Research Library

Older Muslim immigrants experience multiple vulnerabilities living in Canada. This study explores the experiences of Muslim older adults in Edmonton, AB during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify ways to build community resilience. Three major themes were: 1) loneliness, 2) decreased access to resources for connection, 3) capacity limits on services. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges associated with aging in the Muslim population and contributed to further marginalization, with mosques being sites of support during times of crises. Policymakers and service providers must explore ways of engaging mosque-based support systems in meeting the needs of older Muslim adults during pandemics. Older Muslim immigrants experience multiple vulnerabilities living in Canada. This study explores the experiences of Muslim older adults in Edmonton, AB during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify ways to build community resilience. Three major themes were: 1) loneliness, 2) decreased access to resources for connection, 3) capacity limits on services. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges associated with aging in the Muslim population and contributed to further marginalization, with mosques being sites of support during times of crises. Policymakers and service providers must explore ways of engaging mosque-based support systems in meeting the needs of older Muslim adults during pandemics.
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This comprehensive overview of available services, gaps and needs of immigrants and refugees in Calgary offers insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by newcomers in accessing services. The report delves into the initial conditions, focusing on immigration trends, government involvement, and the role of private sector funders. It also explores the structure and governance of the immigrant-serving sector. The findings highlight the need for improved collaboration, increased funding, and enhanced accountability measures to ensure effective service delivery. This comprehensive overview of available services, gaps and needs of immigrants and refugees in Calgary offers insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by newcomers in accessing services. The report delves into the initial conditions, focusing on immigration trends, government involvement, and the role of private sector funders. It also explores the structure and governance of the immigrant-serving sector. The findings highlight the need for improved collaboration, increased funding, and enhanced accountability measures to ensure effective service delivery.
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Underpinned by neoliberal rationalities, the contractual relationship between government funders and immigrant-serving organisations (ISOs) has led these agencies to promote neoliberal values of competition in the business market, prioritising quantity over quality in their services in order to secure government funding. Informed by Foucault’s concept of governmentality as its theoretical framework and institutional ethnography (IE) as its methodology, our study investigates the work experiences of 18 immigrant settlement workers (ISWs) at three ISOs in western Canada. This study identifies how following an outcomes-driven evaluation approach, as required by the federal government, produces a series of textually mediated accountabilities, constructing translocal textual social relations that further coordinate and govern ISWs’ conduct in their local ISO workplaces. This evaluation approach, as analyzed in our study, is exercised as the technologies of ruling power, which is strengthened by the ruling of systems, workplace knowledge, social relations, and the governed-self, producing ideal ISWs who are self-accountable, self-regulated, adaptable, and productive. This process of making ideal ISWs legitimises ISWs’ apparatus role in reinforcing technologies of ruling power from the individual, organisational and institutional perspectives to better serve the agenda of the state. Underpinned by neoliberal rationalities, the contractual relationship between government funders and immigrant-serving organisations (ISOs) has led these agencies to promote neoliberal values of competition in the business market, prioritising quantity over quality in their services in order to secure government funding. Informed by Foucault’s concept of governmentality as its theoretical framework and institutional ethnography (IE) as its methodology, our study investigates the work experiences of 18 immigrant settlement workers (ISWs) at three ISOs in western Canada. This study identifies how following an outcomes-driven evaluation approach, as required by the federal government, produces a series of textually mediated accountabilities, constructing translocal textual social relations that further coordinate and govern ISWs’ conduct in their local ISO workplaces. This evaluation approach, as analyzed in our study, is exercised as the technologies of ruling power, which is strengthened by the ruling of systems, workplace knowledge, social relations, and the governed-self, producing ideal ISWs who are self-accountable, self-regulated, adaptable, and productive. This process of making ideal ISWs legitimises ISWs’ apparatus role in reinforcing technologies of ruling power from the individual, organisational and institutional perspectives to better serve the agenda of the state.
