Refugee Unit


Karen Refugees Arrive in Vancouver July 7thThis Unit provides advice about the regulations and mechanisms involved in bringing refugees to this country under the auspices of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The Unit consists of representatives from parishes across Diocese. The Unit’s mandate is to inform our Anglican community of the needs of refugees around the world, and to provide information about how some of them can be helped through parish sponsorships to start a new life in Canada. For many years parishes in the Diocese have supported refugees, often in conjunction with family members already arrived. The Unit guides the sponsoring groups through the extensive paper work and advises them about what is needed for success. In the past year, five new sponsorship applications were made to the CIC for sponsorship of families from Afghanistan and Colombia. Three of those families have arrived and are getting settled in the Lower Mainland. In addition, one family from Myanmar, sponsored in 2007, arrived in 2008.


Two Karen families were sponsored this summer by north shore parishes through the PWRDF’s 50th anniversary sponsorship program. The two families arrived in July of 2009 and are getting settled with the help of many Anglican volunteers who offer time, expertise and resources. The North Vancouver Deanery churches are greatly assisted in their work with the Karens by St. Andrew's United Church in North Van and churches in the Fraser Deanery of the Diocese of New Westminster that are near the areas where the families live in Surrey. As of March 2010 both of the young fathers have jobs working in a recycling plant in Surrey and their English is coming along very well.
 
Finally, through our Sponsorship Agreement with the government of Canada, a family from Colombia was sponsored by another Anglican diocese.The Refugee Unit calls on parishes to actively consider how they can help! One very successful model is given by the ecumenical cooperation of the InterChurch Refugee Project amongst a half-dozen parishes in the Langley-Fraser Valley area. They pool their resources to provide housing, furniture and living expenses as well as helpful advice about language training, job searches etc.

The Unit would welcome new members, especially from parishes eager to undertake refugee sponsorships. Contact for more information: Bettina Gruver at bgruver@vancouver.anglican.ca.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commendation Letter Marks 30 Years of Diocesan Support for Refugees
 
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 Bishop Michael Ingham accepted on behalf of the Anglican Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster a letter of commendation from the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, The Honourable Jason Kenney, PC, MP. The letter was presented by ministry representatives Vicki Poirier (centre) and Emay Ko (on right).
The letter thanks the Diocese of New Westminster and Bishop Michael Ingham for over 30 years of support for refugees beginning with the Indochinese boat people. During the presentation, Vicki included her own words of thanks to Bishop Michael. In response the Bishop shared with her a brief rememberance of his early work with refugees in the 1970's when as a curate his Bishop requested that he be responsible for facilitating the Diocese of Ottawa's response to the boat people crisis.
The last two sentences in the letter from the minister read as follows:
The support from you and your organization has saved lives and ensured that sponsored refugees contribute to the social, economic, political and cultural life of Canadian Society. Thank-you for your dedication and ongoing commitment to refugee protection.
 
 
 
The Honourable Jason Kenney, PC, MP - Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism