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3. Settlement agencies

A. General comments

  1580   Initial settlement help is very important, especially for people who don't speak English.
  0531   If a person is aggressive or pushes a lot, he can get what he wants. Rules have to be equal for everybody. Some people are going from town to town, looking for better life.
  1285   Ismaeli host family did a lot for us during the first year. Really helped us during the first year.
  2941   People need some more hope.

B. Satisfaction with services

  0611   About settlement agencies: some of them very helpful but some of them are not. For example, Flexibility Learning System was more helpful than expected and at the time when they first arrived that was very important.
  0612   I want to thank Flexibility System for all help.
  0202   Saamis is very good organization. They helped me a lot.
  2871   All the services in Red Deer were very helpful and whole system of the government settlement agencies was well organized. I want to thank especially Maria Theresa of the Red Deer's CSC.

C. Dissatisfaction with services

  1502   When we came here we did not get many services as a family, that way not good. But we got over it.
  2732   Again: much more information. People don't know where to look for information. It's very important for the newcomers.
  3091   Did not really receive any assistance from any agency because she was not sponsored. It would have been helpful if an agency contacted her and explained what life would be like and where to look for a good job and what courses she needs to take.
  2441   Very dissatisfied with the first destination in Canada. Received very little help and services through settlement agencies. On the other hand, a family helped us to understand and to adjust to Canadian society. Did not have any information. We were even without information such as how health care system works in Canada. ESL program in schools did not help us at all. We did not learn too much. We felt coming to Canada for the first time when we moved to Edmonton where we found better schools, more opportunities for jobs and settlement agencies are very helpful both in services and people who work there were very helpful and they helped us to adjust to the city and Canadian society in general.
  3031   Most of the information we needed was not accessible to us while we were living in Grande Prairie. One time our social assistance cheque was late and we didn't have enough money to buy food; at the same time we received a letter from Revenue Canada asking us to pay back our travel loan immediately. Our English was very poor, it was hard for us to explain the situation we were in, but nobody would help.
  1661   Organization of our coming to Calgary was terrible; nobody met us at the airport.
  0500   Canadian services should pay more attention to see if people know how to access services. There's also no follow- up on those who are settled here.
  0731   I am very disappointed with some services and help from settlement agencies.
  0820   In Canada, government, major companies, schools treat poor people bad. Don't really want to help because I am poor, just put them all on one route. Need to change system to help poor people, change constitutions. The poor need more rights in Canada. They are human.
  1491   He believes that the settlement agency official committed fraudulent deal with the furniture dealer.
  0302   First days in Canada felt was treated like by one standard. Wasn't treated like separate individual - all refugees were in the same basket. Those helping did not understand our different backgrounds.
  1652   One translator at Catholic Social Services is not enough. When people don't know English language, a translator may translate sometimes wrong or misunderstand so that the immigrant or refugee gets wrong information or feels like not treated okay or well compared to others.
  2861   Life in camp was hell. We couldn't leave, there were always soldiers around us. I couldn't phone my family in Iraq. When I left my wife was pregnant and my son two years old. I haven't seen my family for six years. When I came here, the people at the reception house weren't much help. Iraqis have always been put in bad apartments with broken furniture and bugs and no doors. Other refugees were put in nice clean places. Why is that so?
  1672   Financial advisor for people when they first come. Settlement agency should provide this. Not how to do taxes but how the Canadian banking system works.
  0252   I don't like the way Saamis works, they help some people a lot and others not at all.
  2992   ESL training in Lethbridge did not help us to improve our English, neither did the program called "workplace", failing to help people to find a job or to learn something about Canadian society.
  0732   Workplace, community development place; volunteer programs; these services in Lethbridge were not very helpful.
  2972   The government should not cut funding for the helping agencies. I am concerned about those cuts to services.
  3072   Make programs more flexible; match services to varying needs of refugees; agencies should be more willing to listen to comments and concerns of refugees.

D. ESL, education, health

  2660   The program to help us learn English and go to school is great.
  2001   I hope to get more assistance to learn more English. Since my English is very poor, it's hard for me to get the job that I like.
  962   There should be more ESL programs that focus on pronunciation.
  1662   ESL program is poor in Red Deer.
  3112   I only need more English classes. I want to work. I am a hard worker but I need to talk and read very well.
  161   We need better English classes.
  50   English classes are so simple we do not benefit at that level.
  301   English classes for immigrants are very poor.
  141   Language teachers should speak both languages. One teacher at the college was very good.
  3170   Speaking English is very important for me and I'll try my best.
  431   Also English is very hard for me.
  931   My teacher wouldn't give me my certificate because I was an Arab Muslim. I only missed 2 days of class because I was moving apartment and she said if I didn't come to class I wouldn't get my certificate. I went the next day even though I was feeling ill and I finished the course and passed all the required exams but I still didn't receive a certificate. Because of her refuse to get a job in Canada.
  1901   I hope I have good conditions to continue my studies, head into university and have the chance to serve the community later.
  1062   I applied to SAIT to take accounting courses, but they never phoned back to tell me when to write the exam. It seems like they don't want newcomers to succeed and do well in Canada.
  271   As a newcomer, I want to get ahead with my education. But because I have to pass the TOEFL in order to get into university, I feel that it is a hurdle.
  2051   University is well organized.
  350   I had a big dream and pictures of Canada; but I am being more realistic now. People here especially at schools and settlement agencies need to always encourage refugees to try everything whether it's school or work. I was told that I would not be able to complete any degree and should just get a job. I didn't listen to the counsellor and after one year, for my classes, I was the top student.
  162   No opportunity for learning language; classes are not good enough. There is not enough information about education or upgrading.
  181   We need more study opportunities.
  2941   More schools and education opportunities.
  1432   The immigration authority should think about specific programs for educated professionals, faster, shorter (a year is way too much) - with coop practice in companies.
  1722   People should take the opportunity to learn English - especially the young.
  1911   My kids had no schooling in the refugee camp and now they want to put them in their age level grade.
  1701   We weren't given a choice of what school my kids could attend. They had to go to Catholic school. We aren't religious. My daughter got scolded for not being baptized. There was peer pressure from school friends for her to have her first communion.
  251   I don't like that you have to pay for children's education.
  2182   However, kids have enough chances to get good education, to make something of their lives, and I like that.
  962   Welfare benefits should be limited with dollars being spent on programs.
  921   Two of my children have had surgery in Canada; one needs another surgery. We were told we would have this done last summer but this has not been done yet.
  2291   Having in mind that we knew Canada was a multicultural country we didn't expect any kind of discrimination. We are disappointed. We have not been treated as other Canadians. My experience with doctors in Edmonton is very bad. I wouldn't expect such things happening here. Being unable to get medical help here in Edmonton I was forced to go to Toronto to prove my concerns about health. My doctor here in Edmonton didn't refer me to a specialist so I went to Toronto, got examined by another doctor and come back with a proof that I was sick. Three weeks ago I had a surgery - my condition was pre-cancerous, but doctors were are not concerned about their patients.
  1201   Health care: family doctor is not what I need; if I need a specialist family doctor does not let me do that; expensive medicines.

 

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