speakers

REGISTRATION
Or visit the following link
www.eply.com/2014-Integration-Summit/
Or visit the following link
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XLCJLPS
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Welcome!
Dear Summit Participant,
The 2014 Alberta Integration Summit brings together the largest
gathering of organizations involved in the settlement and integration
sector across the province of Alberta and importantly also includes
Bienvenue!
Cher(ère) Participant(e),
Le Sommet sur l’intégration en Alberta de 2014 réunit non seulement
le plus grand nombre d’organisations impliquées dans le secteur
d’établissement et d’intégration de l’Alberta, mais compte également
nos collègues des Territoires du Nord-Ouest.
colleagues from the Northwest Territories. This AAISA led initiative was
informed by an advisory council of settlement agencies, three levels
of government, and a number of research networks that focus on
settlement in Canada.
Immigration to Alberta continues to shift rapidly, and consequently, the
summit is an opportunity for reflection and consideration of emerging
priorities. It is also an opportunity for stakeholders to collectively
gather the information necessary for better settlement and integration
outcomes for newcomers and for Alberta’s welcoming communities. The
summit seeks to provide innovative ideas through plenary sessions—
and associated participant feedback—which will guide in the creation
of future programming.
On the behalf of the Advisory Council, we are delighted to have you at
the Alberta Integration Summit and look forward to your contributions.
Cette initiative de l’AAISA a été conduite par un Conseil Consultatif
des organismes d’établissement, les trois paliers du gouvernement,
et un certain nombre de centres de recherche qui s’intéressent à
l’établissement des nouveaux immigrants au Canada.
L’immigration en Alberta continue de changer rapidement. Ainsi, ce
sommet est un lieu de réflexion et d’examen de nouvelles priorités.
C’est aussi une occasion pour les intervenants de recueillir ensemble
les informations nécessaires pour de meilleures opportunités
d’établissement et d’intégration pour les nouveaux arrivants et pour les
communautés d’accueil de l’Alberta.
Le sommet vise également à fournir des idées innovantes à travers des
sessions plénières —associées aux commentaires des participants —
qui serviront de guide dans la création de programmes à venir.
Au nom du Conseil consultatif, nous sommes ravis de vous compter
parmi nous lors de ce sommet et attendons avec impatience vos
contributions.
Sincere Regards,
Sincères salutations,
Alberta Integration Summit Advisory Council
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Conseil Consultatif du Sommet sur l’intégration en Alberta.
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GENERAL
INFORMATION
Photo: ‘Edmonton Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival’ by ‘IQRemix’ (flickr.com/photos/iqremix/), used under CC
BY 2.0 / Modified from the original version.
LOCATION
The Westin Edmonton Hotel
10135 100th Street, Edmonton, AB
T5J 0N7
T. (780)426-3636
thewestinedmonton.com
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FLOOR PLANS
LOBBY LEVEL
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BANQUET LEVEL
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SPEAKERS
Marc Colbourne
Ministry of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour
Master of Ceremonies
Marc Colbourne is the Manager of Immigrant Settlement with the Government of Alberta.
In his role, he is privileged to work with immigrant settlement agencies, employers, and
municipal officials who strive to create an environment of success for newcomers. Prior
to joining the provincial government he coordinated the Alberta Urban Municipalities
Association’s (AUMA) Welcoming and Inclusive Communities initiative.
He holds a BA (psychology), BSW, and Masters of International Social Work. He is passionate
about working with others to build an Alberta where immigrants and their families are
able to successfully settle and integrate into their communities and participate fully in the
economic, social and cultural richness of our province.
John Biles
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Master of Ceremonies and Moderator
John Biles currently holds the position of Assistant Director Integration Programs (Alberta
and NWT) in Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Western Region. He has spent
eighteen years working on settlement and integration from multiple vantage points. For
nearly twelve years he was a member of the Metropolis Project Team that managed an
international policy-research initiative focused on immigration, integration and diversity
in Canadian and international cities.
He then spent five years as a special advisor to the Director General of Integration Branch
at CIC, before taking on his current role. In all of these roles he has always had a strong
connection to the settlement system in Alberta. In addition he has co-edited five books
on settlement and integration in Canada. That research and writing has been put on hold
as he and his family welcomed their son Baxter on September 15 of this year. If he is
disoriented during the summit, it is due to systemic sleep deprivation.
Diane Mikaelsson
Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Speaker
Diane Mikaelsson has been a career public servant with the Government of Canada since
1982. The majority of her career was spent with Citizenship and Immigration Canada
(CIC), though she also worked with the Public Service Commission, the Immigration and
Refugee Board, and Human Resources Development Canada.
Her roles in CIC in Ottawa included Director General of Executive Services, Operational
Management and Coordination, and Human Resources. In November of 2012, she was
appointed as Director General, Western Region and relocated to Calgary.
