7^th Ottawa Immigration Forum 2023

The 7th Biennial Ottawa Immigration Forum (BOIF) will be hosted on Friday October 13, 2023, at 8am – 3:30 pm, at Ottawa’s Innovation Center, 7 Bayview Station Road. A pre-forum webinar on newcomer housing will also be hosted by the Forum Partners, to help us learn about the context and conditions shaping newcomers’ housing experience.

The theme of the Forum (and its related pre-forum virtual webinar) was Building Newcomer Integration Infrastructure: Networks, Knowledge, and Policy. Twenty-seven expert speakers from across the country reflected on new opportunities and challenges in the integration of immigrants in the context of rising immigration levels, changes in the labour market, and new policy opportunities.

The Forum theme and topics were timely as OLIP partners had renewed the Ottawa Immigration Strategy earlier that summer and had begun implementing priority goals in key sectors. Learnings and insights generated by the Forum fed into how we organize ourselves to curate progress towards our collective vision of a more vibrant, prosperous, and inclusive Ottawa, strengthened by the contributions of immigrants.

The Forum consisted of six sessions, including two plenary panels, two concurrent afternoon sessions, and several presentations—including a message by the federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and a welcoming address by Mayor Sutcliffe. All sessions were moderated, and participants had the option to ask questions. The Forum offered simultaneous interpretation in English and French.

The Forum content was designed to add value to the work of OLIP partners and stakeholders, including non-profit organizations’ executives, staff, and board members; civil society leaders; immigrant civic groups; leaders of industries experiencing skills shortages; researchers and university students; government executives and policymakers; and community-based funders. 

6^th Ottawa Immigration Forum 1: Equity Matters in Ottawa Forum Overview

The 6th Biennial Ottawa Immigration Forum was held online on November 22 and 23, 2021. The theme was “Equity Matters in Ottawa: Policy, Practice and Potential.” More than 380 OLIP partners and stakeholders participated.

Speakers and Topics

More than 20 speakers from across Canada reflected on the vulnerabilities experienced by immigrants and racialized populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The speakers provided insights into the root causes and shared ideas for local action to improve equity. 

Topics Discussed Included:

• Lessons learned from the pandemic and the way forward
• Ottawa’s potential to achieve equitable outcomes
• Impact of the new federal mandate on Ottawa
• Role of municipalities in affecting positive change
• Immigrants’ access to quality jobs and safe workplaces

Igniting Ottawa’s Potential for Equitable Outcomes

Speakers and Topics:

• Corey Bernard, Director, Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Anti-Racism at Ontario Health on Ontario Health’s Framework for Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Anti-Racism
• Zahra Ebrahim, Co-founder of Monumental, a non-profit organization specializing in participatory design thinking in public initiatives, on Effective Community in Collective Planning
• Umit Kiziltan, Chief Data Officer Branch at Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Leveraging Data for Equitable Outcomes through Sustainable Partnerships
• Moderator: Faduma Yusuf, Executive Director, Britannia Woods Community House, Ottawa

Key takeaways

Inclusive & Equitable Municipalities

Speakers and Topics:

• Mumbi Maina, Social Planner, City of Vancouver on Vancouver’s New Equity Framework & Plans
• Anthony N. Morghan, Manager, Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Unit, City of Toronto on The Implementation of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism.
• Elise Edimo, Project Officer, Francophone Immigration Support Network in Eastern Ontario, on the Inclusion & Civic Participation of Francophone Immigrants in Hawkesbury
• Suzanne Obiorah, Director of the Gender and Race Equity, Inclusion, Indigenous Relations and Social Development, City of Ottawa on Advancing Equity across Municipal Domains and the Development of a Women and Gender and an Anti-Racism Strategy and Plan
• Moderator: Ty Smith, Senior Director, Diversity, Inclusion and Leadership, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Key takeaways

The Role of Immigrant Workers in Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery

Speakers and Topics:

• Iain Reeve, Associate Director of Immigration at the Conference Board of Canada, about the Role Immigrants play in Supporting Canada’s Economy and Labour Market, focusing on the COVID-19 Cohort
• Naomi Alboim, Research Chair and Distinguished Fellow of the Policy Forum at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University on The Differential Impact of the Pandemic on Racialized Immigrant Women
• Bolanle Aleke Apata, Economist, Labour Market Information Council (LMIC) on Immigrant Labour Market Information Landscape, Labour Shortages, and Skills and Career Services
• Moderator: Stephen Willis, General Manager, Planning, Infrastructure, and Economic Development, City of Ottawa

Key takeaways