Halton Newcomer Strategy Steering Committee (HNS) was established in 2010 following a community-wide consultation to discuss gaps, needs and opportunities for supporting the settlement and integration of newcomers to Halton. This consultation resulted in a decision by key stakeholders to support Halton Region in putting forward an application for funding through the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) to establish a Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) in Halton and perform the duties of LIP secretariat.

The Halton Newcomer Strategy Steering Committee is one of over 70 Local Immigration Partnerships across the country mandated by the federal government to provide a collaborative framework to guide research, policy and partnerships related to newcomers in a regional context. Local Immigration Partnerships are local collaboratives intended to improve social, economic and civic engagement outcomes of newcomers in local communities. These partnerships are intended to engage representatives of settlement and non-settlement service providers, multidisciplinary subject matter experts, and the broader community in developing strategies to improve settlement and integration outcomes for newcomers. Additionally, Local Immigration Partnerships work with residents to ensure local municipalities remain welcoming and inclusive to newcomers, while continuing to attract skilled and educated immigrants to support local labour market gaps and grow economies.

Since 2010, the HNS has led a number of consultations to ensure that the work continues to be responsive to the emerging needs of newcomers in a changing policy landscape, while ensuring that the voices of newcomers with lived experience, residents, and settlement and non-settlement service providers drive the collaborative’s mandate. A 2017 community consultation welcomed over 100 stakeholders and focused on identifying priorities for the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan. Further community consultation conducted in 2018 provided feedback to the HNS Steering Committee on indicators and measures of success related to the established population outcomes. During this consultation, the results of a data extraction through the Longitudinal Immigration Database were unveiled and used to inform the discussions.

The HNS has made commitments to consult annually with its membership and subject matter experts to determine actions year over year as a way to keep strategic priorities in line with emerging needs and changing policy. The HNS commits to report back to the community every two years for feedback on recommended activities.

As a Local Immigration Partnership, the HNS supports stakeholders and service providers by providing research and data to inform best practice and continuous service delivery improvement. By engaging non-traditional community partners, the HNS raises awareness of the challenges and needs that newcomers face when establishing themselves in Halton to allow for better settlement and employment outcomes and ensures Halton continues to be a welcoming community and a destination of choice for newcomers.

This work will be led by the staff of the HNS Secretariat and the HNS membership, which is made up of over 90 subject matter experts from a cross section of sectors including settlement, education, health, employment, business, police and government. Additional support will be leveraged from newcomers, stakeholders and employers; Youth Advisory Council; as well as partnerships established with program areas across Halton.

The HNS is committed to ensuring that new Canadians settling in Halton experience social engagement, a sense of belonging, social cohesion and strong citizenship.

Throughout 2018 and 2019, extensive consultation took place with members of the Steering Committee and Action Groups, as well as settlement and non-settlement partners, the business sector, individuals with lived experience and all levels of government. The discussions resulting from these consultations were used to identify the Strategic Actions for the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan.