WE LIP is a multi-sectoral community planning body working to ensure newcomers needs are considered at all levels of planning and service delivery, and that newcomers are supported in achieving meaningful participation in all aspects of life. The Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership (WE LIP) is an initiative of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to encourage communities acr
oss Ontario to develop a comprehensive plan for the delivery of newcomer services. The WE LIP initiative represents a process to examine the whole system of services currently available and considers how the system could be enhanced to facilitate access to service and to promote the long-term settlement and integration of immigrant newcomers into Windsor and Essex County. In November 2008, the City of Windsor was given the lead for the Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership (WE LIP) initiative by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), formerly Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). WHAT WE DO:
The Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership (WE LIP) engages stakeholders through information sharing, events and a locally-driven strategic planning process to help make Windsor-Essex a more welcoming and inclusive community. The partnership strives to assist non-settlement service providers and the community in developing a greater understanding of newcomer needs and services. Our goal is to create a community where newcomers and citizens can achieve a higher quality of life and reach their full potential. We strive to accomplish this by fostering community, which contributes to our mutual goal ~ that every new member of our community feels like they truly belong and can successfully contribute to the social and economic fabric of Windsor-Essex. To provide better outcomes, our key objectives include:
• Partnering with service sectors such as health care, education, housing, children’s services, developmental disability services, and police to discuss the unique needs of immigrants within those sectors and how we, as a community, can work together to ensure that immigrants have complete access to these services;
• Raising the profile of immigrants by celebrating local success stories;
Improving employment opportunities for immigrants by reaching out to employers and demonstrating how diversity enriches the workplace;
• Promoting collaboration between organizations to improve access to services for immigrants;
• Strengthening social integration by helping to remove barriers; and
Encouraging social and cultural connections, active civic participation and a sense of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship and the value of diversity. For question about Immigrating to Canada, please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada.html
