TCIR Research Field Missions Across Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories

CALGARY — Two research teams from the TIES Centre for Immigrant Research conducted parallel field missions across Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories in late August 2026 as part of the Tailored Attraction, Integration and Retention Strategies for Northern Ecosystems (TAIGA RISE), a three-year initiative funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Over the past year, the TAIGA RISE team conducted extensive research across Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. This work included a comprehensive environmental scan of 2,206 organizations across the two regions, engagement with approximately 270 participants through surveys, interviews, and focus groups, and collaboration with more than 35 organizations and community stakeholders. The findings were carefully analyzed and used to develop three practical toolkits and a community workshop.

At this stage of the project, and before finalizing and widely disseminating the resources, the research team returned to Northern communities to validate what had been developed. The field missions gave a wide range of community members—from organizational stakeholders and employers to newcomers and Indigenous partners—an opportunity to review and test the resources and recommend improvements. This process helped ensure that the resources accurately reflect Northern realities, priorities, and experiences.

In Northern Alberta, Hamed Kazemzadeh and Amanda Ong conducted field activities in Grande Prairie and Beaverlodge from August 24 to 28. Their visit included a community consultation in Beaverlodge and a large, multi-sector stakeholder workshop in Grande Prairie, delivered in partnership with and with the generous support of the Grande Prairie Local Immigration Partnership (GPLIP). Representatives from 19 organizations participated in reviewing and validating the outreach toolkit developed for Northern Alberta communities.

The team also facilitate an employer consultation focused on workplace integration. Participants reviewed the toolkit developed for Northern employers and discussed the important role employers can play in supporting the successful integration and retention of newcomers.

The Northern Alberta mission also included a pilot of The Journey to Belonging workshop at the BEAD Lodge, guided by Indigenous artist Frances Rogers. The workshop brought together six newcomer families and eight children for an intercultural learning session and a hands-on, Indigenous artist-led activity. The session demonstrated the potential of arts-based and family-centred approaches to strengthen Indigenous–newcomer relationships, deepen cultural understanding, and foster a stronger sense of community belonging within the context of Truth and Reconciliation.

At the same time, Fami Kazemi and Annisha Plesche conducted the Northwest Territories field mission from August 22 to 30, travelling to Yellow Knife and Inuvik. Their activities included separate employer and stakeholder workshops at the Yellowknife Public Library, followed by a full day of employer, stakeholder, and Journey to Belonging sessions at the Aurora Research Institute in Inuvik.

The mission concluded with of The Journey to Belonging workshop in Yellowknife, guided by Indigenous artist and educator Catherine Blondin. Her teachings offered meaningful lessons for newcomer participants, and the team witnessed their strong interest in learning more about and building connections with Indigenous communities following the workshop.

Together, these engagements helped the team better understand how attraction, integration, retention, and belonging are experienced across diverse Northern and Indigenous community contexts. Most importantly, the generated locally grounded feedback to help ensure that the project’s final resources are practical, relevant, and responsive to the needs of Northern communities.

Both teams received very positive feedback on the toolkits and workshop. We were especially pleased to learn that community members found the resources valuable and relevant. The research team is now reviewing the feedback gathered during the field missions and incorporating it into the refinement and finalization of the project’s resources and recommendations before their wider dissemination.

These are just some of the practical resources developed through TAIGA RISE—and there is much more to come! Stay tuned as we share additional resources and project findings in the coming months. We are excited to share this work with you and hope you will be equally excited to explore it!

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