London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership Central...
Transcript of London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership Central...
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
January 31, 2011 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Kinsmen Recreation Centre, Room 4 20 Granville Street
Agenda
5:00 Welcome & Introductions 5:05 Guest Presentation – Jennifer Hollis, London Middlesex Immigrant Employment
Council (LMIEC) 5:20 Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan (SMCP) – Katherine Haine 5:35 Co-Chair Remarks
a. Meeting re: Child and Youth Network and Strengthening Neighbourhood Strategy
b. Contract extension c. Other updates
5:50 Approval of November 30, 2010 Meeting Minutes 5:55 WCI Update – Vicki Esses 6:05 Sub-council Updates
a. Status of two funding applications (HCF and Trillium) (project staff) b. Review of Year One Plan of each Sub-council- Chairs c. CIC funding
6:45 Proposed March 7 Community Event - Elisabeth and Huda 7:00 Wrap-up and Next Meeting: February 28, 5:00 - 7:00 pm., Kinsmen Recreation
Centre, room 4
Funded by: Co-led by:
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership Central Council Monday, January 31, 2011 Present: Elisabeth White, German Gutierrez, Dev Sainani, Anne Langille, Lauren Touchant, Vicki Esses, Naeem Qureshi, Munira Ahmed, Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Debbie Turnbull, Huda Hussein, and Nina Hamou. Via Teleconference: Jean-Pierre Cantin. Guests: Katherine Haine, City Media and Jennifer Hollis, London Middlesex Immigrant Employment Council (LMIEC). Regrets: Kelly McManus, Henri Boyi, George Perez and Asma Ahmad. Welcome & Introductions Elisabeth welcomed Jennifer Hollis from LMIEC and Katherine Haine from City Media. Guest Presentation – Jennifer Hollis, London Middlesex Immigrant Employment Council (LMIEC) Jennifer provided an overview and background on the LMIEC. The LIMEC is focused on “Engaging employers in immigrant employment solutions.” LMIEC supports the business community’s needs with the resources to hire skilled immigrants. Some successes of LMIEC include:
• 160+ business leaders actively championing newcomer talent within their companies, business networks, sector industries and/or small and medium sized enterprise client base.
• 150+ employers actively marketing. • 120+ newcomers hired through companies involved in LMIEC Employer Leadership
Strategy.
Key next steps for LMIEC are:
• Increased employer utilization of regional recruitment and retention resources • Increasing business awareness of tools/resources available • Making connections between employer and newcomers • Attracting and retaining newcomer talent to our region
LMIEC celebrates the successes in small companies. The mentorship opportunities focus on soft skills and understanding the Canadian work culture. ACTION: Presentation will be shared with Central Council members via email. Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan (SMCP) – Katherine Haine, City Media
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Katherine presented the work plan for the SMCP which was developed in consultation with the Advisory Committee. She asked the Central Council to provide her with feedback on the direction of the work plan. The work plan is divided in three parts:
• Phase one- Begin work plan Jan. 21- Jan. 28 • Phase two- Draft of SMCP Feb. 3- Feb. 18 • Phase three- Community input Feb. 28 – March 7
A first draft of the plan will be presented to Central Council at the next meeting on Monday, February 28. Desired outcomes of the SMCP are:
• To create a multilingual social networking platform • To engage ethno-communities • Aggregation ethno-communities to one voice • Translate and communicate to host community
Feedback from the Central Council:
• It is important to recognize the diversity within the immigrant community but still to heighten the unique needs of the community as a whole.
• Information from the SMCP needs to be carefully framed. • When informing programs and services we need to focus on changing the hearts and
minds of the host community not those who are working with immigrants and understand their needs.
Katherine clarified that the “Host Community” refers to all of London and Middlesex and that each Sub-council will be the generator of messages. Co-Chair Remarks – Elisabeth White Elisabeth confirmed that a tentative meeting has been scheduled with Cheryl Smith, Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy and Lynne Livingstone, Chair of Child & Youth Network, for March 28. Details of the meeting will be confirmed. A sub-committee was formed to discuss Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) budget recommendations for the LMLIP contract extension. ACTION: Anne, Vicki and Jean-Pierre volunteered to be part of the sub-committee. At the Municipal Immigration Committee meeting, CIC and Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration (MCI) representatives discussed the need for LIP work to continue and expand. Approval of Meeting Minutes Meeting minutes of November 30, 2010 were approved. Sub-council Updates Education Sub-council, Jean-Pierre Cantin, Chair
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The Education Sub-council is concerned about the CIC funding cuts. Most of the priorities deal with increasing services, now they are being asked to do more with less money. This will have an impact on services offered to immigrants. The ESL mapping is underway and will be completed by March 31. Other priorities will not be completed by March 31. In March, the Sub-council will review and discuss priorities they will pursue in the next year. The CIC funding cuts were found to be an issue for all the Sub-councils. Elisabeth shared that she had chatted with Kelly and they discussed waiting another month to see what is happening in the community before moving much further regarding discussing impact of funding cuts. Some LIPs in the province have taken a political approach and others feel they are not in a position to advocate. There was concern from the group that despite the declining immigration rate, there is an existing population in London that has not moved. There was also concern that the funding cuts will affect the implementation of the Community Immigrant Strategic Plan. ACTION: Discussion on response from the LMLIP will be an agenda item for the next meeting. Inclusion & Civic Engagement, German Gutierrez, Chair German shared that a meeting with community members will be held early February to discuss the funding application through the CIC Inter-Action Event Stream for events which will engage immigrants and the host community. In terms of creating a Neighbourhood Immigrant Engagement Strategy, volunteers have been compiling and adapting resources and best-practices from our community into a resource manual. Employment Sub-council, Anne Langille, Chair Employment Sub-council will meet their year one plan and discussion on priorities for year two plan has started. Settlement Sub-council, Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Chair First draft of the Settlement Brochure will be ready by the week of February 7. Sub-council added Managing Finances as another priority. South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre has implemented 8 workshops this year. An environmental scan will be done to see what other agencies are doing in this area. Opportunities for information sharing and collaboration will be discussed. Two other areas which were discussed, but not implemented in year one, are the priories of Family Challenges and Housing. These may be taken in year two plan when the group meets in March. Health & Wellbeing Sub-council, Debbie Turnbull, Chair
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A funding proposal will be put in through the Healthy Community Fund in order advance a strategy related to Mental Health and Addiction. A brochure on Health Literacy is also being developed. Discussions in the other working groups will continue and will be re-evaluated in March. Debbie announced that has accepted a new position and will resign from the Health & Wellbeing Sub-council as Chair. Justice & Protection Services Sub-Council, Nina Hamou on behalf of Trevor Hinds, Chair Nina shared that Marcel will be adapting the Toronto Police Guide to be used with the ESL and LINC lesson plans. He will then get a copy printed and bound and get an estimate by February. Sheila Carson is examining her funds to develop lesson plans and a DVD. In terms of the Ontario Trillium Fund (OTF) application to improve awareness of legal rights and responsibilities in Canada through ongoing outreach to immigrants and applying culturally sound approaches, we are waiting to hear if London InterCommunity Health Centre can take the lead on the application. Huda is in the process of connecting with the OTF Staff to discuss our plan for this community project and an application will be submitted accordingly. ACTION: A document will be created to highlight key achievements of all sub-councils to community. Proposed March 7 Community Event – Elisabeth and Huda Elisabeth shared that there are resources in the budget for a community event if we wish to do one. The event would be an opportunity to update the community on what we have done and for Katherine to get community input on the SMCP. Huda shared the proposed agenda for the day. As outlined in the proposed agenda, community will be provided with optional sessions for the late afternoon. The agenda was distributed to members. Elisabeth reiterated that this is a proposed activity and Council may decide to hold or not to hold the Community Meeting. Agreed to proceed with March 7 event and to start with overview of successes followed by SMCP consultation with optional session after break. The members felt that there was not enough time in the March 7 agenda to provide an update by each sub-council. The optional sessions should be relevant, engaging and should also celebrate the success of the LMLIP. It was recommended that future community events should be held in the evening. WCI Update – Vicki Esses Vicki will provide an update at the next meeting. Wrap-up and Next Meeting The issue of communication protocols was brought up. It was clarified that only the Co-Chairs will address the media on the LMLIP. February 28, 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Kinsmen Recreation Centre, Room 4. Regrets to: [email protected]
Funded by: Co-led by:
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
February 28, 2011 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Kinsmen Recreation Centre, Room 4 20 Granville Street
Agenda
5:00 Welcome & Introductions 5:05 Draft Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan (SMCP) – Katherine Haine 5:45 Co-Chair Remarks
a. Report on Contract extension b. Other updates
6:00 Approval of January 31, 2011 Meeting Minutes 6:05 Updates from LMLIP staff
a. LMLIP presentations b. Chatham-Kent LIP visit to London
6:10 March 7, Community Meeting
a. Presentation of the Draft LMLIP Year One Progress Report – Huda b. Update on the Community Meeting c. Rogers TV interviews on March 7, 2011
7:00 Wrap-up and Next Meeting: March 28, 5:00 - 7:00 pm., Kinsmen Recreation
Centre, Room 4 Note: April meeting to be rescheduled to April 28 or May 2 or 5
Funded by: Co-led by:
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership Central Council Monday, February 28
Present: Elisabeth White, Kelly McManus, Lauren Touchant, Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Jean-Pierre Cantin, German Gutierrez, Henri Boyi, Anne Langille, Asma Ahmadi, Huda Hussein and Nina Hamou. Regrets: Dev Sainani, Salah Badawi, Munira Ahmed, George Perez, Vicki Esses. Guest: Katherine Haine, City Media. Draft Strategic Multi-media Communication Plan (SMCP)
Katherine provided the group with a review of what has been accomplished to date. Interviews
have been conducted with key stakeholders, community groups and system partners. Katherine
shared responses from the groups interviewed and reported that some trends were beginning
to emerge. Over 50 community partners have been contacted, 30 have responded so far.
There was concern that the number of individual responses is not sufficient enough to draw
conclusions. Katherine clarified that the intention of the interviews was not to survey a random
statistical group but to get a higher level of understanding of the issues.
At the Community Meeting on Monday, March 7, there will be an opportunity for kitchen table
discussions. These discussions will involve groups of 10 to discuss the same questions that
have been sent to stakeholder groups. Over 120 individuals will be consulted in this session.
This will provide an opportunity to develop messages for the areas of focus and to test,
validate, and add to the depth of what we have learned so far.
It was noted that there are opportunities to further consult immigrants during phases of the
SMCP. Anne offered that a focus group could be held at WIL Employment Services.
Huda requested members of the Central Council to facilitate the kitchen table discussions on
March 7 meeting.
ACTION: Katherine will send out the list of the ethno-cultural groups who have been contacted.
ACTION: Huda will send the questions which will be asked at the Community Meeting kitchen
table discussions.
It was also noted that the term “host community” is still vague and should be clarified further.
ACTION: The Advisory Group will further discuss who is captured under “host community”.
Co-Chair Remarks
Elisabeth reported on the contract extension. A small sub-group met last week which included,
Anne, Vicki, Kelly and Elisabeth. Jean-Pierre is also part of this group but was unable to attend
the meeting. Items that arose from the sub-group discussion include:
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• No changes with current staffing
• The need to look at the Council governance structure - LMLIP will ask for funding to hire
someone to develop in-depth protocols related to governance
• LMLIP will request funding for one community event
• The need to determine how to continue to engage the community.
The Council endorsed the sub-group’s recommendations. The sub-group will continue to meet
to talk about the needs of the LMLIP Council.
Elisabeth confirmed that the meeting with Lynne Livingstone, Chair of the Child & Youth
Network (CYN) and Cheryl Smith, Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy (SNS), is scheduled
for March 28 at 2:00 pm. An email will be sent to confirm the location.
Debbie Turnbull, Chair of Health & Wellbeing and Trevor Hinds, Chair of Justice & Protection
Services have resigned from their positions as Sub-council Chairs. A call for expressions of
interest has been sent out by Elisabeth and Kelly and one person from each Sub-council has
responded. The two new Chairs will be introduced at the Community Meeting.
Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes of January 31, 2011 were approved.
Staff Updates
Huda and Nina reported on presentations and key meetings in the community. These include
presentations to:
• The London Council for Adult Education
• Rwandese Canadian Community of London
• Kipps Lane and Community group
• The Urban League of London
• The London InterCommunity Health Centre
• Women of the World program
Huda also noted that LMLIP has been invited to present at the Teaching English as a Second
Language (TESL) Conference in April. Jean-Pierre and Huda will present.
Huda also met with the Chatham LIP to share information on LMLIP, and responded to questions
regarding approach to recruitment and engagement of the Francophone community.
Community Meeting on March 7, 2011
Huda shared a draft of the Community Meeting presentation. Implemented strategies have been
organized according to the LMLIP Overarching Themes. The presentation will be sent out by
email and feedback will be required from Chairs by Wednesday, March 2.
Rogers TV will be at the Community Meeting, shooting footage for Community Connections,
and will be conducting interviews with Huda, Dev and Lauren. Rogers TV will also be taping the
Journey’s to Canada workshop.
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Next meeting and Wrap up
A presentation on the LMLIP will be made to the Community and Neighbourhoods Committee,
City of London on Tuesday, May 17, at 4:00 pm. More details to follow.
The next Central Council meeting is scheduled for March 28, 2011, 5:00-7:00 p.m., at Kinsmen
Recreation Centre (20 Granville Street), Room 4.
The April meeting will be rescheduled as it falls on Easter Monday.
Regrets to: [email protected]
Co-led by: Funded by:
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
March 28, 2011 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Kinsmen Recreation Centre, Room 4 20 Granville Street
Agenda
5:00 Welcome & Introductions 5:05 Draft Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan (SMCP) 6:00 Co-Chair Remarks
6:05 Approval of February 28, 2011 Meeting Minutes 6:10 WCI Update 6:20 CYN/SNS Meeting Update 6:25 LMLIP Staff Update 6:40 Sub-council Chair Updates 6:50 Endorsement of Community Achievement Report
7:00 Wrap-up and Next Meeting: May 2, 5:00 - 7:00 pm., Kinsmen Recreation Centre,
Room 4
Funded by: Co-led by:
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership Central Council March 28, 2011 Present: Elisabeth White, Kelly Mcmanus, Asma Ahmadi, Naeem Qureshi, Corinne Walsh, George Perez, Henri Boyi, German Gutierrez, Anne Langille, Lauren Touchant, Jean Pierre- Cantin, Ahmed Yahya Ali, Huda Hussein and Nina Hamou. Regrets: Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Dev Sainani, Vicki Esses, Munira Ahmed. Guest: Katherine Haine, CityMedia. Draft Strategic Multi-Media Communication Plan (SMCP) Katherine Haine gave an overview of the final draft SMCP. The purpose of the SMCP is to engage London and Middlesex residents in a conversation on the impact of immigration in London. Our primary objective is to create awareness among the London host community, debunking misconceptions/myths and strengthening the social cohesion of both Immigrant and Host communities. The following are the key deliverables for the plan:
• Create key messages that will resonate with the general public and the immigrant communities
• Engage ethno-specific media with the objectives of creating awareness among ethno-cultural groups about the host community and to engage them in the discussion
• Recommend social media strategies to engage communities in the discussion • Work with existing networks • Design evaluation tool
As a result of this research, CityMedia has made a number of recommendations grouped under the following strategies:
1. Improved Communication among Immigrant Communities (strength in numbers). 2. Improved Communication among the Host Community about immigration in London. 3. Increase Opportunities for Engagement of both Immigrant and Host communities and
Advocacy for the Immigrant community. 4. Develop Key Messaging based on communication and engagement requirements. 5. Leverage social media and existing communication channels. 6. Leverage existing target groups to enhance communication.
All of the feedback gathered in the consultation process contributed to the emerging themes and messages in this plan. The strategies, recommendations and key messages outlined in the plan could be used in a broader campaign in the future. Next steps for implementation:
• Communicate the objectives of the communication plan to stakeholders • Work with stakeholders to encourage a full promotional campaign • Rewrite and redesign promotional materials and messages in focus groups
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The group noted the following:
• The “one voice” concept is problematic given the uniqueness of each ethnic group. • There was agreement about strength in numbers. • Some of the work has already been done in this area and need to be cognizant of this
fact. • The plan does not reflect the biases/racism that most ethnic groups are facing. This is a
reality that cannot be ignored. • The plan is inspirational. • There is a need for messages that stop stereotyping (i.e., an individual crime related to
the whole community group). • The SMCP creates an opportunity to speak with one voice to the media.
Kelly encouraged the group to continue to review the document. Our time with Katherine is limited but this is a living document that belongs to the LMLIP. The group is requested to provide their feedback directly to Katherine by Friday, April 1, by email. Co-Chair Remarks Kelly welcomed the new Sub-council Chairs, Ahmed Yahya Ali, Chair of Justice & Protection Services and Corinne Walsh, Chair of Health & Wellbeing. Elisabeth shared that Salah Badawi has resigned his position as Immigrant Representative due to health reasons. ACTION: A formal thank you will be sent to Salah. A new immigrant representative will need to be recruited. Project staff will send a notice out through the immigrant community. ACTION: A Selection Committee will need to be formed. Naeem, Jean-Pierre and George volunteered. Two individuals submitted their interest for the position of the HWB Vice-chair. It was agreed that members will select a vice-chair through voting via email. On May 17, there will be a presentation by the Central Council to City Council. ACTION: All Central Council members are encouraged to attend. More details to follow. We are currently in the process of finalizing translation of the “Help Yourself Through Hard Times” booklet into Arabic, Spanish and French. Settlement and Health brochures have also been translated into seven languages. Elisabeth shared that she attended a consultation on LIP with a few representatives from Citizenship & Immigration Canada and other LIPs. The consultation was to assess the future of the LIPs and what supports will be needed. It is confirmed that LIPs will be established in the Prairie provinces. Meeting Minutes Minutes of February 28, 2011 were approved.
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Child & Youth Network (CYN) and Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy (SNS) Meeting Update Sub-council Chairs, Council co-chairs and project staff met with Cheryl Smith, SNS and Lynne Livingstone, Chair of CYN Monday, March 28. In October, the Council invited Cheryl and Lynne to present to the Central Council on CYN and SNS. Following that meeting, a document was prepared that shows areas of alignment. The LMLIP asked CYN and SNS to think about where we can maximize our resources and work together. Cheryl shared opportunities for engagement in SNS. Community leads will be meeting on April 7. After which, contact information will be shared and opportunities for collaboration can be identified further. Lynne presented on opportunities for areas where we can work together and areas where LMLIP can get involved with the CYN. “Poverty” and “Literacy” are two areas have been identified as areas where we can work together. Anne and Jean-Pierre will attend the next meeting of the groups. There are opportunities to get involved in the “common experience” and “neighbourhood engagement” areas related to system reengineering. Feedback from Community Meeting Huda indicated that the general response about the Community Meeting was positive. Nina shared the collated responses from the Community Meeting and is intended to be posted on the Immigration Portal. 132 individuals attended with 62 individuals responding to the survey. The survey provides us with insight on how the community would like to remain engaged in the future. Endorsement of the Community Achievement Report Huda shared the Draft Community Achievement Report with the Central Council. The report contains the information that was shared at the Community Meeting. Huda requested that individuals send in their comments by the end of the week. ACTION: Thoughts or comments on the Community Achievement Report should be sent to Huda by Friday April 1, 2011. Sub-council Chair Updates German shared that there was an initiative by the London Optimist Sports Centre looking at how to involve ethno-cultural groups. This is relevant to Inclusion and Civic Engagement and an opportunity to help promote and encourage the project. Jean-Pierre shared that the Education Sub-council will be looking at the impact of funding cuts at next meeting. Jean-Pierre also shared that he attended the Metropolis Conference in Vancouver where he presented on the topic “When and how language training needs to take place?” The final Metropolis Conference will be held next year in Toronto and he encouraged those who are able to make the trip to do so. Yahya reported the London Police Services has taken a lead on a strategy related to providing workshops to service providers working with immigrants. Corinne shared that Health & Wellbeing will be continuing initiatives identified in the year one plan.
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Wrap up and Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on May 2, 2011 at 5:00-7:00 pm. It was noted that this is Election Day and it may be an issue for those volunteering or who need to vote. Nina will be in contact with the group to see if we may need to reschedule. Regrets to: [email protected]
Co-led by: Funded by:
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
May 30, 2011
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Kinsmen Recreation Centre, Room 4
20 Granville Street
Agenda
5:00 Welcome & Introductions
5:05 Co-Chair Remarks
5:20 Approval of March 28, 2011 Meeting Minutes
5:25 WCI Update, Vicki Esses
5:40 Selection Committee Report on Immigrant Representative, Jean-Pierre Cantin
5:50 Report back from LMLIP Staff, Huda & Nina
6:00 LMLIP Governance, Elisabeth White & Kelly McManus
6:15 Year Two Moving Forward, Huda Hussein
6:40 Implementation of Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan (SMCP), Huda Hussein
7:00 Wrap-up and Next Meeting: Facilitated Discussion on June 27, 5:00 - 6:00 pm followed
by Social BBQ, 6:00 - 7:30 pm., at the Skills Centre, 141 Dundas Street, 6th
floor.
