Research Library

Through focus groups with educators working with newcomer children, this study asked: 1) For newcomer families, what are indicators of quality in early learning and child care?, and 2) What are the essential dispositions child care educators demonstrate that meet the needs of newcomer children and families? 5 key themes were identified, including language barriers and tensions, the need for flexibility, and how educators can grow, seek and co-learn with newcomer families. Through focus groups with educators working with newcomer children, this study asked: 1) For newcomer families, what are indicators of quality in early learning and child care?, and 2) What are the essential dispositions child care educators demonstrate that meet the needs of newcomer children and families? 5 key themes were identified, including language barriers and tensions, the need for flexibility, and how educators can grow, seek and co-learn with newcomer families.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

Referral processes are central to ensuring that newcomer clients are connected with appropriate programming and service offerings to support their settlement, integration, and overall wellbeing. These processes involve referring clients from one agency to another based on their specific needs and circumstances. However, the effectiveness of referral processes in Alberta is influenced by a variety of factors, including agency capacity, confidentiality concerns, and the ad hoc nature of follow-up on referrals. This report discusses major barriers to the referral process between Albertan immigrant serving agencies, as well as recommendations for improvement. Referral processes are central to ensuring that newcomer clients are connected with appropriate programming and service offerings to support their settlement, integration, and overall wellbeing. These processes involve referring clients from one agency to another based on their specific needs and circumstances. However, the effectiveness of referral processes in Alberta is influenced by a variety of factors, including agency capacity, confidentiality concerns, and the ad hoc nature of follow-up on referrals. This report discusses major barriers to the referral process between Albertan immigrant serving agencies, as well as recommendations for improvement.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This report presents findings from the 2020 Family Violence (FV) Broker & Apartment 1310 program evaluations. This year’s evaluation was completed by Habitus Collective and covers the period from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. The Family Violence Brokers are a supplementary, gender-based support to CCIS Cultural Brokerage Program (CCBP) families who present with family violence concerns. Apartment 1310 provides temporary accommodation and immediate programming for low-risk perpetrators of family violence who are mandated to separate from the family. Beginning in March 2020, the programs had to adapt to frequently changing circumstances and public health regulations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in office closures, work from home mandates, and periods when in-person contact with families was limited or not possible requiring adaptation to virtual or hybrid service delivery. Furthermore, families were and will continue to be facing pandemic-related challenges and stress, which may increase the likelihood or severity of family violence. From the period January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020, the Family Violence Brokers supported a total of 234 families, including 267 adults and 154 children. This was a 28.6% increase from the year prior despite a drop in total CCBP cases. Family Violence clients represented 47 countries of origin and 29 language groups. At the individual level, Canada, India, and the Philippines were the main countries of origin, which aligns to the main countries of origin for recent immigrants to Alberta as a whole. The majority of clients were Canadian Citizens (61%) or Permanent Residents (35%). Due to health restrictions, Apartment 1310 hosted only three residents this year. Evaluation activities revealed that the program along with Apartment 1310 are highly valued by Children’s Services staff, clients, and Brokers. This report presents findings from the 2020 Family Violence (FV) Broker & Apartment 1310 program evaluations. This year’s evaluation was completed by Habitus Collective and covers the period from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. The Family Violence Brokers are a supplementary, gender-based support to CCIS Cultural Brokerage Program (CCBP) families who present with family violence concerns. Apartment 1310 provides temporary accommodation and immediate programming for low-risk perpetrators of family violence who are mandated to separate from the family. Beginning in March 2020, the programs had to adapt to frequently changing circumstances and public health regulations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in office closures, work from home mandates, and periods when in-person contact with families was limited or not possible requiring adaptation to virtual or hybrid service delivery. Furthermore, families were and will continue to be facing pandemic-related challenges and stress, which may increase the likelihood or severity of family violence. From the period January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020, the Family Violence Brokers supported a total of 234 families, including 267 adults and 154 children. This was a 28.6% increase from the year prior despite a drop in total CCBP cases. Family Violence clients represented 47 countries of origin and 29 language groups. At the individual level, Canada, India, and the Philippines were the main countries of origin, which aligns to the main countries of origin for recent immigrants to Alberta as a whole. The majority of clients were Canadian Citizens (61%) or Permanent Residents (35%). Due to health restrictions, Apartment 1310 hosted only three residents this year. Evaluation activities revealed that the program along with Apartment 1310 are highly valued by Children’s Services staff, clients, and Brokers.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

