Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement – Annex D: Partnership with Municipalities 2025

Preamble

The Parties share a mutual interest in identifying opportunities to create immigration partnerships with municipal governments and, as needed, private sector stakeholders.

The Parties agree on the need to provide opportunities for municipal governments to discuss their interests in immigration.

The Parties agree on the need to develop information sharing and consultation mechanisms that give municipalities input into the development of immigration and integration policies and programs that have an impact on municipalities.

The Parties believe that municipalities in Ontario can benefit from immigration to Ontario, and that all orders of government will continue to work together to settle and integrate immigrants.

The Parties recognize that municipal governments provide a broad range of services that support the successful settlement and integration of immigrants.

Canada is committed to working in partnership with Ontario to build and maintain relationships with municipal governments and others in the municipal sector to foster the economic and social conditions for successful immigration in Ontario.

The Parties are committed to continuing the work of the Municipal Immigration Committee established with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario in 2004 and originally formalized under the 2005 Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement.

The Parties acknowledge that the City of Toronto may represent its own interests, notwithstanding the preceding section.

The Parties are committed to supporting the vitality of Francophone Minority Communities through immigration, including as described in Annex C to the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement.

1.0 Municipal interests in immigration

• 1.1 Municipal governments in Ontario are seeking collaborative relationships to ensure that federal and provincial policies and programs on immigration and integration are informed by the knowledge, understanding and priorities of Ontario’s municipalities.
• 1.2 Municipalities have identified two key areas of interest:
  1. attraction and retention of immigrants throughout the province of Ontario, including small, rural and northern communities, and Francophone Minority Communities; and
  2. effective and timely settlement and integration of immigrants, particularly in municipalities that receive a large number of immigrants.
• 1.3 Municipal governments in Ontario’s small, rural and northern communities want to build on a history and tradition of successful immigration to strengthen the economic, cultural and social fabric of their communities.
• 1.4 Municipal governments in Ontario receiving large numbers of immigrants are seeking collaborative relationships with Canada and Ontario to successfully settle and integrate immigrants.

2.0 Purpose

• 2.1 The purpose of this Annex is to facilitate the participation of Ontario municipal governments in addressing issues, and pursuing opportunities, related to municipal interests in immigration.
• 2.2 For this purpose, the Parties agree to work with municipal governments on the objectives in section 3.0 of this Annex. Specific arrangements with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Association française des municipalités de l’Ontario (AFMO), individual municipalities and groups of municipalities which are related to these objectives and other opportunities, may be set out through separate memoranda of understanding.

3.0 Objectives

• 3.1 Attraction and retention of immigrants – the Parties agree to:
  1. consider opportunities for coordinated municipal participation in federal and provincial promotion and recruitment activities;
  2. work with interested municipal governments in developing immigrant attraction and retention strategies;
  3. work with municipal governments, relevant local agencies, and employers to attract and settle Immigrants with relevant skills to address local labour market needs and promote employment opportunities, as needed and in line with respective Parties’ roles and responsibilities;
  4. work with municipal governments in promoting municipalities as destinations for prospective immigrants taking into consideration local skills shortages, and providing settlement information and assistance to Immigrants; and
  5. explore innovative ways to provide settlement and integration services in small, rural and northern communities to support retention.
• 3.2 Settlement and integration – The Parties agree to work with municipal governments to:
  1. support the exchange of information on integration policies and programs and aggregate data to support settlement planning;
  2. utilize the Parties’ immigration portals to provide prospective immigrants with the information needed to make informed decisions and to prepare for settlement in Canada;
  3. encourage municipal governments to engage local employers and community leaders in the labour market integration of new immigrants, such as access to employment services and education; and
  4. facilitate and support community-led initiatives related to settlement and integration.

4.0 Implementation

4.1 Municipal Immigration Committee

• 4.1.1 The Parties shall carry out their responsibilities under this Annex while respecting federal, provincial and municipal areas of jurisdiction.
• 4.1.2 The Parties agree to continue to work with municipal governments through the revitalized Municipal Immigration Committee.
• 4.1.3 The Municipal Immigration Committee shall be a forum for representatives of Canada, Ontario and municipalities from across Ontario to explore immigration issues and identify opportunities to address these issues.
• 4.1.4. Intergovernmental consultations coordinated under the terms of this Annex shall complement the Ontario-Association of Municipalities of Ontario Memorandum of Understanding. This Annex does not preclude the Parties from consulting or concluding an arrangement directly with municipalities.
• 4.1.5 Ontario shall invite the Association of Municipalities of Ontario to work with the AFMO, to identify, recruit and recommend the municipal members of the Committee. Municipal members shall represent a diverse range of municipal perspectives, including the interests of Francophone Minority Communities, and be accountable to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Board of Directors.
• 4.1.6 The Municipal Immigration Committee shall develop and formalize Terms of Reference outside of this Agreement. The Parties agree to review the content of the Terms of Reference within 12 months of signing this Agreement.
• 4.1.7 The Municipal Immigration Committee may establish working groups on specific priorities, as identified by the membership. Working groups shall represent a range of perspectives and shall report to the Municipal Immigration Committee.
• 4.1.8 The Municipal Immigration Committee shall endeavour to meet at least once every 12 months and report on its activities once every 12 months to the Agreement Management Committee (AMC) established under section 9.1 of the General Provisions of this Agreement.

4.2. City of Toronto

1. 4.2.1 The Parties acknowledge that the large number of immigrants that arrive annually in the Toronto census metropolitan area creates particular challenges in terms of maintaining services to all residents while ensuring the successful integration of Immigrants into the community, particularly in the event of large numbers of Refugees.
2. 4.2.2 The City of Toronto has developed experience, expertise and community infrastructure to respond professionally to the social and economic integration needs of immigrants.
3. 4.2.3 The Parties agree to collaborate in the forum established in the Canada-Ontario-Toronto Memorandum of Understanding on Immigration for the three governments to discuss information sharing, and matters related to immigration and settlement as described in section 3.2.

5.0 Information Sharing

• 5.1 All information sharing between the Parties shall be in accordance with section 9.4 of the General Provisions of this Agreement.
• 5.2 The Parties agree to develop an ongoing process and framework to support effective information sharing and consultation with municipal governments on immigration and integration policies and programs.
• 5.3 The Parties agree to share information and research, in partnership with municipal governments, on best practices regarding immigrant attraction and retention.

6.0 Governance

• 6.1 In the absence of specific direction to the contrary, Focal Points from each of the Parties shall report to the AMC on an annual basis.
• 6.2 The Focal Points for the purpose of communication and notification pursuant to this Annex are:
  1. For Canada: the Director General, Intergovernmental Relations and Engagement, Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and
  2. For Ontario: the Director, Global Talent and Settlement Services Division, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
• 6.3 Once this Annex is in force, the Parties shall submit plans for working arrangements and strategies to the AMC, as required. Updates to such plans shall be permitted during the period this Agreement is in force, as required, subject to approval by the AMC.