Funded by: Co-led by:
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
Monday, May 30, 2011
Present: Elisabeth White, Kelly McManus, Naeem Qureshi, Asma Ahmed, Dev Sainani, Lauren
Touchant, Anne Langille, Jean-pierre Cantin, Munira Ahmed, Vicki Esses, Mohamed Al-Adeimi,
German Gutierrez, Corinne Walsh, Huda Hussein and Nina Hamou
Regrets: Randy Meyer, George Perez, Ahmed Yahya Ali, Henri Boyi
Welcome & Introductions
Elisabeth welcomed the group and thanked them for their continued commitment.
Co-Chair Remarks
Elisabeth thanked members of the Central Council for attending LMLIP presentation to the
Neighbourhoods and Community Services Committee at City Hall.
June 6-8, 2011, Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) will be holding their
annual conference in London. The Peel Local Immigration Partnership made a submission to
OMSSA to present and invited the London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership to present
alongside. Vicki will be presenting as well on the work of the Welcoming Communities
Initiative. Elisabeth will share her presentation with Council.
Kelly shared that staff are looking at major organizations and ethno-cultural groups that need
to be better engaged in the work of the LMLIP going forward. Co-chairs will connect with these
stakeholders over the summer and may request members to play a role in reaching out as well.
Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes from March 28, 2011 were approved.
Welcoming Communities Initiative Update
Vicki provided an update on projects that connect with the LIPs. WCI is currently working on a
project to help LIPs measure outcomes. The project is looking at existing sources such as
Community Health and Census data.
Another initiative under way is the analysis of 27 LIP strategic plans. Plans are being analyzed
for commonalities in terms of their priorities. Researchers are also looking at promising
practices that might be appropriate for the common priorities.
Vicki also shared that WCI had submitted a letter of intent for a partnership grant through the
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to expand beyond the province of Ontario.
The letter of intent was approved and the full application will be due in the fall.
Immigrant Representative -Selection Committee Report
Jean-Pierre reported twelve applications were received and two individuals were selected for
interviews on May 9, 2011. Junyan (David) Chen was selected as an immigrant representative for
the Central Council. He belongs to a cultural group that is not represented on Council. He is a
freelance journalist and indicated his commitment to serve for at least one year. The selection
committee included: Jean-Pierre, Lauren, Henri, Dev and Huda.
ACTION: David will be invited to attend the next Central Council meeting in June.
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Report back from LMLIP Staff
Huda reported that staff along with German and Corinne met with Jason Hastings at the City of
London to discuss System Reengineering work of the Child & Youth Network (CYN). The two
areas which fit with our work as the LIP the Health & Wellbeing and Inclusion & Civic
Engagement Sub-councils are Common Experiences and Neighbourhood Engagement &
Development. There will be a mix of staff and sub-council members participating on these
working groups.
Chairs of Education and Employment met with Trevor Fowler at the City to connect and
coordinate with the CYN Ending Poverty team. Trevor was encouraged to connect with the
Women of the World Coordinator at the London Intercommunity Health Centre. Jean-Pierre and
Huda also met with Jennifer Smith, Manager of the Literacy Team, CYN to discuss the two
initiatives and ways of connecting.
Nina shared that a working group under Inclusion & Civic Engagement will be working closely
with the London Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy (LSNS).
Nina also met with Kevin van Lierop, Community Energizer of Emerging Leaders and Andrea
Brown, Community Planning Specialist, United Way of London & Middlesex for information
sharing and to identify areas of potential collaboration. There will be representation from
Emerging Leaders on Inclusion & Civic Engagement Sub-council.
LMLIP Governance
Kelly shared that the governance sub-group which includes Jean-Pierre, Anne, Vicki, Kelly and
Elisabeth is recommending that we engage a consultant to work on a governance model and
more cohesive policies and procedures. The following key steps are recommended:
United Way will issue a Request for Proposals to hire a consultant
The consultant will:
- Liaise with the Council
- Have access to speaking with LIPs across the province
- Join Council at our June meeting for an hour for a facilitated discussion
- Review our terms of reference and establish a governance plan
- Present recommendations in September to Council
Elisabeth added that hiring a consultant is part of the budget submitted to Citizenship &
Immigration Canada (CIC).
Vicki added that WCI has a group working on organizational best practices. It would be useful
for the consultant to connect with the group.
Kelly also invited members to share names of individuals or consulting firms they might
recommend.
Year Two Moving Forward
Huda noted that the document shared with Council outlines the six sub-councils’ year two
plans.
Education Sub-council, Jean-Pierre Cantin
The Education Sub-council will continue to work on the identified strategies. Coordination with
the Employment Sub-council is an ongoing working group. It was noted that one of their year
two strategies is writing a position paper on the effectiveness of making “Teaching in
Multilingual Classrooms” a requirement for certification in Ontario, requires funds. Council
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suggested that a Masters student could be involved in writing a position paper with faculty
support. Jean-Pierre shared that three new members joined the group and their contributions
was noted.
Huda shared that all the individuals, who submitted their expressions of interest for the Central
Council’s position, have expressed interest in joining one of the six Sub-councils.
ACTION: Education Sub-council will outline what the Position Paper would entail and share it
with Vicki, Dev and Corinne.
Employment Sub-council, Anne Langille:
The group coordinated with the Employment Sector Council London Middlesex in the first year
and developed the Common Assessment Process which was tested at the March 7 Community
Meeting and also reviewed existing Personal Privacy and Information sharing agreements and
developed a Privacy Consent Form. Anne recommended that both documents be made
available on the Immigration Portal for agencies to use and download. This year the group will
coordinate with the London Middlesex Immigrant Employment Council to work on one project
to enhance the connection between immigrants and employers. The group will also work on
developing a checklist of keys to success for immigrant employment.
Health & Wellbeing Sub-council, Corrine Walsh:
The group working on raising awareness and engaging communities in a dialogue on mental
health and addiction issues among immigrant communities will continue their work led by
Family Service Thames Valley. The Sub-council will also coordinate with Justice & Protection
Services and Inclusion & Civic Engagement Sub-councils to develop cultural competency training
and also to serve on the System Reengineering groups, i.e., the Common Experience and the
Neighbourhoods Engagement & Development.
Inclusion & Civic Engagement Sub-council, German Gutierrez:
The group will coordinate their work with the LSNS, System Reengineering, Networking for an
Inclusive Community (NIC) and the Urban League to develop a neighbourhood strategy,
collaborating with partners and examine how we share information in our community. The
group will also coordinate with Health & Wellbeing and Justice & Protection Services to work on
the cultural sensitivity tools and members will also serve on two System Reengineering
committees, i.e. Common Experience and the Neighbourhood Engagement & Development
The information Hubs Working-group will work with Huda to contribute to the Strategic
Multimedia Communication Plan.
Justice & Protection Services Sub-council, Nina on behalf of Ahmed Yahya Ali:
Nina noted that the lesson plans and the brochure developed by TVDSB and the London Police
will be used in September but will further confirm after checking with Sheila Carson. A funding
application led by the John Howard Society will be pursued and the group will collaborate with
Health & Wellbeing Sub-council to develop cultural competency training workshops. Nina also
noted that London Police Services will develop a draft for a “Community Consultative
Committee” that will address diversity issues within the Police Services.
