For media inquiries please contact AMSSA at communications[at]amssa.org or 604-718-2780.
Strategic Initiative to Address Housing Challenges for Resettled Refugees and Refugee Claimants in BC
August 23, 2024 – Katie Crocker, AMSSA (Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC) and BCNPHA (BC Non-Profit Housing Association) released a new strategic report An Examination Of The Most Acute Housing Needs of BC’s Newcomers: A Refugee Housing Strategy
Shelter for ‘everyone’: Richmond calls on Ottawa to fund designated spaces for asylum seekers in B.C.
August 23, 2024 – Sabrina Dumitra, AMSSA’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, was interviewed by the Vancouver Sun discussing the need for dedicated spaces for asylum seekers in B.C.
Bringing in newcomers into the conversation around the housing crisis
July 2, 2024 – Katie Crocker, AMSSA’s Chief Executive Officer, was interviewed by CBC News to explains that the housing crisis is a planning issue, not caused by newcomers who fill labor market gaps, and discusses insights from our housing report.
Newcomers to B.C. struggling to find housing and stability
June 28, 2024 – Katie Crocker, AMSSA’s Chief Executive Officer, was interviewed by Global News to discuss the impact of newcomers on B.C.’s labor market and housing crisis.
Working Towards Change: Understanding and Addressing Newcomer Housing Needs
June 27, 2024 – AMSSA has released a report titled “Working Towards Change: Understanding and Addressing Newcomer Housing Needs.”
The report provides insights from a year-long study that explores the intersection of housing and settlement for newcomers to B.C.
AMSSA Releases “A Collaborative Vision for Newcomer Integration in British Columbia” Report
May 30, 2024 – AMSSA is proud to announce the publication of the report, “A Collaborative Vision for Newcomer Integration in British Columbia: Enhancing Partnerships in Immigration and Inclusive Community Development.”
This comprehensive report provides a strategic framework for enhancing the settlement, integration, and inclusion of newcomers across the province, promoting a robust, cohesive approach that benefits all British Columbians.
SRO Vacancy Control Bylaw
April 30, 2024 – AMSSA is actively advocating for the reinstatement of the “SRO Vacancy Control Bylaw” in Vancouver to safeguard vulnerable populations from mass evictions and unchecked rent hikes, emphasizing the urgent need for affordable housing options and tailored support services.
Refugee claimants arrive at B.C. airports in unprecedented numbers
January 18, 2024 – Katie Crocker, AMSSA’s Chief Executive Officer, was interviewed by CityNews Vancouver on the arrival of refugee claimants and their resilience as they create a new life for themselves here in British Columbia.
Vancouver’s emergency shelters feel the squeeze as refugee claims nearly double in B.C.
January 11, 2024 – Sabrina Dumitra, our Director of Programs, was interviewed by The Vancouver Sun about refugee claimants’ arrivals in Canada and their struggles to find adequate housing.
It is revealed that the number of asylum seekers in British Columbia has nearly doubled over the past year, exerting pressure on Vancouver’s emergency shelters
AMSSA Applauds Minister Anne Kang and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for Historic B.C. Settlement Funding Boost
May 24, 2023- The Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of B.C. (AMSSA) celebrates and congratulates Minister Anne Kang and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for significantly boosting funding for settlement services in British Columbia. The funding has been increased from $6 million to $25.6 million annually, marking a historic achievement in supporting newcomers across British Columbia.
Read a full description of the announcement below.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2022
September 30, 2022 – Today, on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour the Indigenous children who never returned from residential school and those who endured.
In addition to wearing orange, it is important to take the time to learn about current and ongoing colonial practices and structures so that they can be dismantled and reformed to a system that includes all and oppresses none.
As an organization, AMSSA is committed to creating a safe space for Indigenous voices.
All Welcome Here: An Equity Statement
July 27, 2022 – AMSSA has released an Equity Statement, noting the importance of the sector’s commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion in welcoming all newcomers and disrupting practices and systems that promote social and racial injustice.
Read the full statement at the link below.
Statement on National Indigenous Peoples Day
June 21, 2021 – This June 21st we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. We acknowledge and recognize that our organization operates on the unceded and ancestral lands of many First Nations who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. It is essential that we understand the privilege that we have as settlers on this land and that we keep a commitment to learning about what roles we play in colonial practices and how we to disrupt them.
To learn more, please read the “Disrupting Current Colonial Practices and Structures in the Immigration and Non-Profit Sector” using the link below and visit our website for other resources exploring indigenous newcomer relationships.
Statement on World Refugee Day
June 22, 2021 – This June 20th, as more than 80 million people remain displaced worldwide, we celebrate World Refugee Day to recognize the struggles of refugees and their fundamental rights in their search for security. These rights include the right to seek asylum, the right to face no pushbacks, the right to receive safe access at border crossings, the right to face no discrimination, and the right to be treated with respect and dignity. (UNHCR, 2022).
