Immigrants can dodge pitfalls

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Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday October 2, 2010
Reproduced with permission.
Photos: Ken Gigliotti

Centre's free, vital services save cash

Linda Lalande, executive director of the Immigrant Centre, says newcomers credit her organization for their success.

Linda Lalande cringes when she sees immigrants make mistakes -- like spending tens of thousands of dollars for certain services her organization offers for free.

"We had a client spent $17,000 to do what we do free of charge," the executive director of the Immigrant Centre said. "They were paying to get someone to help them fill out an application form to help sponsor their brother (to come to the province)."

Lalande's organization offers that for free through their recently created Nominee Application Centre, which reviews and gives advice to immigrants navigating the province's nominee program.

"If you don't know what resources are available to you, you might take programs you don't need, spend money you don't need to spend, you may not know how to look for a job or may end up in an entry-level job," she said.

One of the largest resources for newcomers to the province, the Immigrant Centre moved into their new digs on Adelaide Street last November to accommodate a growing list of clients looking to make Manitoba their new home.

Last year, the centre helped more than 11,600 clients through English training, employment and workplace-entry programs, computer lending and translation services, among a host of others.

This year, they've already worked with more than 7,000 in the four months between April and August.

"We have people to make sure we're at every single community and church event to make sure people are aware of our services."

As a registered charity and not-for-profit organization, the Immigrant Centre receives the bulk of its funding from the province.

But investments from other sponsors, like the United Way, which pumped $150,000 into the organization this year, help keep vital services alive.

The United Way's investment specifically goes toward the centre's English training and community outreach programs, as well as keeping their 700-person volunteer department in place.

"We couldn't do those things without the United Way," Lalande said.

"They're an invaluable resource not only to the community, but for not-for-profits. They've enabled our centre to have a plan, recruit board members based on those plans, and be able to provide more innovative services to assist more newcomers."

With already high immigration rates and the province expecting to recruit 20,000 new immigrants to the province each year by 2016, the demand for the centre's services will only grow.

It's a challenge Lalande is welcome to meet.

"I've always loved clients and what I love about my job is team-building within the community," she said. "One of our clients said to me the other day 'This is like my second home' while another client attributes all of his success to us.

"He now has his home, he has a wife, a baby and he's so thankful to be here in Canada."