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The EMCN Community Report for 2021-2022 highlights the organization’s efforts to enhance the quality of life for newcomers and all Canadians. The report covers a wide range of topics, including settlement services, employment programs, language services, and therapeutic programs. EMCN has been a key catalyst in positively shaping attitudes and behaviours towards newcomers, and the report showcases the organization’s core values, collaborations with other organizations, and initiatives such as the EMCN Refugee Donation Centre and the RISE Awards. The report also includes personal stories of individuals who have benefited from EMCN’s services, highlighting the impact that the organization has had on their lives. Overall, the EMCN Community Report for 2021-2022 provides a comprehensive overview of the organization’s work and its commitment to building a more inclusive and welcoming community. The EMCN Community Report for 2021-2022 highlights the organization’s efforts to enhance the quality of life for newcomers and all Canadians. The report covers a wide range of topics, including settlement services, employment programs, language services, and therapeutic programs. EMCN has been a key catalyst in positively shaping attitudes and behaviours towards newcomers, and the report showcases the organization’s core values, collaborations with other organizations, and initiatives such as the EMCN Refugee Donation Centre and the RISE Awards. The report also includes personal stories of individuals who have benefited from EMCN’s services, highlighting the impact that the organization has had on their lives. Overall, the EMCN Community Report for 2021-2022 provides a comprehensive overview of the organization’s work and its commitment to building a more inclusive and welcoming community.
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Sport participation is popularly constructed as a key aspect of integration for newcomers into their new countries of residence. These claims, however, are critiqued by sport and migration researchers. While newcomer sport participation is receiving increasing scholarly interest, lived experiences of newcomers in introductory winter sport programmes and the (in)efficacy of such programmes remains underexplored. Winter sports hold a central place within Canadian culture and identity, making the intersection between winter sport, immigration, integration, and Canadian identity a timely topic of investigation. This thesis explored the realities of designing and implementing introductory winter sport programmes as well as the lived experiences of newcomer participants in Calgary, AB. First, six Canadian Intro to Sport programmes in Calgary involving newcomers were examined. Results from this study were incorporated into designing the WinSport Newcomers Programme (WNP) in WinSport Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, AB. The WNP is an intersectoral community partnership comprising sport administrators, settlement service practitioners from three separate organizations, and me. I adopted a qualitative case study research design to explore the lived experiences of WNP participants and their parents as well as the (in)efficacy of the WNP as an intersectoral community partnership. Results illuminated the value of winter sport participation for newcomers to Canada as well as various challenges facing the sustainability of newcomer winter sport participation. The WNP represents a maturing intersectoral community partnership that has excelled at introducing newcomers to Canadian winter sports. Yet, various weaknesses (e.g., collaborators negotiating job-related time pressures) are obstructing the collaboration’s effectiveness. Together, the results critique and identify shortcomings in newcomer introductory winter sport programmes, while also offering important insights into how newcomer introductory winter sport programmes may be designed to foster positive outcomes. Sport participation is popularly constructed as a key aspect of integration for newcomers into their new countries of residence. These claims, however, are critiqued by sport and migration researchers. While newcomer sport participation is receiving increasing scholarly interest, lived experiences of newcomers in introductory winter sport programmes and the (in)efficacy of such programmes remains underexplored. Winter sports hold a central place within Canadian culture and identity, making the intersection between winter sport, immigration, integration, and Canadian identity a timely topic of investigation. This thesis explored the realities of designing and implementing introductory winter sport programmes as well as the lived experiences of newcomer participants in Calgary, AB. First, six Canadian Intro to Sport programmes in Calgary involving newcomers were examined. Results from this study were incorporated into designing the WinSport Newcomers Programme (WNP) in WinSport Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, AB. The WNP is an intersectoral community partnership comprising sport administrators, settlement service practitioners from three separate organizations, and me. I adopted a qualitative case study research design to explore the lived experiences of WNP participants and their parents as well as the (in)efficacy of the WNP as an intersectoral community partnership. Results illuminated the value of winter sport participation for newcomers to Canada as well as various challenges facing the sustainability of newcomer winter sport participation. The WNP represents a maturing intersectoral community partnership that has excelled at introducing newcomers to Canadian winter sports. Yet, various weaknesses (e.g., collaborators negotiating job-related time pressures) are obstructing the collaboration’s effectiveness. Together, the results critique and identify shortcomings in newcomer introductory winter sport programmes, while also offering important insights into how newcomer introductory winter sport programmes may be designed to foster positive outcomes.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

In this report, Edmonton City Council is being asked to approve the Anti-Racism Strategy to support the equity of racialized communities in Edmonton, structural changes within the City of Edmonton Administration, as well as the development of an implementation and financing plan to activate the Strategy. This work will be prioritized in Administration’s work for the long-term City Plan alignment. The proposed anti-racism strategy outlines 3 elements to advance anti-racism in Edmonton, and is asking Council for both approval of the strategy as well as an increase in operating expenditure budget. In this report, Edmonton City Council is being asked to approve the Anti-Racism Strategy to support the equity of racialized communities in Edmonton, structural changes within the City of Edmonton Administration, as well as the development of an implementation and financing plan to activate the Strategy. This work will be prioritized in Administration’s work for the long-term City Plan alignment. The proposed anti-racism strategy outlines 3 elements to advance anti-racism in Edmonton, and is asking Council for both approval of the strategy as well as an increase in operating expenditure budget.
