December 15, 2011
Newcomers to Kelowna to Receive Settlement Services

KELOWNA – Newcomers to Kelowna will receive enhanced immigrant settlement services to help them settle into their new lives and gain employment through $497,933.33 in funding for the Kelowna Community Resources Society.  This funding is part of a $20.3 million annual budget for the Settlement and Integration Program under WelcomeBC.

Why this matters:

• Funding goes towards orientation classes and workshops on a wide variety of topics such as: how to find a job, find a place to live, navigate the local transit system and learn banking basics. 
• B.C. continues to be one of Canada’s most popular destinations for new immigrants, welcoming more than 40,000 newcomers each year.
• Services through WelcomeBC are provided to more than 100,000 newcomers in 66 communities across the province, by more than 100 service providers.

Quotes:

“The leading edge of baby boomers is turning 65 this year and thus starting a wave of retirements, so if we want to maintain and enhance our quality of life, successful immigration to B.C. must be a critical part of our jobs plan."
- Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick

“Programs such as WelcomeBC are working to enhance Kelowna and other communities by creating a broad range of diverse opportunities for new coming immigrants.”
- Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson

“We are excited to welcome newcomers to our area and programs such as these are important resources for developing and creating ongoing success for immigrants to B.C.”
- Westside-Kelowna MLA Ben Stewart

Quick Facts:

• WelcomeBC’s award-winning website helps approximately 600,000 clients each year from B.C. and around the world, offers information accessible in several languages and makes it easier for immigrants to access vital information.
• By 2019, it’s expected that there will be over a million job openings in the province, and skilled immigrants will play a vital role in filling many of those positions.

Learn More:

• Watch the newcomers’ videos here: http://www.welcomebc.ca/wbc/immigration/settle/newcomersguide
• Users can mix and match the language the host speaks in with the subtitle; for example viewers can watch the videos in Punjabi with English subtitles.
• Once the host’s language is selected, all the information on the screen will convert automatically.
• Clients can download the video scripts in any of the eleven languages to keep the instructions/lessons close at hand.
• The technical sophistication of these web videos /mobile offering is a first for any jurisdiction in Canada.

-30-