Dr. Fang contributes to the ongoing minimum wage debate on VOCM

Dr. Tony Fang, Professor of Economics and Memorial University's Jarilowsky Chair in Cultural and Economic Transformation, joined a panel on VOCM this week to weigh in on the ongoing minimum wage debate. Listen to the interview on VOCM

Dr. Fang Featured in The Telegram

“It is a close-knit community here in Newfoundland with a high sense of belonging in Canada. But it’s hard for newcomers to break in … or for the employers to trust people to let them in. A cultural shift is required,” Dr. Fang said.

Read more: https://www.thetelegram.com/in-depth/employment-after-immigration/attracting-hiring-newcomers-whos-making-a-difference-292167/

We're Hiring!

Do you have a passion for research? Are you looking for a new opportunity to expand your skill set and knowledge about immigration in Atlantic Canada? 

Then we want you to work for us!

We're hiring a Project Lead for a new research project "Employer Perceptions to Hiring Newcomers and International Students in Newfoundland and Labrador and Atlantic Canada".

Article Published in Morning Watch

English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction is a vital part of integrating refugees who do not speak the language into their new home in Newfoundland and Labrador. Given the importance of communicating in an official language in Canada, learning English is integral to finding a job, expanding social networks, and accessing social services. For this paper, we outlined some of the barriers faced by refugees learning English and resolutions to some practical issues found in the classroom.

You can read the paper published in Morning Watch here: https://journals.library.mun.ca/ojs/index.php/mwatch/article/view/2042/1623

NLWIC Funding Announcement

We are very thankful to receive funding from the NL Workforce Innovation Centre and the Government of NL to kickstart our new research project "Employer Perceptions to Hiring Newcomers & International Students in NL." We are looking forward to getting started on this important project!

And Who Will Help Me Grow the Food?

You don’t have to talk to a farmer very long before they mention the serious problems of the lack of labour down at the farm these days. By exploring the fable of the Little Red Hen, this talk will explore issues of population growth, immigration, rural vitalityand economic sustainability. Through agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and renewable energy, Dr. Emke will consider the challenges and potential in these sectors and their intersections with immigration.

Journal Article Publication

We are excited to announce our research on Syrian refugees living in St. John's has been published by International Migration!

Read it online at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/imig.12517

We're Hiring!

Are you a Master's student interested in in the areas of global and local cultures, immigration, diasporas, demographic change and strategies for immigration retention and integration? Join our team!

Jarislowsky Chair Welcomes New Team Members!

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Zhen (Jane) Zhu (Sichuan College of Architectural Technology),  Dr Mladen Adamovic (University of Melbourne), Dr. Shuhong Peng (Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics), and MUN MA students Farzana Haqu, Qi Zhang and Xin Chen to our research team! 

Our Report on Municipal-Level Service Delivery in Labrador is Out Now!

We are excited to announce the release of our report, Municipal-Level Service Delivery in Labrador. This report was inspired and funded by the Harris Centre's Population Project. Public service delivery at the municipal/local level pertains to services that are delivered by a municipality. Municipal services can have a significant impact on communities and the quality of life they offer. This report reviews the five main services provided by municipalities in Labrador: water services, waste collection, road maintenance, fire and emergency services, and recreation, and examines how they are delivered. This study shows discrepancies between the levels of service in different parts of the region and provides a set of recommendations on how to improve service delivery.

Read the full report here

Population Symposium: Watch Online

On December 6 we were pleased to host, the "Population Symposium: Impact of Population Aging and Immigration on Service Delivery, Labour Market and Economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.” Our event built on recent research from the Harris Centre's Population Project, in conjunction with Memorial's Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Cultural and Economic Transformation and the Atlantic Research Group on Economics of Immigration, Aging and Diversity. Our aim was to examine how a declining and aging population, and increased diversity of an immigrant population will impact service delivery, labour market and the economy in NL.

The event was recorded and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/wJXOBtrO0Gs

Our Report on the Retention and Integration of Refugees in NL has been released!

This study examines experiences of refugees that have settled in Newfoundland and Labrador and analyzes factors that can potentially enhance refugee integration and factors that can negatively impact their settlement experiences and retention in the province. We interviewed 114 refugees, including 31 refugee minors, who for purposes of comparison, were divided into new arrivals (targeting the Syrian population) and older cohorts (who were in the province from 2 to 15 years). We also interviewed 16 stakeholders involved in the settlement and integration of refugees, sourced from various community groups, private organisations and government agencies.

Our report produced a number of recommendations divided into broad categories including: Settlement Assistance; Health Care; Language; Cost of Living and Housing; Economic and Labour Market Integration; Social Capital; etc.

The full report can be found at https://www.mun.ca/harriscentre/reports/FANG_ARF_16-17.pdf

Population Symposium December 6 at Memorial University

We would like to invite you to attend our upcoming “Population Symposium: Impact of Population Aging and Immigration on Service Delivery, Labour Market and Economy in Newfoundland and Labrador,” which will be held on December 6 from 9am to 5pm in the Junior Common Room, R. Gushue Hall, Memorial University. This will be an excellent opportunity to hear from academics, government officials and NGOs on how demographic change will affect this province.
Registration for the event is closed but you can stream live or tune in later at mun.ca/harriscentre

Dr. Tony Fang and Kerri Neil Contribute to Democracy Cookbook

To ensure our government makes the best possible decisions, it must reflect our population. This includes a representative executive leadership that is willing to challenge the status quo and provide perspectives and opinions that represent a wide range of social, economic and cultural backgrounds.

To find out more about the power of diversity in our democracy, check out our piece in the Democracy Cookbook, "Building an inclusive democracy in Newfoundland and Labrador"

The Democracy Cookbook will be published Nov. 21! Please join us for the launch on Nov. 21 at 10:30am in the Jr. Common Room, R. Gushue Hall, Memorial University to pick up your copy!

Vital Signs 2017 Out Now!

The 2017 Vital Signs is now available! Click here to read the full version. Vital Signs is more than a research report - its an opprtunity to learn about quality of life in this province through accessible data and stories from real people living here. We would like to thank team members Halina Sapeha, Kerri Neil and Tony Fang for all their work making this year's Vital Signs the best yet.

Team to Present at Small & Adaptive Cities 2017

Our team is very excited to be presenting on our current and completed research projects at the upcoming Small & Adaptive Cities 2017 conference happening at Memorial University Sept 29 - Oct. 1. For full schedule please visit https://www.munacespace.com/conference

Kerri Neil to Present at Labrador Expo 2017

Team member Kerri Neil will be presenting at the 2017 Labrador Expo on June 14 on our newly released report, "Temporary Foreign Workers in Labrador."

"The Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Labrador" Report Released!

We are very excited to announce our latest report "The Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Labrador" has just been published by the Harris Centre! You can find the report here

Tony Fang to Attend Roundtable Discussion on Immigration

Tony Fang to attend Roundtable Discussion on Immigration with Atlantic Growth Advisory Council on April 29. 

Welcoming more immigrants to N.L.

Our latest article, "Welcoming more immigrants to N.L.: It’s not just the right thing to do — it’s also the smart thing to do." has been published by The Independent. You can read the report here.

Team to Present at Labrador Research Forum

We are very excited to be presenting at the first bienniel Labrador Research Forum in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on May 2. This will be a great opporunity to share our upcoming research on Labrador with those most affected.

Tony Fang to Guest Host CBC CrossTalk

Do you agree with the plan to increase immigration to Newfoundland and Labrador? Have your say on CBC Crosstalk with special guest Tony Fang.

Opeyemi Jaunty-Aidamendor to Present at MUNButtoned: PhDs On The Go!

Opeyemi will be presenting her work on the socio-economic effects of preferential immigration among skilled workers at MUNButtoned: PhDs On The Go this Friday!

Dr. Tony Fang to present at 19th National Metropolis Conference

We are very excited to be presenting at the 19th National Metropolis Conference this weekend in Montreal! The theme of the conference is "Looking Forward: Migration and Mobility in 2017 and Beyond." We will be presenting our new project, "Syrian Refugee Arrival, Resettlement and Integration in Newfoundland and Labrador." 

