Canada announces funding for Saskatoon to develop immigration strategy and help newcomers settle

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), in partnership with provincial governments and immigrant settlement service providing organizations, has been delivering programs and services for smaller communities across Canada wanting to attract immigrants and support their settlement and integration by their own for their growth and sustainability.

Recently, CIC has announced funding of $74,000 to help Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) promote and coordinate early settlement and integration support for immigrants and refugees moving to the city. The funding will basically support the development of mutual awareness, understanding and appreciation among racial, religious and ethnocultural groups as well as help newcomers with providing meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities; coordinating and promoting existing services for newcomers; and helping newcomers integrate into the community.

Additionally, this funding will also help meet the recommendations of the report entitled Building Saskatoon to Become a Global City: A Framework for an Immigration Plan. This report provides the City of Saskatoon with a framework for developing and implementing an immigration action plan. It also provides guidance on what the city can do on its own and what it needs to do in partnership with other governments and stakeholders.

As part of its $1.4 billion ‘additional settlement funding package’ over five years to provinces and territories other than Quebec, Canadian government will provide Saskatchewan more than $5.5 million in basic settlement funding during 2008-09, an increase of more than $1.5 million over the previous year.