The article outlines the story of Vanessa Desa and how she founded the Edmonton Refugee and Emerging Community Scholarship fund to help refugee and newcomer youth pursue post-secondary opportunities. The article outlines the story of Vanessa Desa and how she founded the Edmonton Refugee and Emerging Community Scholarship fund to help refugee and newcomer youth pursue post-secondary opportunities.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This study explored the support and service experiences of resettled Syrian refugee parents of autistic children in terms of their pre- and post-migration. These lived experiences were investigated with participants (n = 3) through semi-structured interviews using interpretive phenomenological analysis. This study identified the supports and services parents received, their experiences with those services, their overall experiences with resettlement having an autistic child(ren), the implications of culture in support/service provision, and their perceived areas of service need during and after their resettlement in Alberta, Canada. Parents all had unique experiences that were delineated through clustered emergent themes and subsequently organized into a superordinate conceptual structure. The results of the study are discussed in the context of theory and relevant literature to elucidate and make findings applicable. Practical implications and future directions are discussed. This study explored the support and service experiences of resettled Syrian refugee parents of autistic children in terms of their pre- and post-migration. These lived experiences were investigated with participants (n = 3) through semi-structured interviews using interpretive phenomenological analysis. This study identified the supports and services parents received, their experiences with those services, their overall experiences with resettlement having an autistic child(ren), the implications of culture in support/service provision, and their perceived areas of service need during and after their resettlement in Alberta, Canada. Parents all had unique experiences that were delineated through clustered emergent themes and subsequently organized into a superordinate conceptual structure. The results of the study are discussed in the context of theory and relevant literature to elucidate and make findings applicable. Practical implications and future directions are discussed.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This thesis examined the narrative abilities of bilingual, English L2 newcomer and immigrant children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Typical Development (TD). Compared to the monolingual research, there have been fewer studies examining narratives in clinical bilingual groups, especially bilinguals with ASD, and no study so far has compared bilinguals with ASD to bilinguals with DLD. This thesis asked: (1) Is macrostructure an area of weakness in DLD? (2) Do children with ASD experience difficulties with structural language, i.e., morphology and syntax? (3) Are narrative skills requiring perspective-taking abilities equally vulnerable in ASD and DLD? (4) Do bilinguals with ASD and DLD use the second language input they receive to the same as bilinguals with TD? Identified differences between newcomer children with ASD, DLD or TD can be utilized to create tailored interventions. This thesis examined the narrative abilities of bilingual, English L2 newcomer and immigrant children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Typical Development (TD). Compared to the monolingual research, there have been fewer studies examining narratives in clinical bilingual groups, especially bilinguals with ASD, and no study so far has compared bilinguals with ASD to bilinguals with DLD. This thesis asked: (1) Is macrostructure an area of weakness in DLD? (2) Do children with ASD experience difficulties with structural language, i.e., morphology and syntax? (3) Are narrative skills requiring perspective-taking abilities equally vulnerable in ASD and DLD? (4) Do bilinguals with ASD and DLD use the second language input they receive to the same as bilinguals with TD? Identified differences between newcomer children with ASD, DLD or TD can be utilized to create tailored interventions.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

About one in five Canadians is a former immigrant. In 2019, Canada welcomed over 340,000 permanent residents, 43,000 of whom came to Alberta.2 Starting in 2021, Canada proposes an ambitious plan to welcome even more permanent residents to Canada, increasing Canada’s population by more than 1 per cent every year for the next three years. Newcomers are an integral part of Canada; they support the local economy in towns and cities across the country by filling employment gaps and contributing their knowledge, skills and experiences to the community. Educated, skilled economic newcomers allow Canada to build its future economic capacity to address a shrinking labour force in the country. To help newcomers integrate in Canada, achieve their full potential and participate in the labour market and in society, the Government of Canada supports newcomers through settlement and integration services. The Settlement Program is characterized by a public-private partnership between the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), provinces and territories, municipalities and many partner organizations. Settlement services are delivered by a network of local organizations and service providers to all newcomers arriving in Canada, removing barriers to their full participation in life and work in Canada and providing them with the tools needed for a smooth and fast integration into their new home – Canada. To evaluate the success of its Settlement Program, the IRCC developed a Performance Measurement Strategy. The Strategy outlines some immediate and intermediate desired outcomes of newcomer settlement and integration, including newcomers’ labour market participation and income, their ability to use the official languages, their uptake of services, participation in the community and the program’s ability to meet and adapt to their needs. To measure the level of integration by newcomers and estimate the direct and measurable outputs of program delivery, the government often uses proxy variables (such as service uptake, naturalization rate, labour market indicators and newcomers’ own sense of belonging). The introduction of Express Entry system in 2015 changed the way Canada selects immigrants. Canada now prioritizes younger, educated individuals with work experience, strong English or French language skills and the ability to integrate in Canada. These immigrants have high human capital (intangible personal attributes such as knowledge, skills, training and experience). These highly-educated skilled economic newcomers prioritize employment integration above all in the hopes of putting their knowledge, education and skills into use upon arrival in Canada. However, once in Canada, many skilled economic immigrants struggle to quickly and effectively integrate economically. This varied economic integration occurs in part because Canada’s Settlement Program is slow to respond to the needs of high skilled economic immigrants. Additional opportunities of on-the job training and improvements to the system of professional accreditation would allow newcomers to contribute their knowledge and skills to the Canadian society while enhancing their skills and easing their integration. To achieve this, settlement services must be made more accessible for all types of newcomers by offering services much sooner in the immigration process and expanding the eligibility criteria for services beyond permanent residents to include temporary residents and naturalized Canadians. To understand newcomer integration from a local perspective, I address settlement and integration services in Calgary, Alberta. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cooling off of the natural resources market, the city is experiencing unemployment levels much higher than the national average. Newcomers in Calgary are especially impacted by the recession as they tend to experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. With the economy predicted to be sluggish for the next few years, settlement programs are more important than ever, especially as the Government of Canada prepares to welcome over 400,000 of newcomers annually until at least 2023, some of whom will arrive in Calgary. Afterwards, I also give a preliminary overview and evaluation of the Alberta Gateway Project. About one in five Canadians is a former immigrant. In 2019, Canada welcomed over 340,000 permanent residents, 43,000 of whom came to Alberta.2 Starting in 2021, Canada proposes an ambitious plan to welcome even more permanent residents to Canada, increasing Canada’s population by more than 1 per cent every year for the next three years. Newcomers are an integral part of Canada; they support the local economy in towns and cities across the country by filling employment gaps and contributing their knowledge, skills and experiences to the community. Educated, skilled economic newcomers allow Canada to build its future economic capacity to address a shrinking labour force in the country. To help newcomers integrate in Canada, achieve their full potential and participate in the labour market and in society, the Government of Canada supports newcomers through settlement and integration services. The Settlement Program is characterized by a public-private partnership between the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), provinces and territories, municipalities and many partner organizations. Settlement services are delivered by a network of local organizations and service providers to all newcomers arriving in Canada, removing barriers to their full participation in life and work in Canada and providing them with the tools needed for a smooth and fast integration into their new home – Canada. To evaluate the success of its Settlement Program, the IRCC developed a Performance Measurement Strategy. The Strategy outlines some immediate and intermediate desired outcomes of newcomer settlement and integration, including newcomers’ labour market participation and income, their ability to use the official languages, their uptake of services, participation in the community and the program’s ability to meet and adapt to their needs. To measure the level of integration by newcomers and estimate the direct and measurable outputs of program delivery, the government often uses proxy variables (such as service uptake, naturalization rate, labour market indicators and newcomers’ own sense of belonging). The introduction of Express Entry system in 2015 changed the way Canada selects immigrants. Canada now prioritizes younger, educated individuals with work experience, strong English or French language skills and the ability to integrate in Canada. These immigrants have high human capital (intangible personal attributes such as knowledge, skills, training and experience). These highly-educated skilled economic newcomers prioritize employment integration above all in the hopes of putting their knowledge, education and skills into use upon arrival in Canada. However, once in Canada, many skilled economic immigrants struggle to quickly and effectively integrate economically. This varied economic integration occurs in part because Canada’s Settlement Program is slow to respond to the needs of high skilled economic immigrants. Additional opportunities of on-the job training and improvements to the system of professional accreditation would allow newcomers to contribute their knowledge and skills to the Canadian society while enhancing their skills and easing their integration. To achieve this, settlement services must be made more accessible for all types of newcomers by offering services much sooner in the immigration process and expanding the eligibility criteria for services beyond permanent residents to include temporary residents and naturalized Canadians. To understand newcomer integration from a local perspective, I address settlement and integration services in Calgary, Alberta. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cooling off of the natural resources market, the city is experiencing unemployment levels much higher than the national average. Newcomers in Calgary are especially impacted by the recession as they tend to experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. With the economy predicted to be sluggish for the next few years, settlement programs are more important than ever, especially as the Government of Canada prepares to welcome over 400,000 of newcomers annually until at least 2023, some of whom will arrive in Calgary. Afterwards, I also give a preliminary overview and evaluation of the Alberta Gateway Project.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

Service providers and program managers from organizations working with newcomers participated in focus groups or interviews. Questions centered on mental health challenges, opportunities and/or priorities of newcomer young men in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Service providers and program managers from organizations working with newcomers participated in focus groups or interviews. Questions centered on mental health challenges, opportunities and/or priorities of newcomer young men in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

Systemic and overt racism exist within education systems. If we are serious about addressing the problem of systemic racism and its effects within Edmonton Public Schools and on our students then we must first collect data that shows the race of the students we serve and the outcomes that these students experience. Currently, the lack of race-based data is making it difficult to measure educational inequalities and to identify inequities that exist because of racism and discrimination. This report describes recommendations to the Board of Trustees of Edmonton Public Schools to implement race-based data collection in their school board. Systemic and overt racism exist within education systems. If we are serious about addressing the problem of systemic racism and its effects within Edmonton Public Schools and on our students then we must first collect data that shows the race of the students we serve and the outcomes that these students experience. Currently, the lack of race-based data is making it difficult to measure educational inequalities and to identify inequities that exist because of racism and discrimination. This report describes recommendations to the Board of Trustees of Edmonton Public Schools to implement race-based data collection in their school board.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly