Manitoba offers up to $4M for programs to help newcomers

Manitoba is offering up to $4 millionthis year to fund projects that help immigrants integrate socially and economically.

The government says that's double what it spent last year on the newcomer community integration support program's community connections stream, which is now accepting applications from non-profits, community groups and other organizations that work with immigrants.

"It's my hope that this expanded funding will enable new and innovative projects to benefit," Labour and Immigration Minister Jon Reyes said at a news conference Friday.

Projects chosen "will assist newcomers in building strong ties to their new communities, enabling them to build and utilize the valuable skills they bring to Manitoba," Reyes said.

Projects funded by the program will also offer social and mental health services for newcomers, which Reyes said "help to build stronger and longer-term social connections to our province, thereby strengthening outcomes and improving newcomer retention."

The deadline for applications is Feb. 27. Last year, 13 organizations qualified, Reyes said.

Recent international conflicts in Ukraine and Afghanistan have demonstrated the need for more proactive settlement services to make sure immigrants and refugees get the resources they need when they come to Manitoba, he said.

Job training programs

The government is providing a total of $7.1 million in the upcoming fiscal year for the full newcomer community integration support program.

That money up $2 million from last year with the doubling of resources for the community connections stream includes $3 million for Manitoba Start, which provides career services for newcomers, and $100,000 for the recognition counts program at Seed Winnipeg.

The Seed Winnipeg program helps with credential recognition and extra training for newcomers, program manager Sandra Leone said.

It also offers financial counselling and loans of up to $15,000 to help with costs associated with getting qualifications recognized.

Kasun Kulathunga, a lawyer in Sri Lanka who came to Canada in 2014, got help from the program to update his credentials and, after being called to the bar last month, start his own practice in Manitoba.

"I hope they can continue these programs for a long time, so the internationally educated professionals like me can get help with their licensing process and education," Kulathunga said at the news conference.

The program also helped Michelle Puno, a nurse in the Philippines who came to Canada around 2015 and is now working as a nurse in a cardiology unit. Without the help, she mightnot be where she is today, she said.

"I was this close to going back home," she said, holding her fingers together after describing her struggles to find the right path and figure out a way to afford upgrading her credentials.

"I'm just so happy and very grateful."