Prosperity: Ontario

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM EST

Opening and Welcome 

Conference Co-chairs: Deepikaa Gupta, Coordinator, Grey Bruce LIP, and Médétonwan Olivier Guédé, Coordinator, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA)

• Opening Remarks and Land Acknowledgement
• A Few Words from the Pathways to Prosperity Co-Chair Victoria Esses

10:15 AM – 11:30 AM EST

Collaboration among LIPs, among RIF, and between RIF and LIPs (Video)

Chair: Melanie Bailey, Project Manager, PEI Provincial Immigration Partnership Program

LIPs and RIF have many common interests and goals, such as attracting and retaining (Francophone) newcomers, combating racism and discrimination, and promoting more welcoming communities for immigrants. Collaboration among RIF, among LIPs, and between the two can ensure knowledge, promising practices, and resources are shared and used to their full potential. In this session we will discuss how these collaborations can be optimized, and hear about some successful collaborations that are supporting the work of LIPs and RIF across the country.

• Eastern Ontario Region Immigration Attraction & Retention Strategy: Working Together towards a Common Goal (Download Presentation)
  Jodi Bucholtz, Manager, Local Immigration Partnership – Lanark & Renfrew and Hindia Mohamoud, Director, Ottawa LIP
• “All Together against Racism and Discrimination!” (Download Presentation)
  Brigitte Duguay Langlais, Coordinator, Réseau de soutien à l’immigration francophone de l’est de l’Ontario (RSIFEO)
• Southwestern Ontario LIP-RIF Collaboration (Download Presentation)
  Petrusia Hontar, Manager, St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM EST

White Privilege
Facilitators : Florentien Verhage, Inter-Cultural Association of Great Victoria, and Ajà Besler, Fondation dialogue

LIPs and RIF Working in Small and Rural Communities and Preparing for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Facilitator : Marcel Marinho, Eastman Region Immigration Partnerships

Promising Practices in Setting Up and Utilizing Online Tools for Reporting Discrimination
Facilitator : Sarah Shafiq, Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener Waterloo

01:45 AM – 02:45 PM EST

The Role of LIPs and RIF in Truth and Reconciliation
Facilitator: Sarah Wayland, Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council

Promising Practices in Providing Content for Targets and Witnesses of Discrimination
Facilitators: Natasha Hernandez, Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council and Catherine St-Hilaire, Réseau de soutien à l’immigration francophone de l’est de l’Ontario (RSIFEO)

Wellness Workshop – Talking Circle
Facilitator: Chrystal Toop, Blackbird Medicine

Promising Practices in Providing Content for Targets and Witnesses of Discrimination (Virtual)
Facilitator: Amy Andrews, Niagara Local Immigration Partnership, and Lisa Garlent, Niagara Local Immigration Partnership

The Role of LIPs and RIF in Truth and Reconciliation (Virtual)
Facilitator : Annette Sharkey, Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan

03:15 – 04:30 PM EST

Leveraging LIPs’ and RIF’s Influence to Promote a More Equitable Welcome to Refugees from Different Regions of the World (Video)
Chair: Abiha Syed, Community Engagement Coordinator, Immigration Partnership Waterloo Region

As Canada works to welcome large numbers of refugees from different regions of the world, it is essential that equity be evident in how different groups of refugees are viewed, treated, and integrated into Canadian society. Using recent examples, this session will highlight why perceptions of inequity have arisen, and we will discuss how LIPs and RIF can use their substantial influence to further the goal of ensuring that all refugees coming to Canada feel welcomed and supported.

• Responding to Recent Refugee Crises: Lessons from Hamilton (Download Presentation)
  Rashed Afif, Chair, Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council, and Mohammad Araf, Program Officer, Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council
• Refugee Sponsorship in Canada: How Much is Reserved for Francophone Communities? (Download Presentation)
  Apollinaire Yengayenge, Project Manager, La Cité des Affaires
• The Role of RIF and LIPs in Creating Equity in Refugee Resettlement
  Bella Nceke, Community and Stakeholder Relations Manager, Refugee 613

04:30 – 04:45 PM EST

Closing Remarks

Conference Co-chairs: Deepikaa Gupta, Coordinator, Grey Bruce LIP, and Médétonwan Olivier Guédé, Coordinator, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA)