Support of New Immigrants: Toronto Wants Your Input at Open Dialogue Sessions on Jan.16, 2014

This video presents “Newcomers.”

  • “We are Centennial College ECE students.
  • We are advocating for Newcomers to Canada.
  • Based on our research, we found out there are lots of issues are facing to newcomers.“

Through a public conversation, the City of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, wants to identify what’s working, what needs to change and what are the best ways to address barriers to City services for newcomers.

  • The City also wants to identify next steps in facilitating civic participation of newcomers.

To start a conversation about a variety of social issues affecting our communities, The City of Toronto, in partnership with Ontario Coalition of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), invites you to attend the following two Open Dialog sessions on January 16, 2014, at The 519 Church Street Community Centre, 519 Church St., 2nd Floor Auditorium:

  • FREE, Open Dialogue session: Permanent Resident Voting in Municipal Elections; 9:30 a.m. to noon.
    • Registration starts at 9:00 a.m.
    • RSVP: Please register at eventbrite or 416-392-5617.
      • They encourage you to register early, as space is limited.
      • Light refreshments will be served.
        • Please contact them if you have any dietary requirements.
    • Supporting Civic Engagement and Community Capacity is one of the four pillars of the Toronto Newcomer Strategy, endorsed by Toronto City Council in 2013.
      • The City Council also made a request to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to “amend the necessary legislation to allow permanent residents the right to vote in municipal elections.”
      • The City’s Executive Director of the Social Development, Finance & Administration (SDFA), in partnership with OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, is organizing an Open Dialogue session to open a conversation on next steps and how to best facilitate this change.
      • Join them for:
        • opening remarks by Chris Brillinger, Executive Director, SDFA, City of Toronto;
        • an engaging panel discussion, moderated by Debbie Douglas, Executive Director, OCASI, highlighting perspectives of Nathalie Des Rosiers, Executive Director and General Counsel of Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Nawal Al-Busaidi, Manager, Thorncliffe Neighborhood Office and Councillor Joe Mihevc, Ward 21, St. Paul’s; and
        • an open, public discussion on newcomer access to City services.

  • FREE, Open Dialogue session: Newcomer Access to City Services; 1:30 to 4 p.m.

    • Registration starts at 1:00 p.m.
    • RSVP: Please register at eventbrite or 416-392-5617.
      • They encourage you to register early, as space is limited.
      • Light refreshments will be served.
        • Please contact them if you have any dietary requirements.
    • Improving Newcomer Access to City Services is one of the four pillars of the Toronto Newcomer Strategy, endorsed by Toronto City Council in 2013.
      • The Strategy was developed through extensive consultation and research, which identified that newcomers experience multiple barriers in accessing City services.
      • The City’s Executive Director of the Social Development, Finance & Administration (SDFA), in partnership with OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants is organizing an Open Dialogue session to discuss newcomer access to City services.
      • Please join them and help them to identify what’s working, what needs to change and what are the best ways to address barriers to access.
      • Join them for:
        • opening remarks by Chris Brillinger, Executive Director, SDFA, City of Toronto;
        • an engaging panel discussion, moderated by Debbie Douglas, Executive Director, OCASI;
          • (panelists include Elaine Baxter-Trahair, General Manager, Children’s Services, City of Toronto, Councillor Janet Davis, Ward 31, Beaches – East York, Sultana Jahangir, community member, Cheryl MacDonald, Manager with the City’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division, and Angela Robertson, Executive Director, Central Toronto Community Health Centres.) and
        • an open, public discussion on newcomer access to City services.

Please click here for more info.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

NEWS RELEASE

January 13, 2014

City of Toronto wants input on ways to support new immigrants

The City of Toronto, in partnership with Ontario Coalition of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), will be hosting two Open Dialogue sessions designed to start a conversation about a variety of social issues affecting our communities, and to engage a broad range of community members, including Councillors, staff and community agencies.

Date: Thursday, January 16
Time: 9:30 a.m. to noon: Permanent Resident Voting in Municipal Elections; 1:30 to 4 p.m.: Newcomer Access to City Services
Location: The 519 Church Street Community Centre
519 Church St., 2nd Floor Auditorium

Through a public conversation, the City wants to identify what’s working, what needs to change and what are the best ways to address barriers to City services for newcomers. The City also wants to identify next steps in facilitating civic participation of newcomers.
Improving access to City services for new immigrants and supporting their civic engagement are two of the pillars of the Toronto Newcomer Strategy, endorsed by Toronto City Council in 2013. The Strategy was developed through extensive consultation and research, which identified that newcomers experience multiple barriers in accessing City services.

To learn more or to register for a session, visit: http://www.toronto.ca/opendialogue or call 311.

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

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