Learning English is one of the key steps for newcomers as they transition to life in Canada, and in Edmonton a sudden increase in demand is leading to longer wait-times for those services.
Catholic Social Services said while there is generally a bit of a backlog for English classes, the recent flood of Syrian refugees has put extra stress on the programming. The current wait-time for Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada classes is three to four months.
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“That’s just because of the volume of refugees. Since December 21, we’ve had 960 refugees come in,” said spokesperson Michael Di Massa. “We’re used to settling about 450 refugees a year. We’ve had more than double in a three month span. There are going to be waits, it’s hard to avoid.”
Catholic Social Services is making sure every refugee gets ‘survival English’ training at the reception house while they await more permanent lodging.
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Many of the more comprehensive language programs offered through the agency take place at local libraries.
“For a lot of them, it’s the first step they need to take to return to some sort of a normal life here in Canada. They’re very enthusiastic about being able to take that step,” Di Massa said.
The libraries have seen an increase in the need for English classes in the last few months, largely with government-sponsored Syrian refugees.
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“We’ve kind of shifted gears to say ‘Ok, this is urgent, and we need to respond quickly,’ and we did,” explained Linda Garvin, Branch Services Director. “We did so of course with groups we’ve developed relationships with, Catholic Social Services, Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, Edmonton Immigrant Services Association.”
The Londonderry library has an Arabic story time program on weekends, and recently that program expanded to the Castle Downs branch due to increased demand in the neighbourhood.
Garvin said the libraries rely on their own staff to help with translating.
“We do have some staff that speak Arabic and they offer children’s programming, and tours in Arabic. We also offer tours in other languages for newcomers as well.”
The libraries also have newspapers available online from countries around the world, including Syria, so people can stay in touch with their homeland.
“Many newcomers to Canada don’t have a relationship with the library. It’s not within their frame of reference. Particularly if they’re been living in refugee camps. So the onus is on us to build that relationship,” she said.
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