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
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
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
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
In our city’s history, immigrants have always played an important role. They build our economic prosperity, diversify our culture, contribute to our social vitality.

Jim Watson
Mayor of Ottawa
The Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre is so happy to have joined the OLIP Health and Wellbeing Sector Table. It is clear that OLIP cares about immigrants and refugees and…

Wendy Tang, Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre
I was happy to see integration to Algonquin territory and indigenous culture related programming in 2014 WOW. Please continue to involve local Aboriginal organisations and…

Linda Manning
WOW 2014 participant, Senior Fellow, University of Ottawa
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
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

OLIP Research and Publications

Impact of COVID-19 on Immigrants & Racialized Communities in Ottawa
This report summarizes the content of the COVID-19 Community Dialogue held on October 22, 2020. The objective of the dialogue was to hear experiences of immigrant and racialized residents with COVID-19 and to brainstorm ideas that will contribute to the design of solutions to protect the affected communities from any further spread of the coronavirus. The report serves as a resource for OLIP partners to build on as we continue planning – in collaboration with affected communities – for ways to mitigate the health risks facing immigrants and racialized populations in Ottawa.

Four Futures: the Economic Impact of Immigration in the Ottawa-Gatineau Region
The report, produced by the Conference Board of Canada for OLIP, looks at the demographic and economic impacts of immigration over the last decade and forecasts growth in the region between 2019 and 2036 under four analytical scenarios that explore the links between immigration, employment and economic growth in the region. The report concludes that given the Ottawa-Gatineau region’s aging population and low birth rates, immigrants are vital to the region’s economic competitiveness and growth.

Understanding immigrant seniors’ needs and priorities for health care – A community engagement research project in the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) region of Ontario (2018)
Being foreign-born has been shown to impact both the health status of residents and their experience in accessing and utilizing health care services. This report, authored by Vivien Runnels, draws from an extensive engagement of immigrant seniors and their caregivers, as well as health care service providers in the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) region of Ontario, to define immigrant seniors’ health care needs and the challenges and constraints they encounter when seeking health services. The report identifies important priorities to strengthen the capacity of the health care providers to meet the needs of immigrant seniors. The research was conducted collaboratively by OLIP and the South East Ottawa Community Health Centre and funded by the Champlain LHIN.

The Arrival and Settlement of Syrian Refugees in Ottawa – System Responses, Lessons Learned and Future Directions (2017)
With funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership spearheaded this research initiative with the aim of creating a common understanding of the successes and challenges of the community-wide effort to settle the Syrian refugees in Ottawa and learning from this experience.

The Cost of Not Providing Health Care Interpretation in the Champlain Region (2017)
This document provides an overview of the negative health and health system impacts of not providing professional language interpretation for clients with limited English or French proficiency when they utilise health services.

Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Ottawa: Forum Summary Report (2017)
This report summarizes the findings from the Anti-Black Racism forum on August 8, 2016, an event co-sponsored by the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership and the City for All Women Initiative. The forum was initiated by members of Ottawa’s Black communities. The report includes the Ottawa community’s recommendations for institutions and communities at large.

History and Legacy of Refugee Resettlement in Ottawa: A Primer (2016)
The primer provides basic information on the history and legacy of refugee resettlement in Canada, and highlights Ottawa’s role in these efforts. It contains basic facts about refugees and about Canadian refugee policy, a brief timeline of refugee resettlement, and a myth buster intended to dispel some of the misconceptions about refugees and refugee resettlement history in Canada. Perhaps of greatest value, the primer shares some of the knowledge accumulated by people who have spent a lifetime working to welcome and to resettle refugees. These insights are presented in the legacy section of the primer.

OLIP Progress Report – 2011 to 2015
The report features OLIP partners’ concrete accomplishments, since the launch of the Immigration Strategy in 2011, in five sectors:  economic integration; health and wellbeing; education; language; and settlement and integration capacity development.

The Latest Achievements of the OLIP Partners: October 2012 – June 2013
This report features the key collaborative initiatives implemented by the OLIP partners under the strategic priorities of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy in the period of October 2012 – June 2013.  The report was presented to the Ottawa community during the 2nd Annual Ottawa Immigration Forum.

Better Together: Cultivating Equitable and Inclusive Organizations in Ottawa (2013)
The report presents summary of learning from the Phase I of Ottawa’s Equity Project. Based on the individual reflections of representatives of a group of mainstream organizations with significant history in equity and diversity inclusion, it brings perspectives on the key factors that help organizations become more inclusive. The knowledge accumulated in the Project is transferable, and aims to facilitate collective learning and systemic change to better address immigrant and minority populations’ needs.

Planting the Seeds of Progress: Ottawa’s Immigration Strategy in Action (2011-12)
This report provides highlights of the collective achievements of OLIP partners in the first year following implementation of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy. It outlines initiatives that are taking shape across various sectors and which will benefit Ottawa through improved integration outcomes.

Ottawa Immigration Strategy: Planning Together for Prosperity, Vibrancy and Inclusion (2011)
This document provides the framework for the OLIP plan, which sets an agenda to attract, settle, and integrate immigrants in Ottawa. Local research suggested that OLIP focus on six specific sectors and coordinated planning in these areas was prioritized.

The Role of Immigration in Canada’s Historic Growth and Development (2010)
This report highlights the importance of immigration to Ottawa’s growth and development and provides a comparative analysis in relation to other mid-sized Canadian cities.

Focus Group with Immigrants Report (2010)
As part of a series of community consultations, OLIP held four focus groups with Ottawa immigrants on March 18 and 19, 2010. The focus groups examined the settlement and integration experiences of immigrants in Ottawa. Participants were consulted on their level of satisfaction with service provision, their perception of critical service gaps, their view of Ottawa as a welcoming community, and their assessment of immigrants’ contributions to the city. This report provides detailed descriptions of the focus groups and summarizes the findings.

The Settlement and Integration Needs of Immigrants: A Literature Review (2010)
This report reviews existing knowledge about immigrant settlement and integration. It provides a profile of immigrants in Ottawa and explores newcomers’ settlement and integration needs, including those related to employment and economic inclusion, health, and housing. The discussion considers the impact of various socio-demographic factors, including age, gender, immigration status, and ethnicity, which may intersect to create unique settlement experiences. An analysis of the specific needs of Francophone immigrants is also included. The document concludes with a summary of emerging gaps and recommendations for future action.

Perspectives on Economic Integration (2010)
This document presents findings from a consultation on immigrant economic inclusion and integration, which engaged employers, economic development thinkers, planners, and policy analysts.

Enhancing Service Capacity to Support Immigrant Settlement and Integration in Ottawa (2010)
On April 15, 2010, OLIP invited settlement, social, health, and education service providers to discuss their capacity to support the settlement and integration of immigrants. This report summarizes the insights that emerged from the discussion and makes recommendations for moving Ottawa forward in the creation of a community-wide strategy for improving immigrant settlement and integration.

Inventory of Settlement, Employment & Language Services For Immigrants in Ottawa (2010)
The report provides a baseline snapshot of the settlement, language training, and employment support services that were available for immigrants coming to Ottawa in 2010. It was developed to inform the planning process of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy.