The target beneficiary of the work of OLIP is the whole community. In this short period we have planted together important seeds for Ottawa’s development.  

Dick Stewart
OLIP Council
The OLIP Council is committed to leadership.  In only a few years, we have a common vision and priorities, and are up to the task of implementing the Ottawa Immigration Strategy.

Salimatou Diallo
OLIP Council Vice Chair, Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario
I’m really impressed with the level of energy and commitment around the Health and Wellbeing table and look forward to continuing collaboration between OLIP and OPH.

Marcela Tapia
Ottawa Public Health
My nomination is an indication that our hard work in building Canada is recognized. All we do is to serve the community in return for embracing us when we needed it.  

Mehdi Mahdavi
Ottawa Immigrant Entrepreneurship Awards Nominee
The work and expertise that OLIP brings to our community is so important as it helps us to build bridges and break down silos.  I look forward to our continued work together. 

Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa
The WOW seminar on immigrant women’s nutrition and health was a step in the right direction towards closing the gap between academic researchers and service providers.

Josephine Etowa
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Ottawa
Canada has been shaped by people who came from all over the world to build this country. WOW offers a platform for us to celebrate this history and the future it will help…

Alex Munter, Chair of the OLIP Council and President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre
OLIP helps to unite and share scarce resources for greater impact by working together in the field of student education.

Walter Piovesan
Associate Director of Education, Ottawa Carleton District School Board
The City of Ottawa will continue to play a lead role in the implementation of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy, just as we did in the founding of OLIP.

Steve Desroches
City Councillor and Deputy Mayor of Ottawa
All the WOW events that I went to were great – WOW does give a sense of a community trying to improve its attraction and retention!

Caroline Andrew
Professor, University of Ottawa

Champlain LHIN partners with Career Transitions Program

February 4, 2013

The Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is now a host site for the Career Transitions program, delivered by the Catholic Centre for Immigrants and World Skills. The initiative is an example of the LHIN’s efforts to reach out to diverse communities by creating new and effective local partnerships.

The Career Transitions program is specifically targeted to International Medical Doctors (IMDs) or international health professionals who wish to pursue non-regulated health care roles through employment, mentoring or volunteering.

In December 2012, the Champlain LHIN welcomed Farouq Samim to the Champlain LHIN for a four-month paid placement in communications. Farouq was previously a doctor and journalist in Afghanistan before coming to Canada several years ago. Most recently, he earned his Masters of Arts in Communication at the University of Ottawa.

“It certainly is a privilege to work at the Champlain LHIN, where I can use many of the transferable skills from my past experiences in medicine, journalism and communication,” he says. “Also, as a newcomer, I have been learning many skills. Some of them are as basic as working in a Canadian cultural setting with Canadian colleagues, while others are more complex – for example, to understand the different lines of communication at a crown agency such as the Champlain LHIN.”

Elaine Medline, Director of Communications at the Champlain LHIN and member of the OLIP Council, explained that the placement benefits both parties. “Farouq is provided with an opportunity to obtain meaningful Canadian work experience and participate in the day-to-day operations of a dynamic agency. At the same time, the Champlain LHIN builds more diversity within its organization and gains the excellent contributions of an experienced health communicator,” Elaine said.

If you are interested in learning more about Career Transitions, please contact Bonita Varga, Job Developer (Career Transitions for International Medical Doctors and Health Professionals), Catholic Centre for Immigrants at 613.232.9634 ext. 322 and bonita@cic.ca