Delivery of Immigrant Services in Smaller Urban Centres & Remote/Rural Areas

Immigration is changing Canada. Yet the successful integration of new immigrants is a task rife with challenges. My research will focus on the delivery of services in smaller urban communities as well rural and remote centres, with a specific focus on the South-Okanagan- Similkameen, a region in the southern interior of British Columbia. My research will “learn from the front-line” about the full range of services that have been developed to reach and serve diverse immigrant populations with an eye towards improving services. This research is important and urgent for several reasons. The regional population is among the oldest in the province. Experts predict that the share of seniors in the region will increase because of its attractiveness as a retirement destination. This puts the region at the leading edge of a “silver tsunami” that might soon alter Canadian society. More practically, it means that the region will have a higher demand for younger workers — and by extension, immigrants – capable of filling the various jobs needed to sustain and support an aging population.

Faculty Supervisor:

Carlos Teixeira

Student:

Wolfgang Depner

Partner:

South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

University of British Columbia