Immigrants and refugees to Northumberland County now have access to more services thanks to a new partnership between the New Canadians Centre and the county.
On Wednesday, the NCC, which originated in Peterborough, opened its relocated office in Cobourg at the county’s municipal building on William Street. The mission of the NCC is to help immigrants and refugees transition and adapt to life in Canada and the community.
Among the newcomers to utilize the centre’s services at its former Covert Street location was Eduvina Duqinal and her two daughters, who moved to Cobourg from the Philippines.
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“We were so pleased to have the opportunity to move to Canada, although it can be isolating settling in a new country where the culture, customs and language are so different,” she said during the grand opening celebrations.
“Visiting the New Canadians Centre opened doors for us. We were able to connect with other newcomers and participate in community events. This really helped us to build a sense of home.”
The Northumberland County building also houses the county’s immigration portal services and the Business and Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (BECN).
“Northumberland County continues to focus on fostering economic opportunities and community integration for newcomers as part of our larger vision to be a strong and vibrant community,” said County Warden Mark Lovshin.
“This is well aligned with the mandate of the New Canadians Centre. Through this new partnership, we hope to reach more people with programs and services that create opportunities for newcomers in our community.”
NCC director of frontline services Tamara Hoogerdyk says the partnership with the county will strengthen the centre’s service delivery to provide “valuable, high-quality support to families like Eduvina’s.”
“We would like to thank the county for this opportunity to collaborate on the mutual goal of increasing the capacity of our organizations to provide the best possible services and opportunities for immigrants and refugees in our community,” she said.
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