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Spirit of Excellence in Public Service Award

The Ontario Federal Council is pleased to announce the 2011 Spirit of Excellence in Public Service Award to Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s York Settlement Operations team – Richard Lecours, Edie Albisser, John Battista, Pixie Cohen, Nancy Cutillo, Mitch Litvack, and Karen Nistas - for the establishment of Welcome Centres in York Region.

Their Welcome Centre Model was proposed by York Region’s Inclusivity Action Plan, a forerunner of CIC’s Local Immigration Partnership (LIPs) initiative. This model was further supported under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA) when it identified a pressing need to provide additional settlement services in York Region, one of Canada’s fastest growing and most diverse communities.
The Welcome Centre Model is a one-stop shop approach to services by pooling the resources of community-based agencies under one roof. In addition to orientation and referral services, language assessment and classes, job search workshops and child-minding, the new Welcome Centers in York Region offer specific programs for newcomer youth and seniors.

The delivery of settlement services in York Region was rapidly expanded after the first opened in Vaughan. Four additional Welcome Centres to assist newcomers were later opened in Richmond Hill, Markham North and South, and Newmarket.