A Visit from UNHCR Canada Representative!

It was our pleasure to meet with UNHCR Canada Representative, Ms. Rema Jamous, and her team to discuss the work Welcome Place is doing with asylum seekers and other newcomers. Ms. Jamous and her team were pleased to learn of the services offered to refugee claimants, both at Welcome Place and the Province in general. Part of the discussion revolved around challenges faced by refugee claimants and the (lack of) services/resources available to them. Ms. Jamous will be sharing our concerns with Ottawa, and she hopes to have good news for us in the future.

Welcome to our first arrivals through Operation Afghan Safety!

MIIC/Welcome Place is pleased to welcome the first arrivals of Afghan nationals sponsored by Welcome Place in partnership with Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan under the Operation Afghan Safety Initiative. A family of four members who departed Pakistan to Canada were received at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport. The family is part of the 40,000 Afghans that the Canadian government will bring to Canada. MIIC/Welcome Place and their co-sponsoring organization will be providing settlement and financial support to the newcomers for a period of 12 months. MIIC/Welcome Place expects the arrival of other privately sponsored refugees from Afghanistan before the end of the year.

For more information about our sponsorship program and how to participate in refugee sponsorship, please visit www.miic.ca or send your inquiry to general.psr@miic.ca.

Welcome to our first arrivals through Operation Afghan Safety!

MIIC/Welcome Place is pleased to welcome the first arrivals of Afghan nationals sponsored by Welcome Place in partnership with Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan under the Operation Afghan Safety Initiative. A family of four members who departed Pakistan to Canada were received at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport. The family is part of the 40,000 Afghans that the Canadian government will bring to Canada. MIIC/Welcome Place and their co-sponsoring organization will be providing settlement and financial support to the newcomers for a period of 12 months. MIIC/Welcome Place expects the arrival of other privately sponsored refugees from Afghanistan before the end of the year.

For more information about our sponsorship program and how to participate in refugee sponsorship, please visit www.miic.ca or send your inquiry to general.psr@miic.ca.

Information Session About the Benefits of Living in Rural Manitoba!

On August 10, 2023, Welcome Place held an open invitation information session for newcomers on the benefits of living in rural Manitoba. Translation was available in a number of languages. We would like to thank our guest presenters, Eric Foster, Regional Economic Development Officer from Melita, MB, April Peers, Settlement Worker from Westman Immigrant Services in Virden, MB, and Rhonda Juskowiak, Employment Advisor from Virden Employment Skills Centre.

If you are a newcomer interested in learning more about settling in rural Manitoba, visit our website https://www.miic.ca/settle-in-rural-manitoba or email Welcome Place Advisor, Aima, at aimau@miic.ca. We would love to hear from you!

Team Building with our Sister Agencies!

Staff of Welcome Place spent the afternoon of July 19, 2023 at The Forks with their colleagues from sister agencies. This event was put on by Immigration Partnership Winnipeg.  We participated in soccer games and a scavenger hunt. It was a great afternoon of team building and getting to know the staff at other agencies.

The following agencies participated:  Welcome Place, N.E.E.D.S., IRCOM, Mosaic, Aurora Family Therapy, Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba.

We look forward to participating in this event next year!

Personal Safety Training for Newcomers!

Welcome Place held a Personal Safety Training Session for Newcomers on June 28, 2023. The training was given by a member of the Winnipeg Police Service and touched on the following topics: street safety, gang awareness, personal security at home, service and delivery people at your door, apartment safety and telephone safety.

Newcomer Welcome Fair 2023!

Welcome Place participated in the Newcomer Welcome Fair on Saturday, June 24, 2023. It was a day to welcome newcomers, refugees and immigrants, and to celebrate Multiculturalism Day in Canada. We were also pleased to have Mayor Gillingham visit our booth to learn more about what we are doing to serve newcomers.

Welcome Place Community Garden 2023!

It's gardening season! At Welcome Place we have a small community vegetable garden beside our building. Newcomer residents in our temporary accommodations and in the community are always welcome to take part in maintaining the garden and enjoying the rewards at harvest time.

This year we planted cucumbers, pumpkins, lettuce, spinach, kale, carrots and onions!

If you are a newcomer and want to spend time in our garden, please call Sunny, (204) 977-1000 Ext. 272.

Our Volunteer Program runs the community garden. If you are interested in volunteering with Welcome Place, please visit our website https://www.miic.ca/become-volunteer.

World Refugee Day Celebrations!

Welcome Place, with over 20 other organizations, participated in World Refugee Day celebrations at Central Park in Winnipeg. The intention of these celebrations was to shine a light on the rights, needs and dreams of refugees as well as to reflect on our shared global responsibility to respond to the ongoing forced displacement crisis. It was a very hot afternoon but there was a great turnout!

Newcomer Clients Explore The Leaf at Assiniboine Park!

On June 17, 2023, newcomer clients from Welcome Place spent the day exploring The Leaf at Assiniboine Park. The Leaf is a spectacular indoor horticultural attraction at Assiniboine Park where visitors journey through four distinct biomes. As you can see from the photos everyone had such a great time! 

Newcomer Clients Visit Gimli, Manitoba!

On June 9, 2023, a group of newcomer clients from Welcome Place visited the beautiful community of Gimli, Manitoba. These clients were interested in relocating to a rural community and they chose to explore Gimli to see what it had to offer. Our clients visited prospective employers, handed out resumes, explored the town, and toured housing options.

We would like to thank our sister agency, N.E.E.D.S. Inc., for letting us use their van for this larger group.

If you are an employer in rural Manitoba looking for employees, we invite you to contact us to book a time to present about your business to our newcomer clients looking for employment. Contact Aima at aimau@miic.ca or (204) 977-1000.

Explore the benefits and opportunities of living in rural Manitoba.

Newcomer Clients of Welcome Place Visit Gimli, Manitoba!

On May 29, 2023, newcomer clients of Welcome Place visited the beautiful community of Gimli, Manitoba. These clients were interested in relocating to a rural community and they chose to explore Gimli to see what it had to offer. Our clients met with a representative from the Gimli Community Development Corporation, handed out resumes, met with prospective employers, explored the town, and toured housing options.

Our wonderful volunteer, Irene, graciously gave of her time to drive our clients to Gimli for the day to make sure they were able to accomplish all that they wanted to do while there.

If you are an employer in rural Manitoba looking for employees, we invite you to contact us to book a time to present about your business to our newcomer clients looking for employment. Contact Aima at aimau@miic.ca or (204) 977-1000.

Explore the benefits and opportunities of living in rural Manitoba.

Newcomer Clients of Welcome Place Visit Reston, Manitoba!

On May 3, 2023, newcomer clients of Welcome Place received a warm welcome from the beautiful Town of Reston in the RM of Pipestone. Our clients met with the local Economic Development Officer, settlement workers and prospective employers. It was an interesting and informative day resulting in job offers! Thank you for your support!

If you are an employer in rural Manitoba looking for employees, we invite you to contact us to book a time to present about your business to our newcomer clients looking for employment. Contact Aima at aimau@miic.ca or (204) 977-1000.

Explore the benefits and opportunities of living in rural Manitoba.

Trip to Camp Manitou, February 2023

On Monday, February 20, 2023, we took a group of newcomers to Camp Manitou. It was a fun-filled introduction to hockey, tobogganing, skating, and snowshoeing. We got to toast marshmallows and warm up by the fire. Our clients were extremely excited and interested to have this opportunity. 

Trip to Assiniboine Park Zoo, October 2022

Newcomers enjoyed a day at Assiniboine Park Zoo. The fall weather was beautiful!

Gardening

Summer 2022

Newcomers who reside in our temporary accommodations and in the communitys are invited to participate in our community garden. Newcomers learn new skills, meet neighbours who have similar experiences, benefit from the fresh air and reap the benefits of their work when it is harvest time!

ValourFC New Canadian Night at IG Field

On August 3rd, we had a successful event for newcomers who live in our temporary accommodations. The event was to celebrate newcomers to Canada and the cultural diversity in the city. It demonstrated the strength in our community and the impact sport has to bring us together.

Thank you to ValourFC, the Blue Bombers organization and our volunteers who made our visit memorable and encouraging our newcomers who were very excited to have this opportunity.