We stand behind these rights and we wish to celebrate the courage that refugees possess as they flee violence and persecution. We especially recognize the importance of this day considering the ongoing events that have seen several millions displaced. It is essential that on this day–and every day of the year– refugees and their stories are recognized, and that action is taken to ensure that they find safety and thrive in their new communities.
Vancity and community partners rally to support displaced Ukrainians
June 3, 2022 | Published by Financial Post
Vancity is collaborating with the AMSSA Provincial Service Coordination Table, Government of British Columbia, and local community organizations, including the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress, United Way of BC, and CISSA-ACSEI National Secretariat on Operation Ukrainian Safe Haven, to support thousands of displaced Ukrainians who will be arriving in BC over the next several months.
Vancity’s Ukrainian Banking Program builds on the credit union’s long-running Resettlement Assistance Program for Government Assisted Refugees and has been developed in consultation with community partners to meet the needs of displaced Ukrainians and support their transition to Canada. The program includes no-fee banking services and products, wrap-around supports through settlement agencies and United Way of the Lower Mainland, transportation services through Modo, and tailored supports for entrepreneurs.
B.C. continues building support network to welcome Ukrainians
April 4, 2022 Province of B.C. News Release
With thousands of displaced Ukrainians expected to relocate to British Columbia over the coming months, the Province is expanding services and supports to connect individuals and families to the help they need.
“Ukrainians fleeing their country from Russia’s invasion have sacrificed so much in their pursuit for health and safety,” said Nathan Cullen, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “Our government’s priority is to ensure that every newcomer who arrives in B.C. has access to the services and supports they need as they adjust to life in Canada.”
A new, dedicated Welcoming Ukraine portal is operational and provides information to Ukrainians who are moving to the province, as well as for British Columbians who want to volunteer or donate to show their support: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/tourism-immigration/ukraine/welcome
Ukrainian Canadian Congress concerned by lack of federal programs to support
March 23, 2022 | Published by The Globe and Mail | By Safiyah Marhnouj
Ukrainian community groups and settlement agencies are expressing concern over the lack of federal support and programs in place for Ukrainians escaping the war and hoping to land in Canada.
Ukrainian Canadian Congress chief executive officer Ihor Michalchyshyn said in an interview that some who do make it here are unclear where to turn for help.
“Our communities are seeing people come and wander airports,” he told The Globe.
Ukrainians coming to Canada through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program arrive as temporary residents, not refugees, and do not have access to federal services. They have virtually no support, Mr. Michalchyshyn said.
Celebrating World Refugee Day
June 18, 2021 – On World Refugee Day, we celebrate the resilience of approximately 80 million displaced people from around the world as a result of conflict persecution, human rights violations and violence (UNHCR, 2021). We acknowledge and honour the courage and strength of refugees and displaced people who have been forced to leave their homes in order to build better futures for themselves. Those refugees and displaced people who now call Canada home have contributed immeasurably to the fabric of Canada’s culture, economy, and diversity.
Statement Against Racism and Hate
June 9, 2021 – As the nation comes together to grieve yet another horrific murder of innocent civilians, we call upon all residents of Canada to move beyond platitudes and performative measures to take real action against Islamophobia and all forms of racism and hate. The systems and structures of white supremacy in this country set the framework for intolerance and injustice and are perpetuated through complacency, through how we vote, and through whose voices are heard. These changes must happen in government, they must happen in communities, and they must happen in every boardroom across this country. Today we reach out to our member organizations, many of whom have staff of the Muslim faith, to express our grief and share our heartfelt love and support.
Statement of Solidarity: Truth Before Reconciliation
Vancouver May 31, 2021 – So often the word truth is dropped from Truth and Reconciliation. We move forward under the guise of reconciling when we have not taken accountability for the truth of the ongoing atrocities committed against Indigenous Peoples and the land they have stewarded since time immemorial. Accountability is not just words, it is actions. We grieve for all the children who were taken from their families and never returned. We call upon those responsible to take accountability, acknowledge the truth, and spare no resource or expense to return all the stolen children to their families.
“To stand as settlers in genuine and authentic solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and nations in our ancestral, unceded and occupied Homelands is an exhortation to awareness, integrity, honour and accountability as well as a call to action. Standing in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and nations is to first learn of what is and has been done in your name as a citizen, permanent resident, refugee or immigrant to Canada” (Dupuis-Rossi, Hellson & Reynolds, 2020).
As an organization that supports newcomers and their integration onto unceded and stolen lands, we continue to learn about the Indigenous experience and reflect as settlers to this land with open hearts and minds, reinforcing our enduring commitment to disrupt systems of oppression. We aim to centre Indigenous presence and practices within AMSSA and our member organizations, and to provide support to newcomers with the knowledge and truth of Canada’s colonial past and ongoing structures of oppression.
Western Canada: B.C., Manitoba target COVID-19 vaccines for hot spots, but that’s not happening everywhere
Since the early days of the COVID-19 vaccines, the approach across Canada has been simple: Prioritize long-term care residents and other people in their advanced age, health care staff, those with underlying conditions, and some front-line workers. Then, move down from there by age.
But there have been growing calls from public-health experts to switch gears, focusing instead on the communities most at risk. That includes neighbourhoods that have become hot spots, like the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, or Whalley and West Newton in Surrey, B.C. These areas are often racialized communities, where people work risky front-line jobs before coming home to multi-generation homes. It’s a population that has been particularly at risk throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stakeholders Call on B.C. Government to Reinstate Province’s Immigration Ministry
February 3, 2021 | Published by New Canadian Media | By Mansoor Tanweer
A duo of British Columbia-based immigration advocacy groups is calling on Premier John Horgan’s government to create a dedicated ministry of immigration. More robust immigration frameworks are needed to deal with the federally mandated rise in immigration and a shrinking workforce, spokespeople from the organizations say.
By 2023, Canada will be welcoming as many as 1.2 million potential new Canadians. B.C. welcomed 44,000 immigrants in 2020, the second-highest number after Ontario, which admitted 127,000 people.
Creating a ministry of immigration in B.C. is “long overdue” for Chris Friesen, director of Settlement Services for the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia (ISSofBC). Canada is receiving “the highest number of immigrants since 1913,” he says. “It begs the question, what role do provincial governments have?” Friesen believes that provinces have had a largely reactive way of doing things, and should “pivot to a forward looking, projection (based), multi-year plan.”
The federal government’s dramatic increase in immigration quotas has created an urgency for advocacy groups like ISSofBC or the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies (AMSSA).
The AMSSA has issued 12 recommendations in their Immigration for B.C.’s Future document. Reinstating an immigration ministry, inexistent since the early 2000s, is the second priority on the list, right after creating a five-year immigration plan.
Global News at 6 PM: B.C. Muslim group shares video of anti-Islam rant in downtown Vancouver
Date: December 30, 2020
Watch the newscast by clicking here.
December 30, 2020 – A BC Muslim outreach group from the “Meet a Muslim Campaign” Bridging Gaps Foundation shared a video of an anti-Islam hate-filled tirade in Vancouver’s downtown. Katie Crocker, AMSSA’s CEO was contacted to comment on the incident.
Read and view videos related to this story here: B.C. Muslim group shares video of anti-Islam rant in downtown Vancouver.
A Renewed Call for a BC Ministry of Immigration, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism
Date: November 16, 2020
Download the letter here: clicking here.
November 16, 2020 – AMSSA is renewing the call for a BC Ministry of Immigration, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism in a letter to Premier John Horgan.
Immigration, multiculturalism, and anti-racism intersect with practically every existing provincial ministry. These are issues that are woven into the very fabric of our country and into all of the institutions that run our province.
Dear Premier Horgan,
We are writing to express urgency for the provincial engagement strategy recommendation released in AMSSA’s 2018 report Immigration for BC’s Future: A Call for Action to Strengthen Newcomer Integration for an independent Ministry of Immigration, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism (https://www.amssa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Immigration-For-BCs-Future-Web-Version.pdf) Immigration, multiculturalism, and anti-racism intersect with practically every existing provincial ministry. These are issues that are woven into the very fabric of our country and into all of the institutions that run our province. Like every province and territory, B.C. has unique attractions, challenges, and histories that require a specific provincial response.
COVID Alert App Is A Glaring Reminder Of Health Inequality In Canada
Zi-Ann Lum, Huffpost, Posted: October 3, 2020
Read online by clicking here.
OTTAWA — It’s easy to find an example of structural inequality in Canada: just look at your phone.
The “COVID Alert” app, launched first in Ontario at the end of July, is an exposure notification tool that uses Bluetooth technology to identify potential community transmissions of COVID-19.
Available in English and French, the app satisfies official language requirements that came into law in 1969. Waves of immigration and a growing number of speakers of Cree languages, Ojibway, Oji-Cree, Dene and Inuktitut have since increased ethnic and linguistic diversity. But during a public health pandemic, in a country where four million people do not speak an official language at home, the potentially life-saving app is the latest example of health-related inequity.
Path to ending systemic racism requires rethinking everything, say advocates
Lien Yeung, CBC News, Posted: June 17, 2020
Read online by clicking here.
