“This has been another year of progress, change, and achievements for our organization. Against a backdrop of continuing increases in Canadian immigration numbers, ongoing humanitarian crises, and many shifting economic, social, and global forces, our team of staff and volunteers have once again delivered incredible services to our thousands of service users and clients,”
– Board Chair, Jennifer Natland, and ISSofBC CEO, Jonathan Oldman
Our 2022 –23 Annual Report highlights the key successes our staff, volunteers and clients achieved in supporting newcomers in British Columbia. You can also read a summary of our Annual Report here.
We focused on reaching key markers identified in our 2022-25 Strategic Plan. We concluded the year with more services than ever being delivered, and with the largest staff and volunteer team in place (nearly 500 staff and over 450 volunteers). We invested significantly in the infrastructure and capacity necessary to support this growth, while also initiating a range of quality improvement and social justice initiatives that will continue over the years ahead.
We have done this at a time of historic numbers of newcomers arriving in Canada, while also accommodating the urgent humanitarian needs of those fleeing violence and persecution in Afghanistan, Ukraine and elsewhere. We are part of a community sector undertaking some of the most challenging, community building work in our country.
As ever, our Annual Report provides us with an important opportunity to thank our supporters, staff, volunteers, clients and partners for their continued trust, openness and willingness to learn and grow with us.
Additional highlights from this year’s Report include:
- An overview of the outcomes ISSofBC achieved, including how many:
- Clients we supported to integrate into their local communities;
- Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) we assisted to find permanent housing;
- Refugee claimants we supported to complete their permanent residency applications;
- Clients gained new employment; and
- Businesses were assisted to fill their job vacancies with our clients.
- Our very successful and long-standing social enterprise, our Language and Careers College, that provided English language and co-op programs for over 2000 international students.
- Our Partnership Initiatives, some of the first in the sector, such as the Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic and the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program.
- Our Financial report.
