2017 Embracing Diversity Full Report
SRPC’s Newcomer report looks at how newcomers are experiencing our community, the challenges they face in settling here and how we can help make our community a more welcoming place to live.
SRPC’s Newcomer report looks at how newcomers are experiencing our community, the challenges they face in settling here and how we can help make our community a more welcoming place to live.
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Finally, participants in both Huron and Perth Counties identified the cold weather as being a<br />
challenge. Participants in Perth were unique in noting that they found it difficult to access public<br />
transportation and/or obtain a driver’s license in the rural community.<br />
Health and Wellness<br />
In Huron County, most focus group participants felt they had been emotionally, mentally, spiritually<br />
and physically well since moving to Canada, though not having family members with them<br />
contributed to a sense of social isolation. One individual who recently suffered a miscarriage<br />
expressed feelings of loneliness since her family was not with her in Huron. Furthermore, she<br />
was so unhappy with the healthcare she received after suffering from this tragic and emotionally<br />
taxing incident that she chose to fly home (a long and costly journey) to visit a specialist due to<br />
long wait times. Another woman expressed that her experience living in a rural environment<br />
made her depressed. Lack of employment can also contribute to poor health; this was evident<br />
when a 57-year-old male participant, who was unable to obtain work as an electrician, described<br />
himself as being physically strong, but mentally drained from being unemployed.<br />
Privately sponsored refugees tend to do better than government assisted refugees 22 , this is likely<br />
due to higher community support (social capital), and is consistent with comments made in the<br />
focus groups. In the Huron focus group, eight participants had visited health care professionals,<br />
including doctors and dentists. From a satisfaction standpoint, the five refugee newcomers who<br />
had sponsors looking out for their healthcare needs were happy with the healthcare they had<br />
received. Similarly, 12 of the 13 Perth focus group participants felt emotionally, mentally, spiritually<br />
and physically well. In addition, 85% of the participants in Perth agreed that Canada is safer than<br />
their homelands and this sense of security had a positive impact on their overall health and sense<br />
of wellbeing.<br />
22 Dhital, Dikshya. (2015). The Economic Outcomes of Government Assisted Refugees, Privately Sponsored Refugees and Asylum Seekers in<br />
Canada. https://www.ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/32311/1/DIKSHYA,%20Dikshya%2020151.pdf<br />
18 Newcomer Experiences
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