Settlement Sub-council, Mohamed Al-Adeimi:
The group will continue sending information on our community’s resources and services to
Pearson International Airport. The group will continue to coordinate the Journeys to Canada
workshop that was presented at the March 7 Community Meeting as a number of service
providers are interested in delivering such workshop to their staff. The London Public Library
delivered one workshop and it was well received by staff. The group will further collaborate with
the London Public Library to implement an intergenerational program by September 2011. The
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group will also continue to share workshops resources with service providers. The group is
exploring developing a list of all parenting workshops that will be accessed through
Immigration Portal.
Elisabeth noted that the Child & Youth Network (CYN) is currently engaged in developing an
inventory of the parenting resources and recommended that the group coordinate with CYN.
Implementation of the Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan (SMCP)
Huda shared a proposed work plan for implementing the SMCP. Activities that may be
implemented have been selected from the Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan for
implementation during the period of May 2011- June 2012. Feedback included further details
regarding Social Media and demonstrating that information gathering is continuous. Based on
this draft, the community will be convened in fall 2011 to learn and to get involved in taking
part in the Media Task Force that will plan and implement activities from the Communication
Plan while being accountable to the LMLIP Council.
ACTION: Staff will develop a draft terms of reference for the media task force
The group endorsed the plan with the recommended changes.
Other Business
Over the summer there will be recruitment of a new staff person to fill the position of the
Project Assistant by the end of August. The Co-chairs will be thinking about what skill sets the
LIP will need going forward.
Co-chairs will continue to monitor the impact of the cuts on our community.
A presentation will be going to City Council tonight on a proposed Multi-Cultural Economic
Council through the Finance Administration. Kelly McManus has sent a note to Councilor Usher
thanking him for the opportunity to present on May 17 and also bringing to his attention the
potential crossover between the LMLIP and this proposal.
ACTION: Elisabeth to follow up with Council regarding results of City Council discussion.
Wrap-up and Next Meeting
There will be a discussion facilitated by the hired consultant on June 27, (5:00 - 6:00 pm)
followed by Social BBQ, hosted by WIL Employment Connections (6:00 - 7:30 pm), at the Skill
Centre, 141 Dundas Street, 6th
floor.
Funded by:
Co-led by:
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
June 27, 2011
5:00 – 7:30 pm
Skill Centre, 141 Dundas Street 6th
floor
5:00 Welcome & Introductions
5:05 LMLIP Governance – The Culver Group
6:00 Brief LMLIP Business
Co-Chair Remarks
Project Coordinator report
Approval of May 31, 2011 Minutes
6:15 Social and networking
7:30 Wrap-up and Next Meeting: September 26, 2011 (5-7 P.M.) location tbd
Funded by: Co-led by:
1
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
Monday, June 27, 2011
Present: Elisabeth White, Kelly McManus, Lauren Touchant, Anne Langille, Jean-Pierre Cantin,
David Chen, Munira Ahmed, Corinne Walsh, Mohamed Al-Adeimi, German Gutierrez, Jo-Ann
Hutchison, George Perez, Ahmed Yahya Ali, Randy Meyer, Jean-Simon Cantin, Andrew Busmanis
and Huda Hussein
Regrets: Dev Sainani, Vicki Esses, Henri Boyi, Asma Ahmed and Naeem Qureshi
Welcome & Introductions
David Chen was welcomed as the new immigrant representative on Council. Kelly Culver and
Carol Stewart, from the Culver Group were introduced.
LMLP Governance – The Culver Group
After an introduction of Council’s members and their role, Kelly and Carol noted their role as
consultants and that they will be looking at creating a governance model for LMLIP. The Group
will be looking into the following areas:
- Policies and procedures (this will include reviewing the Terms of Reference)
- Attendance
- Decision-making
- Media and communication
- Council relationship to staff
- Role of Co-chairs
- Role of immigrant representative on Council
- Role of Sub-council Chair and Vice-Chair
- Role of member on Sub-council
- Role of Staff
The Group will engage Chairs of Sub-councils and LMLIP staff in a discussion about roles,
responsibilities, strengths, gaps and other LMLIP related issues. They will also connect with
other LIPs in Ontario to learn about best practices to set up long term infrastructure for LMLIP.
The Group will continue to work with the Governance Task Force which includes the Co-chairs,
Vicki Esses, Jean-Pierre Cantin and Anne Langille.
Timelines: The Culver Group will present the draft Governance Model to Council at the
September 26, 2011 meeting for review and approval. Final model will be presented in October,
2011.
Kelly Culver and Carol Stewart facilitated a discussion on strengths of the Council, gaps and
decision-making. Input provided by the group will be taken into consideration as the Culver
Group is developing the LMLIP Governance Model.
Kelly and Carol thanked members for their input and indicated that they will be connecting with
Council members for further conversation.
ACTION: Huda to send contact information of all members to the Culver Group
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Brief LMLIP Business
Co-Chair Remarks: Elisabeth welcomed Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) staff, Andrew
Busmanis, Randy Meyer and Jean-Simon Cantin. Elisabeth noted that LMLIP presented along with
the Welcoming Communities Initiative (WCI) and Peel LIP at the Ontario Municipal Social Services
Association Annual Conference early in June.
Elisabeth noted that the transition process of hosting LMLIP staff is underway with WIL
Counselling and Training for Employment as the host. LMLIP staff will be moving to WIL by the
end of August.
Kelly noted that recruitment of a Project Assistant is underway. Job posting will go out broadly
by the end of the week through United Way. It will be open for two weeks with interviews
scheduled for the week of July 25 and if needed, a second round of interviews will be scheduled
for early August. Job description for the Project Assistant is based on the current description
with some addition with regard to knowledge in social media and communication as
recommended by council members.
Project Coordinator report: Huda shared that over the summer, she and the Co-chairs with some
assistance from Council members will be connecting with community partners to acknowledge,
engage and/or inform about the LMLIP. She will also be organizing meetings with stakeholders
(i.e., system partners, funders, and ethno-cultural media). The community day is planned for
the fall. The objective of the community day will be to share information on the final Strategic
Multimedia Communication Plan (SMCP) and to seek engagement to implement the SMCP work
plan. The SMCP Advisory Group will be convened again to assist in implementing the work plan.
Other:
It was noted that a shared folder accessible by Council members to review documents which are
not yet posted on the Portal is needed.
ACTION: David will assist in developing a Dropbox, a shared folder for Council’s members
Wrap-up and Next Meeting
Co-chairs thanked Anne Langille for hosting this meeting and the Social BBQ. Council members
were thanked for their continued support and contributions.
Next Meeting: Monday, September 26, 2011. Location to be determined.
