As part of its public outreach program, the TIEDI project held a series of roundtable sessions from January to March 2012.  In these roundtable sessions, partners of TIEDI discussed the policy and program implications arising from TIEDI's research findings and recent immigration trends.

If you have missed these sessions, you can still view the agenda and primers from the links below. Synthesis of policy and practice questions arising from Roundtable sessions 1 and 2 can be found here (3 and 4 will be available soon). Photos from Roundtable sessions

Who was invited?

1)Directors of immigrant service agencies and advocacy groups, employer associations, regulatory bodies, professional associations, training organizations, labour organizations, and credential assessment agencies in Toronto 

2) Policy makers and analysts studying economic integration of immigrants 

3) Other Community partners of TIEDI

Where?

All sessions were held in York University's Keele campus location (4700 Keele Street). Directions to York University by TTC, car, or Go Transit, click here.

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Roundtable Session 1: Pathways to Permanent Residence: The Impact of Changes to Immigration Policies and Categories on Immigrant Service Providers  (Friday, January 27, 2012, 9:30am-12:30pm, York Lanes building, Room 280N)

Recent and forthcoming changes to immigration programs affect the profile of new immigrants and the pathways through which they achieve permanent residency. For example, increasing numbers are arriving through temporary foreign worker programs, student visas etc., and this trend is expected to continue.  This may affect the experiences of new immigrants in the Canadian labour market and the settlement services they need to achieve success.  Join us for a roundtable to discuss how changes in immigration programs have, and will, affect the services provided by community agencies.

Facilitator: Erika Gates-Gasse, (Policy and Research Coordinator of OCASI); Organizers: Dr. Philip Kelly (TIEDI Principal Investigator, Associate Professor in Geography, York University), Dr. Rupa Banerjee (Assistant Professor in Human Resource Management, Ryerson University); Sophia Lowe (Manager, Community Engagement & Knowledge Exchange, World Education Services), Stella Park (TIEDI)

Agenda- Roundtable 1

Primer- Roundtable 1

Roundtable Discussion Paper #1

If you attended this session, click here to fill out on-line survey for feedback. Thank you.

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Roundtable Session 2: Filling the Data Gap: A Conversation on Coordinating and Using Program Data(Friday, February 3, 2012, 9:30am-12:30pm, York Lanes building, Room 280N)

Official datasets on the labour market outcomes of immigrants, especially census-based ones, are often dated as soon as they are released. Data gaps contribute to frustrations often experienced by the settlement and employment sector and by government officials in their attempts to design/implement, in a timely fashion, programs that can ease immigrants' transition into the Canadian labour market.  This roundtable hopes to start a conversation between governments, community organizations and academics on what each can do to address this issue. It will explore the possibility of data sharing, data mining, and data analysis, in particular the sharing and analysis of administrative/program data collected by community organizations.

Co-facilitators: Tim Owen (Director, World Education Services), Karen Lior (Executive Director, Toronto Workforce Innovation Group (TWIG), Organizers: Dr. Lucia Lo (Professor in Geography, York University); Ted Richmond (Team Leader, Research and Evaluation, Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Immigration Policy Branch), Tim Owen (WES), Stella Park (TIEDI)

Agenda- Roundtable 2

Primer- Roundtable 2

Roundtable Discussion Paper #2

- Information about Routes TO Employment, created by the Toronto Workforce Innovation Group

If you attended this session, click here to fill out on-line survey for feedback. Thank you.

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Roundtable Session 3: The Gender Gap in Labour Market Outcomes for Immigrants (Friday, March 9, 2012, 9:30am-12:30pm, York Research Tower, Room 519)

The labour market disadvantages of immigrant women persist. On average, they earn less than Canadian-born women, their participation rates are lower, and they are more likely to be unemployed during the critical period of initial settlement in Canada.  More alarming, education does not pay off for immigrant women as much as it does for immigrant men or the Canadian-born. Join us for a roundtable to discuss the policy and program implications of these trends and how policy makers and service providers can respond to them.

Facilitator: Debbie Douglas (Executive Director of OCASI); Organizers: Dr. Valerie Preston (Professor in Geography, York University), Dr. Jelena Zikic (Associate Professor in Human Resources Management, York University), Erika Gates-Gasse, (Policy and Research Coordinator, OCASI), Stella Park (TIEDI)

Agenda Roundtable 3

Roundtable 3 Primer

Roundtable Discussion Paper #3

If you attended this session, click here to fill out on-line survey for feedback. Thank you.

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Roundtable Session 4: Immigrant Transitions from Underemployment to Skills-commensurate Employment (Friday, March 9, 2012, 1:30pm-4:30pm, York Research Tower, Room 519)

Participants in this roundtable will discuss the barriers and challenges facing underemployed immigrants in transitioning into employment commensurate with their skills and education. We will explore both the barriers and the potential policy and practice solutions from the perspectives of service providers, program funders, policy makers, and employers.

Facilitator: Joan Atlin (Director of Programs in Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC); Organizers: Dr. Steven Tufts (Associate Professor in Geography, York University); Dr. John Shields (Professor in Political Science, Ryerson University), Stella Park (TIEDI)

Agenda Roundtable 4

Roundtable 4 Primer

Roundtable Discussion Paper #4

If you attended this session, click here to fill out on-line survey for feedback. Thank you.

We welcome your feedback and any specific reflections you might have about these sessions.