Federal funding for some B.C. newcomer support programs cut

Multiple programs supporting immigrant and refugee settlement in British Columbia are losing federal funding, as the Canadian government plans to decrease the number of newcomers allowed into the country.

Immigrant Parents as Literacy Supporters (IPALS), run by the non-profit Decoda Literacy Solutions, is one of the impacted programs. It had been fully funded by federal grants for ten years — about $450,000 per year.

"The funding was not renewed, full stop," said Decoda executive director Sandra Lee. "We were really shocked."

According to Lee, IPALS ran in 19 communities in the Lower Mainland, Kelowna, Nanaimo and Victoria. It helped teach literacy skills to newcomer families and introduce them to the B.C. school system to improve their kids' success going into kindergarten. 

"Our family literacy programs for them are critical building blocks for getting sorted out for school. I suspect too that connections will be lost and I believe that they'll be less successful in coming, integrating and settling," Lee said.

She said her organization received a letter in late November informing them funding would be ending.

CBC News is aware of at least two other programs providing newcomer and literacy supports that have also lost funding, including settlement services at the Hecate Strait Employment Development Society and Vancouver Community College's Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. 

LINC has been providing free English classes for immigrants and refugees for 30 years, according to a media release.

Funding changes tied to decreased immigration

A spokesperson with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told CBC News the federal government is reducing immigration levels over the next three years. Next year, the annual number of newcomers issued permanent resident status will go from 500,000 to 395,000, then to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.

"The amount of resources available for settlement services depends on how many newcomers are expected to arrive. Since fewer newcomers are expected in 2025-2027, available resources have been reduced to match this decrease, this has resulted in a reduction in service providers," the IRCC spokesperson said.

They added that in 2024 and 2025, IRCC plans to invest $1.2 billion in settlement supports across the country, not including Quebec. The ministry says $155.5 million for B.C. is included in that total, with language training and assessment services accounting for about a third of funding in recent years.

But Lee and her counterparts at other programs, including Karen Sawatzky, executive director of the Prince Rupert-based Hecate Strait Employment Development Society, say their services will still be needed in the communities they support.

"The federal government doesn't seem to understand that, even though they have lowered immigration targets, there are still people here who need help and support. We are the only organization in town that offers settlement services," Sawatzky said in a written statement.

"I have no idea where our clients will go for support now."