Mrs. Mikaelsson holds an Honours Certificate in Management from the University of
Calgary and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Dalhousie University in
Halifax. She received a Public Service Award of Excellence in 2011 and was a recipient of
the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 in recognition of her contributions
to Canada.
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SPEAKERS
Lori Wilkinson
Immigration Research West - Speaker
Lori Wilkinson is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Manitoba.
She specializes in immigration and refugee studies, particularly on issues related to
discrimination, settlement and health among newcomers to Canada.
She is currently the editor of the Journal of International Migration and Integration and
the Director of Immigration Research West, an academic and community think-tank
concerned with issues related to successful settlement and integration. Some of her recent
work appears in the Canadian Review of Sociology (2013), Canadian Ethnic Relations
(2013), and Adolescent Behaviour (2013). She has coauthored two books, The Research
Process 3rd edition (forthcoming 2015) and Understanding Social Statistics (forthcoming
2015), both published by Oxford University Press.
Councillor Amarjeet Sohi
City of Edmonton - Speaker
Amarjeet Sohi was first elected to City Council in 2007 and took on a number of special
initiatives in his first term. Amarjeet was the Council sponsor of Safedmonton, a city-wide
committee working on community solutions for crime prevention and drug issues.
Amarjeet carried this work forward as advisor to the REACH Edmonton Council for Safe
Communities. He also served as a member of the Edmonton Police Commission. Amarjeet
works actively with a wide range of communities in southeast Edmonton. He has promoted
strong relationships among different cultures through the Police Chief’s Indo-Canadian
Liaison Committee, the Punjabi Cultural Association, and the Punjabi Arts Association.
Fariborz Birjandian
AAISA - Speaker
From the local to international level, Mr. Fariborz Birjandian has served on many
committees, boards and task forces related to immigration, refugees, diversity, equal
rights and the cultural arts. Fariborz was a refugee when he left his home country of
Iran with his family and settled for a brief time in Lahore, Pakistan, where he began his
involvement and work with refugees through the UNHCR. Fariborz resettled in Canada
where he volunteered with the Red Cross and Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS).
He soon began employment as a Settlement Counsellor for CCIS and shortly after became
the Business, Employment and Training Services Manager. For the past 20 years, he has
been the CEO of CCIS and led the agency from 50 staff operating out of two locations
to over 210 staff, 1,600 volunteers and overseeing approximately 70 programs from 8
locations in Calgary and Southern Alberta.
Fariborz’s community involvement for the past 25 years in Canada is varied and extensive.
He has received numerous awards and recognitions for his lifelong commitment to
diversity and equal rights and for improving immigration and refugee settlement and
integration policies and practices in Alberta, including the Government of Canada’s
Citation for Citizenship, the Queen’s Jubilee Commemorative Medal and the Alberta
Centennial Medal, amongst others.
His formal education is in Maritime Science and Administration Management.
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Jennifer Fowler
City of Edmonton - Moderator
Jennifer is the Director of Multicultural Relations for the City of Edmonton. The Multicultural
Relations section works with all City departments and external partners to:
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Promote awareness of the rich multicultural fabric of the City of Edmonton
Improve accessibility to programs and services
Support the community/organization development of Edmonton’s multicultural
communities
Prior to joining the City of Edmonton, her experiences included several posts as Director
of Communications for various private and public sector organizations, such as Legal Aid
Alberta, with significant international experiences engaging ethnic communities. This
included working as the Program Manager for Children in the Wilderness and Technical
Manager of Policy and Communications for the Malawi Social Action Fund in Central
Africa.
Jennifer has also recently completed a Master’s degree in Intercultural and International
Communications from Royal Roads University in Victoria, and sits on the Board of Goodwill
Industries of Alberta, a social enterprise dedicated to enhancing the lives of people by
providing them training and opportunities for meaningful employment.
Natasha Pateman
Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Speaker
Natasha Pateman is the Director of Policy Innovation at the Integration-Foreign Credentials
Branch located within Citizenship and Immigration Canada. After graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science Honours from UBC., Natasha completed her
Master’s degree in Public Administration at Queen’s University.
Since joining the federal government in 1997, Natasha’s work within several departments
has focused on health and labour market policy for issues such as Health Accords, Labour
Market Agreements, and barriers to employment including foreign credential recognition.
Additionally, Natasha is active in several mentoring programs including two pilots – one
at Health Canada for scientists and the public service mentoring program for newcomers.
Always eager to explore new sites and different foods, Natasha and her husband enjoy
traveling whenever possible.
Rachel Bocock
Alberta Urban Municipalities Association - Speaker
Rachel Bocock is Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Alberta Urban Municipalities
Association (AUMA). Rachel serves as the Secretariat Coordinator for the AUMA’s
Sustainability and Environment Committee. She is also member of the Municipal Climate
Change Action Centre and Welcoming and Inclusive Communities Steering Committees.
Prior to working with the Association, Rachel was an Associate with the public policy
consulting firm, Cambridge Strategies Inc. She also worked with the Wild Rose Agricultural
Producers during and after completing her BA (Hons) in Political Science at the University
of Alberta.
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SPEAKERS
Alice Wong
Ministry of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour - Speaker
Alice Wong started her career in the Alberta government as a student 21 years ago while
attending university. Interestingly, her first job was working in the settlement branch,
managing the resource centre. Since that time, she has gained a broad perspective in
the areas of labour market policies, advanced education, investment attraction, and
immigration and has a whole new appreciation and understanding of how important
settlement is and the work that immigrant serving agencies and other organizations do
for immigrants.
As the Director of Immigrant Settlement and Language Programs, Alice is responsible
for both settlement services and innovative language programs. Settlement Services
are provided in conjunction with the federal government to newcomers to address their
various settlement needs. In the area of innovative language programs, Alberta has a
number of projects that support and enhance the overall delivery of English as a Second
Language (ESL). Projects that are offered address a range of applications and language
levels from resource development to ESL literacy to occupational language programs.
In addition, Alice is involved in a number of federal and provincial committees where
she continues to develop and maintain her working relationships with her federal and
provincial counterparts and to voice Alberta’s perspective and position as it relates to
immigrants and immigration to Alberta.
Chris Thomas
Talent Pool - Moderator
Chris holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Sociology, specializing in organizational
behaviour and personnel selection. Chris has fifteen years’ experience in the development
and application of organizational effectiveness strategies specializing in recruitment
and retention programs, including over ten years’ experience in the field of international
recruitment. Chris has been recognized as a program specialist and has been asked by
various government departments both in Canada and abroad to provide his input to a
number of regulatory, program and policy changes related to human capital.
Chris has been interviewed by a number of TV stations, radio stations, newspapers and
magazines on a variety of topics such as alternative recruitment strategies, workplace
diversity, temporary foreign workers, progressive benefit programs, labour forecasting,
skill and labour shortages, international students, social media as a recruitment tool and
Canadian Immigration Programs. Chris has a strong connection to the community. He
has been involved with many organizations such as Calgary Economic Development,
the University of Calgary, the Canadian Restaurant & Food Service Association, Calgary
Logistics Council and the Petroleum Services Association of Canada.
Bill Campbell
Safeway - Speaker
Bill Campbell is currently the Human Resource Director for Safeway’s operations in Alberta.
He and his team of twenty-six HR professionals are responsible for providing talent
acquisition, diversity and inclusion, learning and leadership development, employee
relations, talent management and rehabilitation claims related services.
There are approximately 12,000 associates currently employed in Alberta. Safeway’s
operations include eighty-three retail stores and fuel stations, ten liquor stores, three
distribution centers, a regional office in Edmonton, and a Corporate Office in Calgary.
Safeway is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sobeys Inc.
Jean Johnson
L’Association Canadienne-Française de l’Alberta - Speaker
Mr. Jean Johnson is a native of the Rivere-la-Paix region in Northern Alberta; his parents
were pioneers of the region. Father of three daughters and two sons, Mr. Johnson is
passionate about Alberta’s Francophone community. He has worked in adult education
and distance learning in both French and English.
His role as a community leader has led him, among other things, to work as an Alderman,
President for a provincial association for adult education and as a founding member of
an Alberta distance learning association. He is currently the Executive Director of the
Francophone Quarter Business Association in Edmonton. Mr. Jean Johnson was the
President of the Association of Albertan French Canadians (ACFA) from 2004 to 2009. He
was unanimously re-elected as President in October 2013.
Dale Taylor
AAISA - Speaker
Dale Taylor has been the Executive Director of the Centre for Newcomers Society of
Calgary since 2000. She has served as the Chair of the Alberta Association of ImmigrantServing Agencies and is currently Co-Chair of the Immigrant Sector Council of Calgary and
one of the Alberta delegates to the National Settlement Council. With approximately
125 staff serving about 10,000 clients, the Centre for Newcomers has become one of the
larger immigrant-serving agencies in Alberta, offering a full suite of settlement, English
language, and employment services. Dale’s role at the Centre has been one of managing change, as her skills in analysis,
communication, and accountability have helped the Centre to grow fourfold during her
tenure. Dale’s previous experience includes various roles in post-secondary education and
not-for-profit management in Winnipeg and Edmonton as well as in Chongqing, China. She has an M.A. from the University of Alberta.
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SPEAKERS
Dorte Weber
MacEwan University - Speaker
Dorte Weber, M. Ed. (TESL) is coordinator of ESL at MacEwan University since 2010. From
2005-2010, she was coordinator of ESL at NorQuest College, and before that she taught
ESL at MacEwan University. Dorte is Past President of Alberta Teachers of English as a
Second Language.
Mamady Camara
AAISA - Speaker
Originally from Guinea (Conakry), West Africa, Mamady Camera is the Director of CANAF
and a member of Alberta Association of Immigrant-Serving Agencies (AAISA) and Chair
of AAISA’s Research Committee. Mamady holds a PhD in education assessment and
evaluation from Laval University in Quebec, a Diploma in Specialized Studies and Project
Management from Université de Rennes 2 in France, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education
and Social Sciences from Guinea.
Julie Drolet
Pathways to Prosperity - Speaker
Dr. Julie Drolet is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work in the Central and
Northern Alberta Region. Julie came to the faculty from Thompson Rivers University
and brings a solid commitment to social work education through her teaching, research
and service. In 2009 she was awarded a prestigious Canadian Foundation for Innovation
(CFI) Leaders Opportunity Fund grant in recognition of research excellence in the field of
climate change, disasters, and sustainable development. Anna Kirova
Immigration Research West - Speaker
Anna Kirova is professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Alberta. She served as
Education Domain Leader and Children, Family and Youth Research Domain Leader with
the Prairie Metropolis Centre of Excellence in Research on Immigration, Integration, and
Diversity (PMC) from 2004 to 2010.
She is currently on the Board of Governors of Immigration Research West (IRW) and a
Co- Principle Investigator of the Community Consultation project: CIC Western Region.
She developed and implemented innovative collaborative research approaches that
engage children, communities and not-for-profit organizations as co-researchers. Her
international work in this area has resulted in the book, Global migration and education:
Schools, children and families.
Lucille Leblanc
Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Speaker
Lucille LeBlanc is a career public servant with ten years’ experience as a senior executive.
She led large-scale organizations with multi-million dollar program and operating
budgets with mandates interlinked with numerous stakeholders. She has held senior roles
in the areas of managing partnerships, intergovernmental affairs, corporate affairs and
communications.
Within public organizations, Lucille has dedicated efforts in developing leaders at the
supervisory, managerial and executive levels. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Public
Policy and Public Administration from McMaster University.
She is principal investigator of a study titled Rebuilding Lives Post-Disaster: Innovative
Community Practices for Sustainable Development (2012-15) and a co-investigator
in Pathways to Prosperity (p2pcanada.ca). Julie was previously a domain leader in the
Settlement, Integration, and Welcoming Communities Domain with the Metropolis BC
Network.
Victoria Esses
Pathways to Prosperity - Speaker
Victoria Esses is Co-Chair of the Pathways to Prosperity Partnership (www.p2pcanada.
ca), an alliance of university, community and government partners dedicated to fostering
welcoming communities and promoting the integration of immigrants and minorities
across Canada.
She is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Centre for Research on Migration and
Ethnic Relations at the University of Western Ontario. Victoria has extensive experience
conducting research of direct relevance to policy and practice, including public attitudes
toward immigration and cultural diversity, promising practices in settlement and
integration, and factors promoting the settlement and integration of immigrants in
Canada. In 2010 she was awarded the Harold Crabtree Foundation Award in Public Policy
Research.
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CONFERENCE CONTACTS
Speaker/Presenter Contact:
Deniz Erkmen derkmen@aaisa.ca
Logistical Contacts:
Liane Cournoyer and Tammy Gartner
liane@tntevents.ca and tammy@tntevents.ca
ABOUT AAISA
Active since 1980, AAISA is an umbrella organization for
Newcomer Serving Agencies in Alberta. Our member agencies
provide services to assist newcomers in becoming fully integrated
members of Alberta society. Examples of services include
orientation, interpretation, counselling, employment services,
educational assistance, and programs for immigrant youth.
AISA is governed by a board of directors who represent AAISA’s
member agencies and Alberta municipalities.
AAISA provides a platform to unite the voices of independent
Newcomer Serving Agencies and all Settlement Stakeholders
toward reaching common settlement and integration goals.
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Photo: ‘7571496114 ‘, Album: ‘Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.’ by Eric Lamoureux (flickr.com/photos/vbthe/),
used under CC BY 2.0 / Modified from the original version.
www.aaisa.ca
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NOTES
•Milton Ortega (Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies)
•Christina Nsaliwa (Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies)
•Fariborz Birjandian (Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies)
•Alice Wong (Alberta Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour)
•Marc Colbourne (Alberta Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour)
•John Biles (Citizenship and Immigration Canada)
•Julie Drolet (Pathways to Prosperity)
•Pat Firminger (Alberta Human Services)
•Ida Kamariza (Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta)
•Dee Ann Benard (Alberta Rural Development Network)
•Anna Kirova (Integration Research West)
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