IRCC 2020 Employer Awards for Newcomer Employment

Each year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), in collaboration with Hire Immigrants Ottawa, recognizes the innovative efforts of businesses across Canada to improve the integration of newcomers into the labour market. This year’s winners are helping to reduce the barriers faced by newcomers entering the labour market and to improve their overall settlement in Canada.

Glen Haven Manor – New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

With 300 employees, Glen Haven Manor is one of the largest long-term care facilities in Nova Scotia. The organization celebrates and supports cultural diversity and inclusion, and prides itself in recognizing newcomers’ contributions through feature stories in local and provincial media, social media and on their website.

Glen Haven Manor actively supports its internationally trained nurses to bridge their nursing credentials through things like flexibility and collaboration with scheduling time off to study, and access to mobile IT resources for online education. Glen Haven Manor was the first employer to be part of Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, an exciting international project that will empower refugees to find new pathways from crisis to safety and employment.

Building on its established record of international recruitment, Glen Haven Manor will also be working with its community partners to formalize a recruitment, training and retention program for newcomer continuing care assistants that can be used by care organizations across Nova Scotia and beyond.

KPMG in Canada – Toronto, Ontario

KPMG is a Canadian leader in delivering audit, tax and advisory services. Operating in over 40 locations nationwide, the firm has more than 700 partners and 7,000 employees who provide financial services to many of the top businesses, not‑for‑profit and government organizations in Canada.

KPMG in Canada is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. The organization has prioritized and invested in developing the intercultural competence of its leaders and recruiters all over Canada for years.

KPMG proactively hires newcomers and goes to great lengths to recruit international talent. In the past year, they have hired more than 250 international employees from countries around the world—either permanently, or through their international assignment program. The organization’s global mobility team is dedicated to supporting newcomers who are relocating to Canada to join KPMG.

KPMG also works directly with Canada’s newcomer community. Through their long‑standing commitment to the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council’s Mentoring Program, KPMG has provided 306 mentors from among their staff and have mentored more than 580 newcomers. KPMG executives and team members also frequently speak at events to share insights and advice and network with professional newcomers.

MUFG Fund Services Ltd. – Halifax, Nova Scotia

With more than 45 years of experience in asset servicing, MUFG has a diverse and dynamic network of offices across the globe. Their Halifax office has 277 permanent employees, 2 contract workers and 5 co-op students.

MUFG ensures that newcomers are supported by offering extensive information, coordinating temporary housing, and providing basic needs to ensure that a new employee’s arrival in Canada is a comfortable and positive experience for them and their family. All newcomers are then connected with local service provider organizations to access IRCC-funded settlement services. At the office, a diversity and inclusion employee group ensures that culturally significant dates are recognized and celebrated, and that social events are reflective of a broadening cultural base.

The organization, a designated employer under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, is also an approved training office for the chartered professional accountants program and provides qualifying opportunities for chartered financial analyst candidates. They provide support to newcomers in either transferring their designations to Canadian recognized charters, or starting the designation process from scratch. They also offer mentoring, support groups and networking opportunities for newcomers.

White Hat Drycleaners and Commercial Laundry – Campbell River, British Columbia

White Hat Drycleaners provides quality laundry services to a wide range of communities on Vancouver Island. Having immigrated to Canada, owner and operator Ai Guo Zhang understands that the hard work and dedication of his workers depend on a happy home life.

With 7 out of 10 employees of White Hat Drycleaners being newcomers, Mr. Zhang goes above and beyond his responsibilities to ensure the successful integration of his employees in the community. He not only offers newcomers a job, but he also offers their families support in pursuit of their settlement goals and cares about their social, cultural and education needs.

Mr. Zhang has hired several vulnerable newcomers referred to him by a local settlement service provider organization. Offering these newcomers their first experience in the Canadian workforce and on-the-job training is invaluable in their settlement journey. He says that the skill, reliability and hard work shown by his newcomer workers all play key roles in the success of his business.