Local research study looking for interview participants; immigrants living in smaller cities

In recent years, she says there have been initiatives and policies in the three participating countries to attract and retain newcomers to smaller communities.

However, according to TMU, the policies have been limited in their effectiveness with many immigrants still showing a preference for larger centres.

In 2021, there were 16,540 immigrants in Red Deer, making up 16.4 per cent of the population. Nationally, immigrants comprised 23 per cent of the population.

READ: Immigrants now make up 16.4% of Red Deer’s population

She says it’s important to understand the perspectives of immigrants in smaller communities because of the unique local context in which immigrants are looking to settle in.

“There’s a recognition that we need to share the benefits of immigration across the country. Immigrants can add a lot of diversity and vitality to communities. They can help fill employment positions, and their families contribute to communities in so many different ways. That’s part of it; looking to see how communities can further grow and build and develop and sustain their population in some of the smaller centres,” she said.

Drolet says they are looking to interview immigrants above the age of 18 who are able to carry a conversation in English for a 30-60 minute interview. While preferably conducted in-person in the city, she says they can also conduct the interview over the phone or via Zoom.

While having already interviewed roughly one dozen people, Drolet says they are looking for a total of 30 participants by the end of fall.

Questions for interviewees will touch upon what brought them to Red Deer, their perceptions of the city, the strengths and opportunities they see, their immigration journey, and how it’s impacted their experience as well as those of their families and friends.

Drolet shared some of her findings in previous similar research projects, which studied what is needed to make smaller cities more welcoming and inclusive for newcomers and the challenges with accessing affordable housing.

She says immigrants had identified several benefits and advantages to living in a smaller city that often relate to quality of life.

“Access to green space, the natural and physical environment, are often qualities that attract immigrants and newcomers to small cities,” she says, “[…] recreational activities; these are important quality of life aspects that might be harder to benefit from in a larger urban centre.”

She says similarities have been shown in Red Deer interview respondents thus far; however, overall findings are dependent on local contexts.

Following the one-on-one interviews, Drolet says they will also be looking to organize focus groups with service providers, community leaders and employers, who play a role in fostering the settlement and integration of immigrants in communities.

Drolet adds that the research study will also take into consideration different documents, reports, and literature in Red Deer to develop their case study from a local perspective.

TMU says a comparative framework will be developed to identify commonalities and differences across the three study countries and may be of interest to stakeholders interested in improving the attraction and retention of immigrants in small and mid-sized cities.

Drolet says she anticipates a report of the results to be published in 2024.

She says interested participants for interviews and focus groups can email her directly at jdrolet@ucalgary.ca.

She says researchers are scheduled to be in the city next week, and interview participants will receive a $25 gift card to Starbucks, Indigo or Tim Hortons.

by Alessia Proietti

Local research study looking for interview participants; immigrants living in smaller cities

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