Afghan refugees to arrive in Brandon
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/08/2022 (1283 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Brandon is preparing to welcome 50 Afghan refugees next week.
A total of 350 government-assisted refugees are expected to arrive in Winnipeg.
Mayor Rick Chrest said he’s proud of Brandon’s “long and solid” track record of welcoming new people to Canada, and said the refugees will add to the rich multicultural fabric of the city, as well as boost the job market.
“We’ve had quite a significant surge of immigration over the last 20 years, and it’s certainly been more pronounced over the last 10.”
That wave of immigration, Chrest said, led to the creation of integral organizations like Westman Immigrant Services (WIS), who confirmed on Friday that it will be helping the refugees settle here.
The organization’s outreach manager, Hannah Holt, said the people from the charter flight represent the single-largest number of refugees WIS has ever welcomed at once. Usually, she said, there are just one or two families that arrive in a given week, but next week’s group will represent approximately 10 families.
“We have our refugee assistance team here on the ground ready to help them, and we will also have case managers supporting them. Our other offices — Russell, Virden and Cartwright — they’re single-person settlement offices, so they don’t really have the infrastructure to support refugee resettlement where Brandon does … we’ll be getting them all.”
Chrest said the city works very closely with WIS.
“We’re very fortunate that we have that organization here in Brandon that encompasses a large footprint … they’ve got a significant number of personnel and lots of experience.”
Chrest is hopeful that cultural and religious organizations will also provide help to all new Brandonites, especially refugees. He also thinks that Afghans who have already settled in Brandon will prove integral to helping the newcomers adjust.
“Because we’ve enjoyed such an uptick in immigration, we … have a critical mass of people from a new culture that are already here, and therefore, they tend to step up and are quite helpful, especially with language and cultural costumes that help people bridge their new life.”
Refugees and immigrants give back to the community in many ways, the mayor said, not least of which is through cultures, customs, food, music, art and celebration that the community otherwise wouldn’t experience.
“I really believe this makes our community that much richer.”
The influx of people will likely benefit the local workforce, as well, he said.
“[Immigration] typically bolsters our employment picture. Right now, there’s kind of a shortage of employment in the labour market, so with new people coming to Canada, they usually fairly easily … are able to find jobs and get started.”
The federal government has vowed to resettle 40,000 Afghans in Canada after the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021. The refugees who arrive in Brandon next week join 17,375 Afghans who have arrived in the country so far.
The office of provincial Immigration Minister Jon Reyes said in a statement the Manitoba government is supportive of the federal government’s commitment. The province is also giving $5.1 million through the Newcomer Community Integration Support program to 15 organizations across Manitoba to “assist in the integration of newcomers.”
“These supports are crucial to supporting newcomers and refugees once they become citizens and are not eligible for federal settlement services,” the statement read.
Holt said her organization will provide updates on the resettlement process, including ways in which Brandon residents can help, on WIS’s social media pages.
However, the organization is always accepting donations of toiletries or cash donations through its website.
» mleybourne@brandonsun.com and cslark@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @miraleybourne and @ColinSlark