The Mattagami River shores attract an increasing number of newcomers to Ontario. Among them are a significant number of francophones or persons wishing to learn more about the bilingualism that characterizes the mining city of Timmins. To help them take their first steps, Collège Boréal is pleased to offer for the first time in Timmins a full range of immigration and settlement services in addition to existing employment services.
Collège Boréal has been offering these services in Central and Southwestern Ontario for over ten years with the financial support of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). With the extension of these services to Sudbury (2017) and now Timmins, Northern Ontario communities are increasing their ability to welcome immigrants.
Community integration and career planning
In Timmins, Collège Boréal will offer the services in two ways:
Firstly, settlement workers will offer on-site personalized services. They will assist immigrants in settling in and adjusting to their new life by offering help with housing, healthcare, and community living issues, among others.
Secondly, socio-economic integration counselors will help newcomers with skill development and sustainable career planning. With their guidance, immigrants will develop a personalized plan that takes into account their professional integration.
Language training for newcomers in a minority setting
In addition to the settlement services now offered in Timmins, Collège Boréal recently launched an adapted Cours de langue pour les immigrants au Canada (CLIC)/Language instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. The program offers French and English courses online, in virtual classrooms, to students who cannot attend in-person classes due to professional, personal or even distance constraints. Also funded by IRCC, the program, designed to speed up linguistic integration, is offered at no cost to students.
In time, when offices reopen, Boréal’s integration services team in Timmins will offer its services in person. In the meantime, online sessions with counselors are available. For more information: nouveaux-arrivants@collegeboreal.ca or etablissement.timmins@collegeboreal.ca
Quotes
“Collège Boréal’s programs and services are an essential component of what we call one-stop service access. When someone comes to us, we can direct them to the settlement, post-secondary or continuing education programs and services that best suit their needs. These new services for immigrants in Timmins only strengthen this approach.”
Daniel Giroux, President of Collège Boréal
“Newcomers to Canada help drive our economy, and give our businesses the skills they need to thrive abroad so they can create jobs right here at home. Our government is supporting the good work of organizations like Collège Boréal so that new arrivals can more easily adjust to their new environment and help our communities to thrive.”
The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
“Collège Boréal has acquired extensive expertise in the delivery of programs and services related to immigration administered by the federal government. Where they are well established at our campuses and sites in Central and Southwestern Ontario, these services help local communities flourish. Their availability in Timmins sends a strong message to Francophone immigrants who are looking for a northern adventure!”
Baptiste Alain Bourquardez, Director, Immigration programs and services, Collège Boréal
“With our offices ideally located in downtown Timmins, immigrants will benefit from personalized support services on arrival, quickly creating a sense of belonging to the community. Our goal is to ensure their successful integration. We want them to be able to say as soon as possible: ‘I’m at home here.’”
Michelle Stevens, Manager, Employment and Immigration services, Timmins campus, Collège Boréal
About Boréal
Established in 1995, Collège Boréal is a French language post-secondary training and learning institution dedicated to the development and growth of communities throughout Ontario.
Collège Boréal offers comprehensive programs and services in seven campuses and 38 sites located in 26 communities throughout the province. Since 1995, approximately 120,000 clients across Ontario have benefited from Collège Boréal’s expertise relating to post-secondary education, training programs, immigration and settlement services, and employment services. Collège Boréal has established over 120 articulation agreements with other post-secondary institutions.
According to the Key Performance Indicators recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Collège Boréal holds the top rank in two of the five areas surveyed: graduation rate, and, for a fourth consecutive year, student satisfaction. These results are proof that investing in human capital is Boréal’s strength.
For further information:
Martin Lajeunesse
Manager – Communications and Media Relations
martin.lajeunesse@collegeboreal.ca
