What is Local Immigration Partnership?
Niagara Local Immigration Partnership is one of over 30 Local Immigration Partnerships funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI) and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
The Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), which was signed in 2005, generated the right conditions to create the Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs). For the first time, federal and provincial governments explicitly committed to involve municipalities in planning and decision-making related to immigration.
The Municipal Immigration Committee (MIC) – co-chaired by CIC, MCI and AMO – was established under COIA to explore municipal interests in immigration. Read More
Consultations were held with 700 stakeholders in 10 Ontario communities. This research supported the development of Local Immigration Partnerships to address community needs. Read More
As municipalities gained a voice, consensus emerged on the key priorities: attraction, retention, settlement, and integration. "Putting out the Welcome Mat: Why Immigration Matters to Ontario Municipalities."
In 2010, The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration recognized LIPs as a best practice and recommended that CIC continue to support LIPs in Ontario and expand the model to other regions. Read More
There is growing recognition that immigrant integration is a community issue – not an immigrant issue – therefore, we all have a role to play in being more welcoming and inclusive.
Niagara Local Immigration Partnership has developed a Newcomer’s Guide to Services in Niagara to raise awareness to mainstream service providing agencies and faith and ethno-cultural groups on the availability of services for newcomers regardless of point of entry. Newcomer Guide to Services in Niagara
A quarterly newsletter will now be available to keep communities in touch with the work of Niagara Local Immigration Partnership. Niagara Local Immigrant Partnership Newsletter June 2012 edition
Resources
Welcoming Communities Initiative‐Community University Research Alliance (WCI‐CURA), which is a network focused on conducting research and offering resources to help cities in Ontario attract and fully integrate newcomers.
Welcoming Communities Website
Local Immigration Partnership Handbook