The Eastern Ontario Training Board (EOTB)’s Eastern Ontario Local Immigration Partnership (EOLIP)’s council consists of representatives from settlement service agencies, broad-based community services, non-profit organizations, Francophone-specific services, educators, government representatives and private sector businesses. The council has been working  together to foster a welcoming community for newcomers to Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) and Prescott and Russell (PR), since 2015.

Slow population growth and labour market shortages have heightened the need to attract immigrants to the area and assist them to successfully settle. For this reason, the EOLIP Council seeks to continue efforts to foster a welcoming environment by taking time-based actions focused on measurable outcomes based on feedback obtained directly from immigrants to the area. To counter some evidence of resistance in the workplace and discrimination within the community, EOTB and the EOLIP Council will embark on strategies to address discrimination that has become evident within the community. 

Since 2015, the Eastern Ontario Training Board and their partners on the EOLIP council have been collaborating to make Cornwall, the United Counties of SDG and the United Counties of PR a more welcoming community. They:

• Ensure the EOLIP council includes a wide-range of English and French speaking community members representing both private and public sector organizations. 
• Work with settlement partners to engage immigrants to fully understand their needs and how EOLIP can contribute. 
• Advance coordinated settlement and community services that are responsive to these settlement and employment needs identified by immigrants and address barriers to immigrants’ full participation in society. 
• Attract and retain newcomers to SDG & PR to help offset the effect of stagnant population growth and an aging demographic. 
• Engage with the business community to promote the benefits of an inclusive workplace. 
• Build a more welcoming culture among the public at large through communication strategies focused on anti-discrimination and creating an appreciation of cultural diversity.