Funded by: Co-led by:
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
September 26, 2011
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Kiwanis Seniors Community Centre, Auditorium
78 Riverside Dr.
Agenda
5:00 Welcome & Introductions
5:05 Co-chair Remarks
5:10 June 27, 2011 Meeting Minutes (Approval)
5:15 Draft LMLIP Work Plan September 2011 – March 31, 2012 (Huda) (Discussion)
5:40 Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan – Next Steps (Discussion & Approval)
6:00 Governance – The Culver Group (Discussion/Approval)
6:50 Other Business (Information)
7:00 Wrap-up and Next Meeting: October 24, 2011, Kinsmen Recreation Centre
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London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
Central Council
Monday, September 26, 2011
Present: Ahmed Yahya Ali, Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Jean-Pierre Cantin, Jean-Simon Cantin, Junyan
(David) Chen, German Gutierrez, Huda Hussein, Anne Langille, Kelly McManus, Corinne Walsh,
Dev Sainani, Elisabeth White, Lauren Touchan, Ria Urbi
Regrets: Asma Ahmed, Henri Boyi, Vicki Esses, Jo-Ann Hutchison, Naeem Qureshi, George Perez
Welcome & Introductions
Elisabeth White welcomed the committee back from the summer. New-hire Ria Urbi (Project
Assistant) was also introduced and welcomed to the central council. Elisabeth announced and
thanked the new LMLIP host – WIL Employment Connections as of September 2011.
Elisabeth also mentioned her conference call with the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and
Immigration (MCI) and Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) in with respect to the
Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA).
June 27, 2011 Meeting Minutes (Approved)
Draft LMLIP Work Plan September 2011 – March 31, 2012 (Discussion)
Kelly McManus introduced the draft LMLIP Work Plan. Kelly explained how it is intended to give
more strategic direction to our work of the Council.
Huda Hussein explained further the details of the work plan including the deliverables,
objectives, activities/tasks, leads, overarching outcomes and timelines for every item. Huda
drew attention to the recent developments in some of the deliverables. Some of those included:
holding a meeting with senior management of Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) to
facilitate the work of project one, and working closely with City staff to strike a collaborative
that will review utilization of community centres and facilitate its access to immigrants.
Kelly explained that the first four deliverables – Governance Model, Advocacy/Systemic Change,
Outcomes and Media & Engagement – compose the “meat” of the work of the central council.
Kelly also noted the relationship of the Central Council with the sub-councils.
For the “Outcomes” deliverable, Dev Sainani raised the question of having performance
indicators for each of the sub-councils. Ahmed Yahyah Ali also noted the possible overlaps in
the sub-councils. Huda explained that we bring the pieces of the sub-councils together and
have a template to monitor progress achieved by each of the sub-councils. Jean-Pierre Cantin
suggested that each sub-council should also have access to the templates of the other sub-
councils for information.
Action: Staff to send the templates to Council members and post the same on the Immigration
Portal
Kelly also noted that as an organization, we should be able to identify and measure what makes
us different – and that work is already being started by Welcoming Community Initiatives (WCI)
through Vicki Esses.
Generally, there was a concern about timelines. All the items were bounded by the March 31st
end-of-funding date. Jean-Pierre thought there was not enough time for four to five work groups
2
to be struck. Anne Langille raised the issue that “Outcomes” should not be part of the work plan
with a definite timeline but as a moving target, recognizing the big work that goes into it.
Kelly called for volunteers to work with Vicki Esses on the “Outcomes” deliverable and with
Elisabeth and Kelly on the “Advocacy/Systemic Change” deliverable.
For the “Cultural Competency Training” deliverable, Lauren Touchan mentioned an organization
in Toronto that provides cultural sensitivity training. Lauren saw an opportunity in connecting
with this organization to see if they can provide the same service in London.
ACTION: Lauren will provide Huda the contact information of the organization.
Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan (Approved)
Dev reported on behalf of the multimedia task group. He noted that 3-5 groups have been
identified to participate in the kitchen table discussions and the group will also draft the
questions as well as the Request for Proposal to retain a consultant. The work plan was
endorsed by the council.
Dev called for volunteers from the council who would be willing to connect with the ethno-
cultural groups and facilitate a kitchen table discussion. German Gutierrez Sanin offered to
connect with the Spanish community and lead the discussion with this group. Mohammed Al-
Adeimi offered the South London Resource Center as venue to have the kitchen table
discussions.
Governance – The Culver Group (Discussion)
The Culver Group presented their report and methodology. The governance model is intended
to provide structure to the Council in terms of bringing out clearer roles & responsibilities,
policies and operating procedures, code of conduct guidelines, conflict of interest guidelines,
timelines and membership formation. Each item was put forward for in depth discussion by
Council members.
Due to time restriction, Council members did not have the opportunity to go through each item
and provide feedback and comments to the Governance Model.
Action: It was agreed that members would send their input, comments or concerns to Ria by the
following week. In return, Ria would collate the information and send to the Governance task
group for their consideration and for bringing forward to the consultants.
Wrap-up and Next Meeting Oct. 24, 2011, Kiwanis Recreation Centre
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership (LMLIP)
Central Council
October 24, 2011
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Kiwanis Seniors Community Centre, Auditorium
78 Riverside Dr.
Agenda
5:00 Welcome & Introductions
5:05 Governance Model Update (The Culver Group – Discussion & Approval)
5:50 Co-chair Remarks
5:55 September 26, 2011 Meeting Minutes (Approval)
6:00 Welcoming Community Initiatives (WCI) Update (Information)
6:10 LMLIP Work Plan September 2011 – March 31, 2012
A. Advocacy/Systemic Change Update (Information)
B. Outcomes Update (Information)
C. Media & Engagement Update (Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan -
Discussion & Approval)
D. Cultural Competency Training Update (Information)
6:40 Other Business
6:50 Wrap-up and Next Meeting: November 28, 2011, Kinsmen Recreation Centre
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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Minutes
Central Council Date and Time: October 24, 2011 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Meeting Location: Kiwanis Community Centre, 78 Riverside Drive
Present: Huda Hussein, Kelly McManus, Jean-Simon Cantin, Lauren Touchan, Henri Boyi, German Gutierrez Sanin, Dev Sainani, Ria Urbi, Muriel Abbott (in lieu of Jean-Pierre Cantin), Vicki Esses, Corinne Walsh, Asma Ahmed
Regrets: Ahmed Yahya Ali, Junyan (David) Chen, Naeem Qureshi, Anne Langille, Elisabeth White, Mohamed Al-Adeimi
Absent: Jo-Ann Hutchison
Item Description Information, Update, Action, Lead and Due Date
1. Updates and Actions from
Previous Business
Governance Model
Carol Stewart from the Culver Group presented the draft governance documents to the Council. Council members provided comments and suggested additional components to the model.
The motion to approve the Governance framework and its accompanying documents (with the additional components as noted below) was made by Vicki, seconded by Lauren and passed unanimously by the Council.
The following components of the governance model
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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2. Co-Chair’s Opening Remarks
were approved as provided by the Culver Group:
Terms of reference (noting that the current co-chair model will be in place until 2013 – 2014, and at such time it will be reviewed)
Roles & responsibilities
Code of conduct
Conflict of interest
Policies and operating procedures (attendance, decision-making, Council relationship to staff, media and communications)
Meeting guidelines and minutes templates, timelines and memberships
Letter of understanding
These items will be put into place immediately.
The following items will be drafted and brought forward in November:
Leave of absence policy
Council recognition procedure
Procedure for calling emergency meetings
Procedure for adding agenda items
Note that Robert’s Rules of Order is the standard decision-making format
Health and safety
Carol will draft the new items and submit to the governance group. New items will be shared with the Council in November’s meeting for approval. Kelly noted that Elisabeth is out of the country and sends her regards to the Council.
Kelly provided the following updates:
The Governance Task Group met and provided their inputs to the Culver Group. Carol is here on behalf of the Culver Group to present the Governance Model to the Council.
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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Muriel Abbott was introduced to the Council as the Education sub-council vice-chair. She will be sitting-in for Jean-Pierre (Education chair).
Jean Pierre is currently recuperating from a medical issue. He has been in touch and sends his best regards to the Central Council.
George Perez has submitted his resignation from the Council. This means there are currently two vacancies for the members at large (formerly “immigrant representatives”); recruitment has been on hold pending the completion of the governance review.
Given that the bulk of the governance review has been approved by Council, there was agreement to begin the recruitment process.The motion to recruit new members-at-large was made by Lauren, seconded by Dev and passed unanimously by the Council. Lauren and Henri volunteered to join Huda in the recruiting committee. Vicki suggested that the recruitment committee reviews applications submitted last spring before sending out new expression of interest. There was agreement.
3. Updates and Actions from
Previous Business
(continued)
Media and Engagement Update (Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan)
Dev presented the kitchen table implementation plan and survey questions to be used by the facilitators for the upcoming kitchen table discussions with six ethno-cultural groups in London. He also shared the dates for the upcoming facilitated discussions.
He also presented the draft Request for Proposal for a media/communications consultant. The key deliverables for the consultant would include a “media literacy” guide, a training curriculum and workshops on social media for six ethno-cultural groups.
Vicki suggested to include some demographic
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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4. Adoption of Previous Minutes
questions in the survey and to provide an information and consent letter to the participants. Vicki offered help on these particular items.
A motion was made by Dev to proceed with the kitchen table questions and survey and to accept the request for proposal for a media/ communications consultant. Motion moved by Dev, seconded by German and passed unanimously.
Kelly and Huda thanked the facilitators (Asma, Dev, Lauren, German, David, Yahya) for their leadership in the kitchen table discussions, and Vicki for helping to relay the need for note-takers to her students at the university. September 26, 2011
Motion to approve the Minutes as circulated was moved by Lauren, seconded by Corinne and passed unanimously.
5. Additions to Agenda Information Package - Lauren
6. Updates and Actions from
Previous Business
(continued)
Welcoming Community Initiatives (WCI) Update
Vicki shared a number of Welcoming Community Initiatives (WCI) reports that would be relevant to the information being collected through the kitchen table discussions and the survey. She also mentioned that Making Ontario Home is completed and will be shared once Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) releases it. This report would also be a resource in developing the measures of LMLIP Outcomes.
Advocacy/Systemic Change and Outcomes Task Group
Two task groups have been struck to work on the Advocacy /Systemic Change and Outcomes. Advocacy task group members include Corinne, Lauren, Naeem and Henri while Outcomes task group members include Vicki, Mohammed and
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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German.
Groups will have their first meetings in November and bring updates to Central Council next month.
Cultural Competency
Corinne presented on the work of the group. The group is working on a plan of collecting and reviewing existing resources, connecting with service providers who have done cultural sensitivity training that target senior management, followed by middle management/administrators. Corrine asked the Council for any suggestions to the group. Lauren will provide information on a training that College Boreal has recently taken.
7. New Business Lauren suggested the idea of developing a welcome package to newcomers based on the University of Western Ontario’s welcome package for international students. The package might include discount coupons and promotional items to shops and restaurants in London and more information about tourism and recreational activities in London.
Huda noted that the idea aligns with the Settlement priority of access to information and attraction. A task group from Settlement will be struck to look into this proposal.
Henri noted that members need to feel valued for their contributions and commitment.
Kelly advised that 211 London Middlesex is now available. Anyone can access 211 for information on services. Kelly also noted that this is a multilingual resource. Materials on 211 are also available today for members to pick up and share.
8. Co-chair’s closing summary
and review of action items.
Kelly thanked all Council members for attending and invited everyone to the next Council meeting. The additional components to the governance model will be shared by then.
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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9. Adjourn
10. Next Meeting Location and
Date
Meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Kinsmen Recreation Centre on November 28, 2011
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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Agenda
Central Council Date and Time: November 28, 2011 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Meeting Location: Room 2, Kinsmen Recreation Centre 20 Granville Street
Time Item Description
5:00 5:05 5:10 5:15 5:55 6:00 6:10
Co-Chairs’ Opening Remarks - Elisabeth/Kelly Adoption of Previous Minutes – October 24, 2011 Additions to Agenda Updates and Actions from Previous Business
I. LMLIP Work Plan September 2011 – March 31, 2012 A. Governance Model Update - Amended Terms of Reference
(Discussion/Approval) –Elisabeth/Kelly B. Advocacy/Systemic Change Update (Information) – Naeem C. Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan Update
(Information) - Dev D. Cultural Competency Training Update (Information) –
Corinne II. Welcoming Communities Initiative - Vicki
III. Recruitment Process for Vacant Positions in LMLIP – Henri/Lauren
Reports from Chairs of LMLIP Sub-councils:
I. Education - Muriel II. Employment - Anne
III. Health and Wellbeing - Corinne IV. Inclusion and Civic Engagement - German V. Justice and Protection Services - Yahya
VI. Settlement - Mohamed
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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6:40 6:50 7:00
New Business Southwestern Ontario Local Immigration Partnerships – Meeting
on December 9, 2011 (Information) – Huda Other Business Brought Forward by Council Members – TBA
Co-chairs’ Closing Summary and Review of Action Items Adjourn Next Meeting Location and Date – Kinsmen Recreation Centre, January 30, 2011
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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Minutes
Central Council Date and Time: November 28, 2011 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Meeting Location: Room 2, Kinsmen Recreation Centre 20 Granville Street
Present: Dev Sainani, German Gutierrez-Sanin, Ahmed Yahya Ali, Mohamed Al-Adeimi, Jean-Simon Cantin, David (Junyan) Chen, Anne Langille, Vicki Esses, Henri Boyi, Muriel Abbott, Corinne Walsh, Lauren Touchan, Naeem Qureshi, Huda Hussein, Elisabeth White, Kelly McManus, Ria Urbi
Regrets: Asma Ahmed, Jo-Ann Hutchison
Absent: None
Item Description Information, Update,
Action, Lead and Due Date
1. Co-Chair’s Opening Remarks:
Elisabeth welcomed the group. It was noted that we are
monitoring new communications from Citizenship and
Immigration Canada (CIC) with respect to funding
changes.
.
2. Adoption of Previous Minutes
Motion to approve the October 24, 2011 Minutes as
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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circulated was moved by Dev, seconded by German
and approved.
3. Additions to Agenda
Two agenda items added:
Information on the Skilled Immigrant Loan Program
– Anne
Research project funded by Welcoming
Communities Initiative (WCI) and co-implemented
by South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre
– Mohamed
4. Updates and Actions from Previous Business
Governance Model Update
Kelly acknowledged the leadership of Anne, Vicki and
Jean-Pierre (before his Leave of Absence) in working
with the project team and the Culver Group to review
the Governance Model.
Specific sections of the Terms of Reference were
discussed. First, it was agreed that acceptable
conditions for filing a leave of absence (LOA) are at the
discretion of the Chair.
