By Alessia Proietti

City collaborates as funding partner with Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership

Oct 16, 2023 | 10:12 PM

The City of Red Deer will soon act as the funding organization for the Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership (LIP).

At their meeting on Monday, city council voted in favour to authorize The City to act as the funding organization in the next application cycle in March 2024.

LIPs are eligible for funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), but are required to establish and maintain a funding partnership with a local organization which holds the contract with IRCC. There are more than 60 LIPs in the country.

Established in 2016, Red Deer LIP works to improve the integration of immigrants by strengthening the community’s ability to better address needs of newcomers.

Sarah Tittemore, Red Deer’s General Manager of Community Services, says at the LIP’s inception, the City was just starting their journey for diversity and inclusion and was not set up from a human resource perspective to take on the responsibility. As a result, Red Deer’s LIP was supported by Care for Newcomers.

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The Central Planning Council of LIP now believes that growth opportunities for the initiative will be strengthened with the municipality as the funding organization. Indicating strong membership support, the LIP requested to transfer financial support to The City before the next funding cycle begins in 2025.

“The importance of municipal engagement in LIPs has been confirmed through research of other communities, including Saskatoon, Calgary and Edmonton. With strong connections to neighbourhood associations and community groups, The City of Red Deer is well-positioned to be a champion for LIPs in this community, and today’s decision will greatly benefit the initiative,” said Bobby-Jo Stannard, Community Development Superintendent. “Recognizing that LIPs are a best practice for newcomer settlement and integration in Canada, we see this partnership as an opportunity to provide direct support to the initiative and act as an advocate for newcomers while strengthening support networks in Red Deer.”

According to City administration, research has shown that municipal participation in LIPs enhance their credibility and visibility, expand their access to mainstream institutions and economic stakeholders, and strengthen their capacity to form productive partnerships and planning, among other positive outputs.

A new position in The City’s Community Development section will be created as a result, to serve as the Red Deer LIP Coordinator. While the Coordinator will be deemed a city employee with associated benefits, the position will be fully grant funded and reliant on the continuation of the grant, leaving no direct financial implications to The City, they say.

“It will be a reinvigoration to the program; just a different approach, a different lens, and I think we’re going to continue to lean onto the city to take that leadership role. It will still continue to be a community organization from the Central Planning Council but this will allow the city to play a more central role into that so that we can continue to collaborate together,” said Dieulita Datus-Hall, Red Deer LIP Program Manager.

Councillors Victor Doerksen and Kraymer Barnstable did not agree with the decision, voicing concerns about responsibility being placed on governments rather than community organizations who have more expertise on the matter. Doerksen said he also thinks there will be a cost down the line to the city, for example, in managing the new employee or operationally through office space.

Frank Bauer, Care for Newcomers Executive Director, says while organizations will continue to be involved, the city should be a leader on this initiative as they are the face of the community.

“Today’s decision demonstrates a physical commitment to diversity and inclusion by The City of Red Deer and is an example of collaborative action in our community,” he said. “Red Deer has become successful at retaining immigrants as permanent residents and this partnership will help the city remain competitive as a community of choice for newcomers. It sends a message that our Red Deer cares about being welcoming to immigrants and integrating them into our community.”

The City says that newcomers’ comfortability and sense of belonging to the place they have immigrated plays a significant role in a municipality’s ability to retain them as residents and skilled immigrants, which is integral to municipal economic growth.

“Municipalities need to model desired behaviours and actions, and today’s decision is one way of demonstrating this council’s commitment of working towards a vision of a welcoming, inclusive city that celebrates diversity,” said Mayor Ken Johnston. “Supporting the LIP aligns with several City priorities, including the Strategic Plan, Social Policy Framework and Diversity and Inclusion Community Plan, and demonstrates The City’s commitment to supporting a welcoming and inclusive community where everyone feels safe and can fully participate in community life. This is an investment in our cultural and economic future.”

Learn more about Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership at https://rdlip.ca/.