OCASI latest articles

Resetting The Municipal Agenda

Increasingly those of us working in the immigrant and refugee serving sector have recognized the importance of municipalities in immigration, immigrant and refugee settlement, and inclusion.  It took the provinces and the federal government a bit more time to acknowledge this but it came together for us in Ontario in 2005 with the signing of the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA, which expired in 2010) which for the first time formally recognized the important role municipalities have to play in our political project of immigration integration. Having formal agreements among the three levels of government created the framework for the NGO sector to engage municipalities on settlement and inclusion policies and programs.

OCASI Membership Votes Yes for Francophone Inclusion

OCASI Member Agencies voted unanimously in support of a By-Law change at the Council's 2014 Annual General Meeting, to create a designated Francophone Director position on the Board of Directors. This show of solidarity with our minority Francophone membership, demonstrates member agencies commitment to inclusive practices in the immigrant and refugee serving sector in Ontario.

OCASI Accessibility Initiative wins CRRF Award

On November 18, 2014, the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants was recognized by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) ‎for it's Accessibility Program with the 2014 Award of Excellence. The CRRF Awards of Excellence pays tribute to public, private and voluntary organizations whose efforts represent best practices in building awareness and understanding of Canadian values and identity that are reflective of Canadian diversity.

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