The strategies under the coordination of services are intended to:
- Provide a ‘point of contact’ to advocate for and address concerns and questions regarding immigrant and newcomer issues.
- Increase local organization’s capacity to support and provide services to their immigrant and newcomer clients.
- Create opportunities for local and regional partnerships to utilize current resources more effectively.
Sarnia-Lambton LIP Council
The Sarnia-Lambton LIP Council does not provide direct service delivery, but it does offer a centralized venue for discussions about immigrant and newcomer supports and services. LIP Council members share information about their programs and services, express challenges and concerns and offer their assistance to each other in addressing their concerns.
The Sarnia-Lambton LIP also acts as a point of contact for community organizations to connect with regarding questions about immigrant and newcomer issues.
Information Dissemination
Sharing information on immigrant and newcomer issues with the community is a key component of the LIP Settlement Strategy. Along with our own web pages on the Newcomer Portal, sharing of this information happens in a number of ways:
- Email Distribution List: monthly emails about upcoming community and cultural events are sent out to a distribution list of over 300 people. To sign up to receive these emails, please click here
- Social Media: the Sarnia-Lambton LIP manages a Twitter account that has over 600 followers. Follow us @SarLamLIP
- Annual Report Cards: the Sarnia-Lambton LIP has created annual Report Cards to highlight the work being done in the community. Visit our Resources & Publications Page to download copies of the 2012 and 2013 Report Cards
Guest Speaker Events
The Sarnia-Lambton LIP has hosted a number of speaking events with regional organizations to raise awareness of the services on a broader scale. These organizations have included:
- The Honourable Jean Augustine, Ontario’s Fairness Commissioner Ontario’s Fairness Commissioner
- Access Centre for Regulated Employment
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada
- Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
Training Opportunities
The Sarnia-Lambton LIP sponsors training opportunities that provide local service providers with tools and resources to better support and serve their immigrant and newcomer clients. Some examples of these opportunities include:
- Diversity Training with Dr. Leeno Karumanchery from Diversity Solutions Inc. Click here for a sample of Dr. Karumanchery’s talks.
- Cultural and Honour-Based Violence Workshop with Dr. Aruna Papp
Southwestern Ontario Local Immigration Partnerships Group (SWO-LIPs)
This regional group formed in 2010 after a meeting between the Sarnia-Lambton and Hamilton LIPs. The purpose is to create a way for LIPs in Southwestern Ontario to network, connect and share with each other their successes and challenges. The group meets quarterly and in addition to Sarnia-Lambton includes representatives from:
- Brantford/Grand-Erie
- Chatham-Kent
- Guelph-Wellington
- Hamilton
- Huron County
- London & Middlesex
- Niagara Region
- Réseau de soutien à l’immigration francophone (Francophone Immigration Network System)
- St. Thomas-Elgin
- Waterloo Region
- Windsor-Essex
