Barrie resident shares her settlement story to inspire newcomers

When Min Zeng brought her young family from southwest China to Canada 15 years ago and settled in Barrie two years later, she felt incredibly isolated and alone.

Yet today – which happens to be Canada’s Multiculturalism Day – she took time to share the deep, dark valleys she endured on her journey to making a new life here.

“With a young family, my true struggle was trying to prioritize all the important, competing and conflicting things in my life,” Zeng told a diverse group gathered to celebrate Simcoe County Local Immigration Partnership’s settlement strategy progress report.

Her young son was just five when they arrived 15 years ago. Simcoe County wasn’t nearly as diverse, nor did the area have as many, if any, resources in public libraries or employment centres to help settlers find meaningful work.

In 2012, the county created a strategy and brought an array of partners on board – libraries, the Simcoe Muskoka Workforce Development Board, police services, Georgian College, Lakehead University, the YMCAof Simcoe/Muskoka among them.

Together they created a plan that included a portal for new settlers, a resource guide, cultural awareness among employers and an awards program that would inspire and mentor those looking to create jobs.

Before that, when Zeng – an academic and researcher – was trying to find her way, she commuted to the GTA where her work included helping immigrants in Peel and York regions not just put down roots, but grow and flourish.

“I witness how adequate funding and resources helped immigrants, but I noticed a missed opportunity (in Simcoe County). We must truly understand Simcoe County’s newcomers’ specific needs.

“Ultimately we are trying to build a better Simcoe County for all our residents, not just immigrants.”

Zeng, who also chairs the Barrie and Area Chinese Association, said a lot of Chinese families settled in Barrie between 2003 and 2006.

The association was formed to reduce the sense of isolation as well as to share their culture with the broader community, she explained.

“We inspire newcomers to give back to the community. We participate in Barrie’s dragon boat festival. There’s an increase in young families moving to Barrie and more Chinese international students are coming.”

According to the Local Immigration Partnership (LIP), the county is becoming more diverse, as families from around the world appreciate the beaches, the parks, the quality of life that attract families generally from the GTA. In 2011, there were 50,915 foreign-born residents in Simcoe County and that’s on the rise as the county’s population continues to grow, said LIP project manager Sandra Lee.

“Simcoe County’s population will increase to 667,000 by 2031. It’s relatively easy to witness our growth. There’s plenty of construction – new roads, wider roads, new bridges and new commercial developments. Most often, residents have relocated from the GTA,” she said, which was what the Zeng family did in 2002 for quality of life reasons.

“Between 550 and 750 new immigrants arrive in Simcoe County directly each year. This may increase due to the number of community groups privately sponsoring refugees,” she added.

Ontario and Simcoe County will benefit with immigration, as the number of people retiring exceeds the number of people entering the workforce, Lee explained. This trend will only pick up as the baby boomers retire.

The strategy focused on building resources in libraries, as more than half of newcomers turn to libraries for help, followed by health services at 49 per cent and recreational activities for children, 45 per cent.

The county’s website, immigration.simcoe.ca, also saw use increase 50 per cent in 2015 over 2014 uses, with 3,478 unique users looking for information on living and finding work here.

“I am very proud of the difference I can see in our communities since we started in 2011,” said Lee.

LIP co-chair Innisfil Mayor Gord Wauchope said the group of 35 community leaders has been committed to making the county and its workplaces, its communities and its places of learning and playing more inclusive.

Simcoe County Warden Gerry Marshall added people in the communities who work tirelessly to include others have had an incredible impact.

“We continue to work with the grassroots organizations that work in our communities. I’m really humbled about how far we’ve come and look forward to supporting those coming,” Marshall said.