Canadian Perspectives on Immigration in Small Cities

This book examines immigration to small cities throughout Canada. It explores the distinct challenges brought about by the influx of people to urban communities which typically have less than 100,000 residents. 

The essays are organized into four main sections: partnerships, resources, and capacities; identities, belonging, and social networks; health, politics, and diversity, and Francophone minority communities. Taken together, they provide a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary perspective on the contemporary realities of immigration to small urban locations.

Readers will discover how different groups of migrants, immigrants, and Francophone minorities confront systemic discrimination; how settlement agencies and organizations develop unique strategies for negotiating limited resources and embracing opportunities brought about by changing demographics; and how small cities work hard to develop inclusive communities and respond to social exclusions.

In addition, each essay includes a case study that highlights the topic under discussion in a particular city or region, from Brandon, Manitoba to the Thompson-Nicola Region in British Columbia, from Peterborough, Ontario to the Niagara Region.

As a complement to metropolitan-based works on immigration in Canada, this collection offers an important dimension in migration studies that will be of interest to academics, researchers, as well as policymakers and practitioners working on immigrant integration and settlement.

Glenda Tibe Bonifacio is an associate professor in women¿s studies at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta. She is a research affiliate of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy and with the defunct Prairie Metropolis Centre. Her research interests include gender, migration and citizenship; education, development and youth; and temporary foreign workers. Glenda is the author of Pinay on the Prairies: Filipino Women and Transnational Identities (UBC Press 2013); editor of Gender and Rural Migration: Realities, Conflict and Change (Routledge 2014) and Feminism and Migration: Cross-cultural Engagements (Springer 2012); and co-editor of Migrant Domestic Workers and Family Life: International Perspectives (Palgrave 2015) and Gender, Religion and Migration: Pathways of Integration (Lexington Books 2010). Julie Drolet is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary¿s Central and Northern Alberta region in Edmonton. She was previously a faculty member at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia. She is actively engaged in research in the field of international social work, community development, and Canadian immigration funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council). She is a co-investigator in the Pathways to Prosperity Research Partnership and former domain leader in settlement, integration, and welcoming communities with Metropolis BC. Julie is co-editor of International Social Development: Social Work Experiences and Perspectives (Fernwood Publishing 2012) and Shifting Sites of Practice: Field Education in Canada (Pearson 2012). She is the author of Women and Micro Credit: Women¿s Experiences in Cairo, Egypt (VDM Verlag 2008) and Social Protection and Social Development: International Initiatives (Springer forthcoming).

1. Introduction.- 2. Welcoming and Inclusive Communities and Workplaces (WICWP): The Case in Thompson-Nicola Region, British Columbia.- 3. Working Together: Collaborative Response to Welcoming Newcomers in Brandon, Manitoba.- 4. Local Immigration Partnerships: How is Peterborough Engaged with Immigrant Integration?.- 5. (Mis)givings in a Prairie City? Filipina (Im)migrants in Lethbridge, Alberta.- 6. Conflict and Negotiation: Transnational Ties and Competing Identities of Chinese Immigrants in Kamloops, BC.- 7. Sense of Place among Immigrant and Refugee Women in Kingston and Peterborough, Ontario.- 8. Why Networks Matter and How They Work? The Role of Social Networks in Attracting and Retaining Immigrants in Small Cities.- 9. Health and Social Inequities of Visible Minority Immigrant Women in St. Johns: A Critical Population Health Perspective.- 10. Immigration in the Niagara Region: Youth Perspectives of the Small City.- 11. Dilemmas and Challenges of Democratic Participation of Immigrants in Small Communities in Atlantic Canada.- 12. Relationship between School and Immigrant Families in French-language Minority Communities in Moncton, New Brunswick: Parents Perceptions of their Childrens Integration.- 13. Challenges of Francophone Immigration in Northern Ontario: The Cases of Hearst, Timmins and Kapuskasing.- 14. The Regionalization of Immigration in Quebec: Shaping Experiences of Newcomers in Small Cities and Towns.