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In this qualitative study, researchers conducted interviews with 11 participants who had entered Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and who had since loss status. Findings show policy changes, abuse and exploitation by employers, language barriers, and misinformation and language gaps drive workers out of status. Once without status, people often remain in Canada because they are motivated by issues related to family. These can include the continued desire to bring family members to Canada, financial responsibilities for family members in countries of origin, the desire to stay with Canadian partners or children, or the breakdown of family ties which dissuades the desire to return. Challenges of living without status include mental health struggles, financial strain, and barriers to service access. Interplays between factors driving status loss and experiences of those who live without status in Canada show that the state plays an important role in creating precarity through restrictive immigration and residency policies. Understandings the state’s role in the production of precarity may inform effective policy changes moving forward. In this qualitative study, researchers conducted interviews with 11 participants who had entered Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and who had since loss status. Findings show policy changes, abuse and exploitation by employers, language barriers, and misinformation and language gaps drive workers out of status. Once without status, people often remain in Canada because they are motivated by issues related to family. These can include the continued desire to bring family members to Canada, financial responsibilities for family members in countries of origin, the desire to stay with Canadian partners or children, or the breakdown of family ties which dissuades the desire to return. Challenges of living without status include mental health struggles, financial strain, and barriers to service access. Interplays between factors driving status loss and experiences of those who live without status in Canada show that the state plays an important role in creating precarity through restrictive immigration and residency policies. Understandings the state’s role in the production of precarity may inform effective policy changes moving forward.
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This report explores the municipal approaches to settlement system development in small communities in Alberta. It provides insights into the factors that shape municipal approaches to settlement systems in small communities, including economic immigration, collaborative networks, and service systems. The report presents a typology of municipal roles and applies it to specific municipalities, highlighting the constraints, advantages, and emergent issues associated with each role. The report concludes with recommendations for municipalities seeking to develop effective settlement systems in small communities. This report explores the municipal approaches to settlement system development in small communities in Alberta. It provides insights into the factors that shape municipal approaches to settlement systems in small communities, including economic immigration, collaborative networks, and service systems. The report presents a typology of municipal roles and applies it to specific municipalities, highlighting the constraints, advantages, and emergent issues associated with each role. The report concludes with recommendations for municipalities seeking to develop effective settlement systems in small communities.
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This cross-sectional study examines the healthcare experiences of Albertans during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on comparing experiences between those born in and outside Canada. The study collected 10,175 surveys in October 2020, with nearly 10% of respondents reporting their status as born outside Canada. The study found that foreign-born Albertans experienced more delays in care and had less access to healthcare services than Canadian-born Albertans. The study highlights the need for policy and practice changes to address the healthcare disparities faced by immigrant populations during the pandemic. This cross-sectional study examines the healthcare experiences of Albertans during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on comparing experiences between those born in and outside Canada. The study collected 10,175 surveys in October 2020, with nearly 10% of respondents reporting their status as born outside Canada. The study found that foreign-born Albertans experienced more delays in care and had less access to healthcare services than Canadian-born Albertans. The study highlights the need for policy and practice changes to address the healthcare disparities faced by immigrant populations during the pandemic.
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The Community Newcomer Needs Assessment is an opportunity for municipalities to learn about the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps of local services and supports for newcomers, and challenges the communities to develop a plan to address gaps and weaknesses; help municipalities assess challenges for newcomers provide information about the immigration process. Key strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in services and various challenges and opportunities for newcomers are identified in this report through the lens of the newcomer journey and the newcomer developing a sense of belonging. The Community Newcomer Needs Assessment is an opportunity for municipalities to learn about the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps of local services and supports for newcomers, and challenges the communities to develop a plan to address gaps and weaknesses; help municipalities assess challenges for newcomers provide information about the immigration process. Key strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in services and various challenges and opportunities for newcomers are identified in this report through the lens of the newcomer journey and the newcomer developing a sense of belonging.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly