A countywide synchronized endeavor to attract and keep immigrants is getting on track.

Rather than having individual organizations having their own plans to attract and retain immigrants, Peterborough now has a county-wide organized effort called the Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigration Integration.

The official launch of the council happened at noon on Wednesday, the 3rd of December, 2008.

Mike Ma of the community and Race Relations Committee said that there has never been an oversight committee looking at issues pertaining to immigration.

Mr. Ma said that the council is an attempt to show the importance of immigration to the economy and society of Peterborough. Immigrants need various connections, including economic, social, institutional, and cultural and community. Instead of each area having its own strategies, the council will provide a more coordinated approach to the issue of immigration. The groups include the City of Peterborough, Community and Race Relations Committee, New Canadians Centre, Fleming College, Trent University, the Chamber of Commerce, the police, the library, Ministry of Culture and many more.

One problem that Peterborough is facing is the Greater Toronto Area, which is also something that could be used as an advantage to the region. Mr. Ma gave a hypothetical example of an immigrant who moves to Peterborough for a job as an engineer, but he and his family struggle to make strong social connections in the community. Soon they notice that not too far away there are larger communities of people with the same ethnic background and so the engineer and his family moves away.

Mr. Ma said that the new council will have two staff people, a coordinator and an outreach person. Till now, the council has not held a meeting and over the next year, he hopes that the committee will hammer out the details of their strategies, objectives, local role and even who the staff will be.

He said that they have always felt that there is a need of something like this.

Councilor Dean Pappas said that he is very excited about the partnership with the council and that all this work is paying off.

Councilor Pappas talked about how Canada is built on immigration and so is Peterborough.

Ziyash Markson, a representative for the organization said that about 200 new immigrants go to the New Canadians Centre each year. They help them in settling, find language programs, find work, educate them, do research and also help the immigrants to integrate socially.