Tony Fang to present at Dept. of Economics Speakers' Series on Socioeconomic Benefits of Immigration

Dr. Fang will be presenting The Socioeconomic Benefits of Immigration to NL at the Department of Economics Speakers' Series on March 22 from 7-9pm. 

Opeyemi Jaunty-Aidamenbor presenting at PhDs On The Go @ MUN Buttoned

Opeyemi Jaunty-Aidamenbor will be presenting her work on the effect of skilled immigration on NL's economy at MUN Buttoned's PhDs On The Go event happening March. 31 from 7 to 9pm at Rocket Bakery  (272 Water St).

Hiring Newcomers: Employer Info Session

This session will highlight local success stories from recently hired immigrant employees and their employers, as well as a Question and Answer period with Sean Morency, Employer Liaison Officer for Atlantic Canada with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. 

St. John's Local Immigration Partnership Community Forum

We are pleased to announce Dr. Tony Fang will be presenting the socioeconomic benefits of immigration at the St. John's LIP.

Immigration key to N.L.'s economic growth, says MUN prof

Economist Tony Fang speaks to CBC on province's demographics and immigration strategy

Canada is growing, Newfoundland and Labrador can too, say immigration researchers

Newfoundland and Labrador could successfully attract and retain many more immigrants than it does now — there are successful Canadian models Newfoundland and Labrador can draw on.

#LRF2017

Happy to announce our team will be presenting our work with the Harris Centre's Population Project at the Labrador Research Forum.

Gazette Op-Ed: Trump's Anti-Immigration Orders Present Opportunities for NL & Canada

The Trump administration may set immigration policy in the U.S. back for years to come, but this offers Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador an opportunity it must seize to make our land the first choice for the newcomers this country so badly needs.

Read more @ https://gazette.mun.ca/campus-and-community/op-ed-drs-tony-fang-and-david-brake/

Panel on Socioeconomic Benefits of Immigration

The socioeconomic benefits of immigration will be discussed at a panel presentation featuring Min. John McCallum, Min. Gerry Byrne, ANC, Dr. Andrew Furey and Dr. Matthew Leriche. 

Newlsetter #4 Is Out

Research, publications, conferences! Learn more about what our team is doing in the fourth edition of our newsletter.

Migrants' Intention to Move or Stay in Their Initial Destination

Halina Sapeha's research, "Migrants’ Intention to Move or Stay in Their Initial Destination" has been published in International Migration.  

St. John's Local Immigration Partnership Newsletter

The St. John's Local Immigration Partnership Newsletter is out! Learn about what the LIP is doing and how you can get involved at St. John's LIP Newsletter, October, 2016

Kerri Neil to Present at Migration With(Out) Boundaries Conference

Our research assistant, Kerri Neil, will be presenting the team's work on "Syrian Refugee Arrival, Resettlement and Integration" at the Migration With(Out) Boundaries conference at the University of Michigan on October 22, 2016. We wish her luck at her first conference presentation!

Vital Signs Launch

Vital Signs is a national program led my community organizations to measure the well-being of our country through an annual report.

Attraction, Retention, and Integration of Immigrants in Smaller Communities

The Pathways to Prosperity, in partnership with the Atlantic Region Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies and the Association for New Canadians, will be hosting a workshop on Attraction, Retention, and Integration of Immigrants in Smaller Communities on October 7, 2016 at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Public Symposium on Migration, Refugees & Arrival by Water

The history of refugees arriving by water in Canada was a hot topic at the Public Symposium on Migration, Refugees & Arrival by Water. 

#ImmigrationStrategyNL

Lots of great discussion at the "Planning for the Future - Provincial Roundtables on a New Provincial Growth Strategy" on Aug. 12 at the ANC.

Refugees, Migration, & Arrival by Water: A Public Symposium marking the 30th anniversary of the rescue of Tamil refugees

On August 13th, 2016, from 10:00am to 12:00pm, the Canadian Tamil Congress and the Geography Department at Memorial University invite you to attend a ‘Refugees, Migration, and Arrival by Water’ Symposium at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland.