ST. PAUL – Newcomers to St. Paul, whether they are here to study, work, or join family, can access expanded support through the Community Adult Learning Program (CALP) at Portage College.
Christine Warkentin, the newcomer support worker at the college, spoke about the program during a delegation with the Town of St. Paul on Nov. 12. She also presented information about the program to the County of St. Paul council, earlier the same day.
The program provides resources to help newcomers settle into the community, offering job search assistance, English classes, healthcare registration, and information on housing and transportation. The program also provides support to enrol children in school, as well as offer guidance on employee rights.
Warkentin said the program has helped international students, families, and individuals find stability and access to services they need within the community.
“From dealing with immigration case files for many years, I understand the needs and challenges facing newcomers. It's important to be culturally sensitive and communicate well with people from different backgrounds,” she said.
“Our laws, our culture, our food are foreign to most newcomers, and it is challenging and stressful for many when they first arrive here,” added Warkentin.
Challenges
One of the most pressing issues newcomers face is the lack of affordable and available rental accommodations, said Warkentin.
Offering an example, she said a refugee family of five people from Haiti was forced to temporarily reside in a two-bedroom apartment in St. Paul.
“There's not a lot available out there.”
She said there is also a growing concern about the lack of safe transportation options, particularly for female international students, who must walk long distances late at night from their jobs to the Portage College housing.
Mayor Maureen Miller acknowledged housing is a general issue in the municipality, and the Town is working to alleviate the issue through programs like its Secondary Suite Housing Incentive Program.
The program offers property owners the opportunity to develop secondary suites without incurring the standard development permit application fee.
Employers
While CALP does not provide immigration or legal services, Warkentin said she does help direct individuals experiencing workplace abuse to the proper resources.
“This was shocking to me. I had a newcomer come to me and [tell] me of financial and mental abuse that they had been receiving from their employer,” said Warkentin.
An investigation is currently underway into the alleged abuse.
According to Warkentin, it is not easy for many foreign workers to leave a job if they entered the country through the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). In that case, the worker can only work for the employer who provided the LMIA.
“They cannot just go off and . . . get a job somewhere else. It doesn't work like that,” she said. Sometimes, employers take advantage of the situation, and the foreign worker is afraid to be sent back home, so they “continue to accept the abuse,” said Warkentin.
For more information on additional support from CALP, all newcomers are encouraged to reach out to Warkentin at 780-646-2781. She is available Monday to Thursday at Portage College from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
