Manitoba is welcoming many refugees and newcomers to our province. While many will be living in our larger urban centres, others will be moving to small towns and rural areas. To encourage people to stay our rural regions we need to make sure they are aware of supports available to them.
So what can we do to help?
I figure one step in the right direction is highlighting what is already available in the rural regions of Manitoba. There are many great supports in Winnipeg and Brandon, but that doesn’t help people living in Flin Flon or Killarney.
Plus it can be overwhelming to even do the research. There are many communities who are just now looking into supports to welcome Ukrainian refugees, many doing the work are volunteers who don’t have experience/knowledge in this area.
I do want to clarify that there are many resources in our urban centres that will help newcomers/refugees living in rural areas, but in many instances the person must come to the city to access those supports or they require strong internet services to connect (both of which can be barriers).
I hope the list below is helpful, and if I am missing an agency please let me know! The more we can promote and share newcomer rural resources the better!
The Resources
Northern
- Red River College Thompson Language Training Centre
- Thompson Settlement Newcomer Services
- North West Regional Immigrant Services
Parkland
- Neepawa and Area Immigrant Settlement Services
- Regional Connections Inc. (Dauphin)
- Westman Immigrant Services (Russell)
- 100th Meridian Immigration
Interlake
- Eastman Immigrant Services
- Arborg Language Training Centre – Red River College
- Fieldstone Ventures (Ashern)
Westman
- Westman Immigrant Services (Virden and Cartwright)
Central Plains
Pembina Valley
- Regional Connections (Altona, Morden, Winkler)
Eastman
One more shoutout I would like to give is to Community Futures Manitoba. While they are not exactly a newcomer support, they are a great resource that is located in all of the rural regions and are very knowledgable about supports and funding in your area. If you are looking to find something I recommend starting with them!
