Welcoming communities is an initiative and policy priority by the federal government aimed at exploring the host communities’ receptivity to and long-term integration of immigrants. This initiative includes an examination of the public policy instruments that can enhance the capacity of Canadian cities and communities to receive and integrate immigrants, refugees, and minorities and of the research to determine the best practices that currently exist.
Research Questions :
- How welcoming small towns and villages are to newcomers?
- How to develop place based approaches that address local contexts and needs?
- What is the role of municipalities and other actors in these place based approaches (e.g., policies, programs, services, designs etc.)?
- What are immigrants place based lived experiences in non-traditional gateway cities and what are contributing factors to retention or integration?
The role of religion in welcoming newcomers in small and mid-size communities
Faith plays a key factor in immigrant integration, according to a Statistics Canada report (2021). For immigrants, religious communities are a place of social integration, especially in the first few years in Canada. However, concerns are being raised about the detrimental impact of faith on integration with the spectre of the rise of religious extremism in Canada (Reitz, 2009; Avery, 2003). Under this topic, a number of questions are worth exploring such as:
- What are the internal structures and characteristics of faith communities?
- What is the role of a place of worship in welcoming newcomers in small communities?
- Does faith contribute to newcomers’ retention in such communities?