Plan for Newcomer Inclusion

Local Immigration Partnership 2023 to 2026 Newcomer Inclusion Plan cover page

As one of Canada’s most dynamic communities, York Region welcomes many newcomers each year to its nine local municipalities. Newcomers bring diverse cultures and ideas to our communities, as well as skills, education and work experience. They replenish the labour force, enrich our social fabric through cultural diversity, support economic growth and are vital to our continued prosperity.

No one organization can make the necessary changes to make a community more welcoming to newcomers. It takes collective actions by many to drive local change and make a difference. Adopted by York Regional Council, A Place to Thrive: York Region’s 2024 to 2027 Plan for Newcomer Inclusion outlines a collective vision for making settlement and inclusion of newcomers in York Region more responsive to their needs.

More than 1,200 members of our community – newcomer residents, service providers, municipal and Regional staff and community partners – were engaged in the development of the Plan, which outlines 13 collective actions across three priority areas: Healthy Communities, Social Inclusion and Economic Prosperity. Implementation is guided by the Newcomer Inclusion Table, a multi-sectoral, collaborative planning table with Council-appointed members that provides strategic advice on the development and implementation of a plan to support newcomers, and its working groups.

Through the York Region Local Immigration Partnership, York Region plays a key stewardship role to convene and coordinate partners to implement the Plan, monitor and report on implementation progress and support the newcomer-serving sector through shifts in federal and provincial policies.

Newcomer Inclusion Table of York Region

The Newcomer Inclusion Table (NIT) is a multi-sectoral, collaborative planning table with Council-appointed members that provides strategic advice on the development and implementation of a plan to support newcomers. More information can be found in the Terms of Reference.

The NIT features working groups that undertake specific initiatives aligned with collective actions in the Plan for Newcomer Inclusion and determine how to focus activities to support priority newcomer sub-populations. Working groups are aligned with each priority area in the Plan: Healthy Communities, Social Inclusion and Economic Prosperity.

The NIT is co-chaired by City of Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Alfred Lam, Executive Director, Centre for Immigrant and Community Services.

2023-2026 Newcomer Inclusion Table Members

Regional Government:
  • The Regional Municipality of York Wayne Emmerson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
  • City of Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti
  • Town of East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson
Settlement Services:
Employment Services
Language Assessment
Labour Market and Workforce Development
Education and Training
Health and Well-being
Policing Services
Housing Services
Legal Services
Social and Cultural
Lived Experience Representatives
  • Newcomer residents
York Region Local Immigration Partnership

Since 2009, York Region has hosted a Local Immigration Partnership (LIP), a federally funded, community-based collaborative engaging local partners to support newcomer settlement and inclusion.

The York Region LIP is one of nearly 90 LIPs established and funded by the federal government across Canada. Like other LIPs hosted by municipal governments, the Region is funded to provide indirect services, such as research, strategic planning and coordination of services provided by other organizations in the community. The LIP identifies and addresses emerging needs of newcomers and strengthens collaboration among the Region’s nine local municipalities and community partners to promote diversity, equity and newcomer inclusion.

The LIP is supported by secretariat staff within York Region and the Partnership comprises an ecosystem of community actors, including local municipalities, newcomer-serving organizations, employers and the Newcomer Inclusion Table of York Region, which serves as the LIP’s strategic advisory.

Local Immigration Partnership 2023 to 2026 Newcomer Inclusion Plan infographic

Contact Us

For more information about the York Region Local Immigration Partnership and opportunities for collaboration, please contact @email

Resources for Newcomers and Those Supporting Them

Moving to a new country or region can be an exciting but stressful process. Please visit Newcomer Services to learn more about newcomer services available in York Region and to view York Region's Newcomer Guide. The Guide provides useful information to help newcomers settle into York Region and is available in English, French, Persian, Simplified Chinese, Tamil and Ukrainian. 

Newcomer Services