Conferences, Presentations and Workshops

TAIGA RISE is a pilot initiative funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) through the Service Delivery Improvement (SDI) Stream. It responds to the urgent need to attract and retain immigrants and newcomers in small and rural communities across Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories, where population decline, labor shortages, and economic stagnation are exacerbated by out-migration, aging populations, and declining birth rates. This project aims to build the capacity of communities in these regions to offer culturally responsive and community-led settlement support, while also strengthening their ability to communicate the social, economic, and environmental advantages of northern living. TAIGA RISE leverages an interdisciplinary, community-centric, and climate-aware approach to newcomer attraction, integration, and retention.

SettleSMART offers an innovative, community-driven approach to transforming the delivery of settlement services in Canada. By combining cutting-edge digital tools with real-world insights from newcomers and service providers, the project aims to build equitable, scalable, and impactful solutions for the future of newcomer integration.

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