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
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
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 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
We are very pleased to have done the “Opportunity Cost of Not Investing in Interpretation” report – it is so important to have clarity on these challenges and…

Hindia Mohamoud, Director, OLIP
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
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 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
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 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

Update on OLIP Sector Tables’ Work

September 16, 2017

Economic Integration

OLIP and the Ottawa Employment Hub/Local Employment Planning Council joined forces in June 2017 to advance the Economic Integration Sector Table’s work and address the two entities’ common goal of facilitating immigrants’ access to employment. This collaboration will enable the OLIP Economic Sector Table to convene four times per year, up from the current two, to advance current plans.

The Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, Hire Immigrants Ottawa, the Ottawa Employment Hub and OLIP are undertaking a collaborative initiative to use data from a range of sources, from federal to local, in order to better understand patterns, challenges and opportunities in immigrants’ employment. The Economic Integration Sector Table will continue to advance this work as a top priority.

Health and Wellbeing

In September 2017, the Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre is expanding thanks to increased funding from the Champlain Local Health Integration Network. Initially set up in 2010 to serve Government Assisted Refugees (GARs), the Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre is expanding its clientele to also include privately sponsored refugees and refugee claimants.

A subgroup of Health and Wellbeing Sector Table partners is focusing on strengthening mental health planning through training, prevention, data and knowledge generation.

Education

The Education Sector Table is focusing its current efforts in three areas:

  • Leadership engagement on issues or priority of the sector;
  • Advancing Equity in Education through collective impact, which brings institution and community stakeholders together to improve graduation rates in low-income Ottawa neighbourhoods; and
  • Strengthening approaches to parent and school community engagement.

 

Language

The Language Sector partners have identified task groups to further collaborative work on language, employment and trades; language training for low-literacy learners and populations at risk; and interpretation services and training.

Socio-Civic Integration

Work continues on two fronts initiated by the Socio-Civic Integration Sector Table:

The Equity Ottawa partnership, which is developing a collective impact initiative, with Ontario Trillium Foundation support, to address institutional and systemic barriers to equity for immigrants and racialized people; and

The annual Welcoming Ottawa Week, which creates multiple pathways and opportunities to extend our collective welcome to newcomers while creating opportunities for reflection on the challenges and successes surrounding immigrants’ integration.

On April 25, 2017, OLIP convened a consultation with key stakeholders and advisors to discuss the changing socio-political environment. The impetus for this meeting was the rising anti-immigration and racist discourse in the US and implications for Canada. OLIP will continue to create opportunities for community conversation on this topic and work with partners and stakeholders to counter negativity and hatred and build strong solidarity between Ottawans and a vibrant, inclusive civic culture.

Governance Changes Facilitating the Work of the Sector Tables

With many OLIP partners indicating a desire to convene more frequently, OLIP governance changes approved by the OLIP Council in June 2017 mean that each of the Sector Tables will convene at least three times per year. One of the three meetings will be convened and planned by partners and focused on one substantive theme identified by partners. This change is being implemented in the Fall of 2017.