B.C. GOVERNMENT INVESTS $400,000 IN FRANCOPHONE CENTRE

VANCOUVER – The provincial government is investing $400,000 over two years to open the Connection Centre for Francophone Immigrants / Agence francophone pour l’accueil des immigrants in Vancouver to help French-speaking newcomers access services and programs, announced Murray Coell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development.

Government support to open the centre is made possible under the Canada-B.C. Agreement for Co-operation on Immigration, in which Citizenship and Immigration Canada transfers $109 million per year to the B.C. government for settlement services for new immigrants.

“Much of our economic and cultural growth depends on the hard work and passion of new immigrants, and it’s important we make them feel welcome,” said Coell. “This pilot project will help meet the immediate settlement and integration needs of B.C.’s French-speaking newcomer population and will result in better services for francophone British Columbians.”

The innovative Connection Centre for Francophone Immigrants will connect French-speaking immigrants to B.C. Settlement and Adaptation Program services, as well as the francophone cultural community throughout B.C.

“Immigration plays an important role in supporting the vitality of our B.C. francophone community,” said Joan McIntyre, Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations and minister responsible for the Francophone Affairs Program. “The immigrant connection centre will ensure French-speaking immigrants and refugees are linked to settlement services, connected to the larger B.C. francophone community, and able to access these services and resources in French.”

Six local francophone organizations (Fédération des francophones de la C.-B, Conseil Jeunesse francophone de la C.-B., Conseil scolaire francophone de la C.-B., Société Inform’Elles, La Boussole and Collège Éducacentre) and two strategic partners (ISSBC and Mosaic) joined forces to help make the Connection Centre a reality. Led by the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique (FFCB), the consortium has undertaken the pilot project in order to strengthen the collaboration with multicultural service providers. This will ensure French-speaking immigrants have ready access to the full range of existing services, programs, and resources.

“The Connection Centre is a giant first step for our community: we now have the ability to connect with our francophone immigrants and provide them with the information they require to access services and to make contact with our francophone community,” said Réal Roy, president of the FFCB.

The pilot project is part of WelcomeBC, which strives to build on the province’s history of welcoming newcomers and creating inclusive communities. More information can be found at www.WelcomeBC.ca.

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