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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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

Forum Overview

November 17, 2019

Held on November 25, 2019, the 5th Biennial Ottawa Immigration Forum was co-hosted by the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership, the Local Employment Planning Council (LEPC), and members of LASI (Local Agencies Serving Immigrants). The event was organized with the support of the City of Ottawa; Local Employment Planning Council (LEPC); Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC);  along with Canadian Heritage; Heritage Ottawa; Conseil Économique et Social d’Ottawa Carleton; the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre; World Skills Employment Centre; Catholic Centre for Immigrants and mécènESS.

Numerous topics were discussed under the theme Planning Together for Inclusive Prosperity :

  • How the new federal mandate may affect immigration in Ottawa
  • The economic impact of immigration in Ottawa and how we can improve it
  • Good practices to tackle barriers impeding newcomers’ optimal economic participation
  • Dialogues on how governments, business, educational institutions, settlement and other sectors can promote inclusive prosperity to benefit the Ottawa community.

The summary Forum report is also downloadable here.

For more Information on the 5th Biennial Ottawa Immigration Forum, please contact Denise Deby, OLIP Partner Relations Officer at denise@olip-plio.ca