The Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) – Lanark & Renfrew works with businesses, organizations, municipalities, and educational partners to build strategies that support newcomer attraction, settlement, and long-term community inclusion.
We support this work by providing evidence-based research, including statistical data, labour market information, and storytelling from newcomers and community champions. Together, these insights help demonstrate both the needs and benefits of immigration in rural communities, helping local leaders better understand how welcoming newcomers strengthens our region socially, culturally, and economically.
In partnership with local school boards across Lanark and Renfrew Counties, we have also collaborated on developing educational resources to support cultural awareness and inclusion in our schools and communities. These materials highlight cultural priority days and include background history, awareness information, and suggested cultural activities that educators, organizations, and community groups can use to foster learning and celebration.
To explore these knowledge-sharing materials, click on the “Documents” tab, where you will find a collection of resources designed to support cultural understanding and community engagement.
Beyond resource development, we share research and insights through community forums, municipal meetings, employer discussions, and strategic planning sessions. These conversations help organizations and employer groups better understand immigration trends and identify opportunities to support newcomer integration. We also connect partners with training opportunities and resources that help organizations strengthen inclusive practices and build welcoming environments.
Our research consistently shows that employment is one of the primary factors immigrants consider when choosing where to live. At the same time, there are significant labour market shortages across several sectors in Lanark and Renfrew Counties, as confirmed by the Lanark-Renfrew Labour Market Group. Despite these opportunities, newcomers often face barriers when seeking employment.
Through our work, we help employers better understand the common challenges newcomers face in their job search. These may include difficulties having foreign credentials and work experience recognized, unconscious bias in hiring processes, language barriers, and challenges securing Canadian references. For many newcomers, a lack of Canadian work experience can also make it difficult to enter the workforce.
International post-secondary students also represent an important opportunity for our region. For many international students, the goal after graduation is to build a life in Canada. This creates meaningful opportunities for communities to partner with Algonquin College’s Perth and Pembroke campuses to support international students as they transition into local communities and the regional workforce.
Much of the work of LIP – Lanark & Renfrew focuses on building momentum for immigration in rural communities while helping decision makers, community champions, and municipal leaders understand both the challenges and opportunities associated with attracting newcomers.
By sharing research, community insights, and resources — including those developed with newcomers, international students, settlement agencies, school boards, and other Local Immigration Partnership sites — we aim to highlight that welcoming newcomers is essential to the short- and long-term prosperity of Lanark and Renfrew Counties.
Contact us if your organization is interested in learning more about the benefits of newcomer attraction or the efforts being made to create welcoming communities in Lanark and Renfrew Counties.