Council members also suggested possible forms of
recognition for sub-council members including
certificates and recognition in community events.
Elisabeth noted the clause on duties of Co-Chairs,
specifically about co-signing of contract on behalf of the
LMLIP and instead suggested that it should be a
contract oversight on behalf of LMLIP.
Recommendations for
recognition will be tackled
more in-depth in forthcoming
meetings.
Elisabeth will review the
language used in the Terms
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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There was a discussion about determining the terms of
office of incumbent Council members. German moved
that the terms of office should start effective with today’s
meeting. Dev amended the motion to have
staggard/differential terms so that not everyone in the
Council will leave at the same time.
The motion to adopt the amended Terms of Reference
made by Anne, seconded by Vicki and approved.
Advocacy Task Group Update
The task group presented issues related to the
successful integration of immigrants in the community
guided by the recommendations in the strategic plan.
These issues included areas of status and eligibility,
information barriers, funding and strengthening
community capacity/enhanced supports and services.
After the presentation, Council members provided inputs
to the task group regarding partnerships and language
used in the template.
Strategic Multimedia Communication Plan Update
Dev shared some of the findings from the kitchen table
discussions including what it means to be successful
from an immigrant’s point of view and obstacles in
becoming successful. He also informed the Council that
the task group has received 15 applications, so far, in
response to the media/communications consultant
Request for Proposals and will be interviewing the
shortlisted candidates soon.
Cultural Competency Training Update
Corinne noted that she has connected with a couple of
of Reference.
Anne put forward an action
item for LMLIP to collate
information from Council
members including start date,
roles/duties of members and
recommendations for terms in
office.
Group will engage community
partners in the discussion on
advocacy issues identified in
our Plan. The group will
report back to Council in
January regarding LMLIP’s
possible strategy and
partnerships with key
stakeholders in the
community.
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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officials from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
who are developing a multicultural/diversity training for
employers. The task group will be reviewing the action
items and will be identifying resources that could be
used.
Welcoming Communities Initiative
Vicki used the LMLIP as a case study in her
presentation in Calgary where a community consultation
for a Local Immigration Partnership was being made.
Vicki noted that the audience was impressed by the
model. She also informed the Council of the Local
Immigration Partnerships’ (LIP) meeting in Toronto early
next year, noting that it would a great opportunity to gain
awareness of issues consistent across all LIPs. Vicki
also mentioned the Opinion Leader Interviews study that
focuses on leaders in different communities is available.
She will share it with the group.
Recruitment Process for Vacant Positions in LMLIP
David informed the Council of his resignation. As such,
there are now 3 vacant positions for members-at-large.
Henri recommended the acceptance of German and
Jean-Pierre, who intend to and have resigned from their
positions as Sub-council chairs, to the positions of
members-at-large. However, it would be clarified by the
recruitment committee if German and Jean-Pierre also
satisfy the qualifications of the position
Reports from Chairs of LMLIP Sub-councils
Education – Muriel updated the group about the
progress that has been made so far, in particular:
The task group will review the
qualifications of German and
Jean-Pierre and will continue
to recruit for the additional
position vacated by David.
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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access to education through the “Enhancing Pathways”
project; supports for parents through the identification of
a pilot school for a workshop to engage newcomer
parents (new members from the Thames Valley Parent
Involvement Committee (TVPIC) and SWIS were
welcomed by the group); and supports for students
through the exploration of an E-folder for students,
parents and staff that will foster diversity and cross-
cultural understanding. The motion to adopt the report
was made by Muriel, seconded by German and
approved.
Employment – Anne informed about the collaboration
with the City of London to facilitate upgrades to the
Immigration Portal, particularly the employment section.
Also, the London-Middlesex Immigrant Employment
Council is working with the sub-council to arrange a
networking event possibly at City Hall to connect
employers and jobseekers. The motion to adopt the
report was made by Anne, seconded by Henri and
approved.
Health & Wellbeing - Corrine mentioned that the issue of
holistic supports to families was shared with the
community developer working on implementing the
Child and Youth Network’s plan to create family and
child centres in neighbourhoods. She also noted that the
first forum of Seeds of Change project was well-
represented by both service-providers and immigrants.
The motion to adopt the report was made by Corinne,
seconded by Dev and approved.
Inclusion & Civic Engagement - German noted that the
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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Neighbourhood Action Group worked with the Strategic
Multimedia Task Group to facilitate neighbourhood
questions in the recently concluded kitchen table
discussion. The System Level Engagement group would
be holding focus groups in January with community
leaders. Kelly suggested for the group to connect with
Vicki about the Opinion Leaders study. Lastly, the group
working on developing interstitial messages would be
working on the information gathered by the focus groups
and would provide technical expertise in multimedia.
(Note: An interstitial ad is an advertising message that is
inserted in between program segments for local
television or a full-page ad appearing before the actual
webpage.) The motion to adopt the report was made by
German, seconded by Muriel and approved.
Justice & Protection Services - Yahya updated the
Council on a funding application that was submitted to
the Ontario Trillium Foundation to enhance the sense of
trust with the criminal justice system. Although declined,
the work group is continuously exploring other funding
opportunities. Also, the group is thinking to create
dialogues between cultural groups and service-
providers and has contacted the Neighbourhood Legal
Services and the legal services at the University of
Western Ontario. The motion to adopt the report was
made by Yahya, seconded by Anne and approved.
Settlement – Mohamed talked about the work group that
would be developing an information package to help
attract immigrants to London. There is also the Family
Settlement Collaborative that would work on issues
related to families with children and youth. Packages of
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settlement information have also been sent to Pearson
International Airport in October 2011. The motion to
adopt the report was made by Mohamed, seconded by
Yahya and approved.
5. New Business
Southwestern Ontario Local Immigration
Partnerships
Huda informed that a December 9th meeting is
scheduled for all Southwestern Ontario Local
Immigration Partnerships. The group regularly meets to
share information and give updates on their respective
areas. Vicki and Mary Barr of Citizenship and
Immigration Canada (CIC) are guest speakers.
Skilled Immigrant Loan Program
Anne informed that WIL is partnering with Libro
Financial Group to launch the Skilled Immigrant Loan
Program. The Foreign Credentials Referral Office
(FCRO) received $18 million to set-up the program and
London is the first one to launch it with about three
quarter million in funding. The information is available
through the Access Centre and will run until March 31,
2014.
WCI Project on Youth
Mohamed talked about a research project funded by
Welcoming Communities Initiative (WCI) project and
would be implemented by the University of Western
Ontario Faculty of Education and South London
Neighbourhood Resource Centre. It will aim to identify
what immigrant youth in London envision as a healthy
London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership
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community.
Age Friendly Task Force
Kelly informed the Council about the City of London’s
invitation to LMLIP to participate in the forthcoming
discussions by the Age-friendly Task Force.
6. Chairpersons Closing Summary and Review of
Action Items.
Kelly thanked the Council for providing updates and
putting forward action items. They were also reminded
that there will be no meeting in December.
7. Adjourn
The motion to adjourn at 7:00 pm was made by Dev,
seconded by German and approved.
8. Next Meeting Location and Date
Kinsmen Recreation Centre
January 30, 2011, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm