Evaluation of settlement service programs for newcomers in ontario: A geographical perspective

Abstract

This article presents an evaluation of the two largest settlement programs --LINC and ISAP--in the province of Ontario in terms of their geographical distribution and j~mding allocation and in relation to the settlement patterns of new immigrants. This study found that the current locations of both programs largely match the settlement patterns of newcomers in Ontario. However, in the Toronto CMA, where over 75% of Ontario's newcomers live, settlement services remain concentrated in the historical immigrant reception area of the City of Toronto, although many new immix~rant L, vups settle directly in suburbia. Adoption qf the proposed National Allocation Formula for Ontario would reduce the disparities, but a modified model is needed for more equitable allocation of services and resources. This study should have useful po[icy implications. Because the Canadian government is contemplating new policies that would require fitture newcomers to move to smaller urban ccnttvs or rural towns to reduce overconcentration in large metropolitan areas, equitable provision qf settlement services in these centres and towns will become more important. Dans cet artich', l'on prEsente une t;valuation du CLIC et du PEAl, les deux programmes d'~;tablissement les plus importants dans la province de l'Ontario en fonction de leur distribution gdographique, de la rdpartition des subventions et des types de peuplement par les immigrants. Cette dtude a conclu que l'emplacement actuel des deux prog~unmes r~kte bien Ies far dont les nouveaux arrivds s'dtablissent dans la provincc. Toutetbis, h l'intErieur de la rdgion m(tropolitaine de Toronto, oh vivent plus de 75% des nouveaux venus en Ontario, les services d'dtablissement sont tot(jours concentr{s dans la zone d'accueil traditionnel des imtni~rants -c'est h dire, dans la rifle de Toronto -alors que plusieurs groupes de nouveaux an'ivants s'~;tablissement d'emblde dans la banlieue. Si la proposition sur les allocations mTtionales pour l'Ontario dtait adoptde, h's disparit~;s en semient r~;duites; il reste que h' module devrait Otre mod!fi~; pour assurer une allocation plus r des services et des n'ssources. Les rdsultats de cette (rude devraient s'avdrer utih's dans la formulation des politiques, d'autant plus que le gouvernement canadien envisage de nouvelles politiques qui obligemient les nouveaux arrivds h s'(tablir dans des centrcs urbains moins importants ou des villes situdes dans des rdgions rumles. Le but de ces politiques (tant de rdduire la concentration des ~h~blissements dans les ~rands centres urbains, il sera important d'assurer une rdpartition (quitable des services d'(tablissement dans ces autres n;gions.

Economic Benefits of Self‐Employment for Canadian Immigrants

“…An increasing number of studies since the late 1990s have substantiated that the earnings of new immigrants have deteriorated (Aydemir and Skuterud ; Nakhaie ; Picot and Hou ). They are more likely to live in poverty, often in areas with concentrations of poverty (Hiebert ; Wang and Truelove ). They experience unemployment and suffer from occupational segregation (Kazemipur and Nakhaie ; Nakhaie , ; Nakhaie and Kazemipur ; Picot and Hou ).…”

Overview of Employment Programs Available to Newcomers in Toronto and Their Role in Breaking Down Barriers to Employment

“…Reitz and Banerjee (2007) assert that the settlement patterns of immigrants also contribute to their employment difficulties as they tend to settle in urban areas where there is increased competition from the Canadian born who are also new to the job market. While suggestions have been made for newcomers to move to the more unpopulated and less metropolitan areas of Canada, integration services remain a challenge (Wang and Truelove, 2003;Lo et al 2010), in addition to connecting with their ethnic communities (Reitz, 2007).…”

Ethnic Concentration and Nonprofit Organizations: The Political and Urban Geography of Immigrant Services in Boston, Massachusetts

“…As localized forms of urban governance spread throughout the Western world, municipalities in Europe, Canada, and Australia, particularly those experiencing new influx of immigrants with very diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds, are likely to experience similar geographic inequalities in the ability of various immigrant groups to integrate economically and socially. While nonprofit organizations may not have the same importance everywhere, the global spread of neoliberal forms of urban governance is likely to have a similar impact on other cities where the responsibility of social service provision is shifting to local agencies and non-state actors (see Truelove, 2000;Wang and Truelove, 2003;Bloemraad, 2006;Bilodeau, McAllister, and Kanji, 2010). Multi-city studies that compare the role of nonprofits, as well as other state and non-state local actors, under different cultural, institutional, and policy contexts, and take into account variations in the size, characteristics, and geographic distributions of immigrant populations, should prove useful in refining the results presented here and furthering our understanding of the urban and political geography of immigrant integration.…”

“…In many places, nonprofits have become increasingly involved in providing legal, educational, social, health, and employment services to immigrants (Hein, ; Cordero‐Guzman, ; Hung, ; Cantor and De Vita, ; deGraauw, ; Lee and De Vita, ; de Leon et al ., ). However, in municipalities with a limited history of immigrant settlement or more dispersed patterns, such organizations may not exist at all, limiting not just the quantity and quality of integration services provided, but also the ability to advocate for additional resources on behalf of immigrants (Hutcheson and Dominguez, ; Truelove, ; Wang and Truelove, ).…”