The path to ending systemic racism won’t be simple or clear, but it’s necessary and will require leaders to do the hard work of re-evaluating every policy, everywhere, say advocates.
“We have had the conversations but we have not brought about the structural changes that are needed,” says Indira Prahst.
After teaching and talking about racism for more than two decades, the Langara College instructor says seeing “the outrage” from the public has made her hopeful a shift is finally about to come.
For policy makers, Prahst says, it begins by looking at the blueprints guiding every institution, from police to the education system.
End Anti-Black Racism
A solidarity statement by OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants modified in solidarity by AMSSA- Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of British Columbia to reflect BC specific conditions.
Vancouver June 3, 2020 – We are in solidarity with Black Communities in Canada and across North America amidst the pain and rage we feel at the taking of another Black life – again. We mourn Regis Korchiniski-Paquet who died last week in Toronto.
We mourn George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor – brutally killed in the United States, victims of anti-Black racism and White supremacy.
Canada is not immune. We remember Andrew Loku, Abdirahman Abdi, D’Andre Campbell and many others who were failed by mental health services and killed by Police in what often looks like state sanctioned murder, given how rarely police officers are punished for the taking of Black lives. A coroner’s jury made 30 recommendations in 2017 after the fatal shooting of Andrew Loku by police. Many are yet to be implemented. How long must we wait and how many more lives will be unjustly taken? What are Black lives worth in Canada?
Op-Ed: Antidote To A Polarizing Election: Let’s Work Together To Bridge The Divides
October 28, 2019 | Published by Hill Times | By Debbie Douglas, Chris Friesen, Stephan Reichhold, Sarosh Risvi, Katie Crocker (Rosenberger)
What can we conclude from a federal election that resulted in a minority government reflecting stark regional and, in some cases, urban/rural divides?
That we need to work together to bridge those divides.
And with a minority government, we’ve all been given a golden opportunity to do just that.
Let’s make the most of the fact that Canada isn’t painted solely red, dark blue, light blue, orange, green—or, if we’re talking skin colour, white.
Let’s appreciate that we live in a diverse, liberal and well-functioning country — even as it faces uncertainty due to climate change and economic restructuring. Even as it strains under polarizing income inequality, and a hyper-local focus that can make us think in terms of “me” not “we”.
For Canada to bridge those divides, this has to be about “we”, because we are in this together.
That is what vibrant, functioning democracies do. They move beyond election slogans.
For the next while, it’s not Time For You To Get Ahead or In It For You or being On Your Side in particular or anyone else’s. Those ads are now in the dustbin of #elxn43 history.
CKNW Radio 980: The Jon McComb Show
October 15, 2019; CKNW Radio 980
AMSSA’s CEO Katie Crocker (Rosenberger) conversed with Jon McComb regarding the common misconceptions about refugees and the event “Why Should I Care? Refugees and Canada in 2019.
Listen to the recording here: https://globalnews.ca/pages/audio-vault-cknw/
Audio Date: October 15, 2019
Audio Time: 7:00 AM
The interview starts at approximately 09:00 minutes.
CBC Radio Vancouver: On The Coast With Gloria Macarenko
October 14, 2019; CBC Radio Vancouver
AMSSA’s CEO Katie Crocker (Rosenberger) and former refugee Pascaline Nsekera spoke with On the Coast host Gloria Macarenko about misconceptions regarding refugees and the event “Why Should I Care? Refugees and Canada in 2019” happening on October 15, 2019 starting at 5:30 PM.
Click here to listen to the interview.
Global News Morning BC: Common Misconceptions About Refugees In Canada
October 12, 2019; Global News Morning BC
AMSSA is working to promote dialogue about refugees in Canada. We chat with Chief Executive Officer Katie Crocker (Rosenberger) and former refugee Dacious Richardson about some of the common myths around refugees and why it’s important to dispel those misconceptions.
CBC News: Canadians May Not Be As ‘Obsessed’ Over Immigration This Election, But It Remains A Key Issue For Parties
Liam Britten, CBC News, Posted: October 7, 2019
Read online by clicking here.
In an East Vancouver classroom with sunlight streaming through the windows, Azar Aljalki rises from his chair, stretches, shakes and then dances with about a dozen of his peers.
Aljalki, 38, is a refugee from Syria.
He came to Canada in 2017 through a private sponsorship and now meets with fellow asylum seekers at the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture every week.
Their Wednesday morning movement exercises are part of a therapeutic warmup before they share their experiences escaping danger abroad and adjusting to life in Canada.
“My town [in Syria] was a good target for ISIS,” Aljalki recounted. “Before I [left], it was 7,000 missiles [in total] and on a daily basis, 10, 20.
“Because of my kids… I decided to just flee to Canada.”