I would like to thank the committee for giving us this opportunity to present today.
I'd like to talk about the decision to de-fund. Since the notices to agencies were given in December, CIC has offered a variety of explanations for their decisions: Ontario immigration numbers are dropping substantially, therefore we should have less funding for newcomer services; this is not a cut, but a redistribution to other provinces where immigration is increasing; agencies have to be demonstrating a high level of performance and accountability in order to receive funding, implying that our agencies have been deficient in meeting our targets.
The ethno-specific agencies were severely cut. They also talked about how ethno-specific agencies were only serving their communities alone, which is total misinformation.
In our case, in March 2010, CIC provided renovations and moneys to purchase new equipment and furniture for a new location dedicated to settlement services. We signed a five-year lease. Four years will remain after March 31, for which we must pay. CIC is leaving us with a debt of over $160,000. As a board member, that concerns me greatly. CIC is indicating that they expect the return of any equipment purchased with CIC funding.
In a few short weeks from now, thousands of newcomer clients will be left without any sort of settlement program or workers to assist them. Our agency has already given termination notices to six workers, and our board is considering what the impact will be across the rest of the organization in order to manage the debt we will be left with after March 31.
It is estimated that almost 1,000 workers across Ontario are facing termination from their employment in less than two months from now. If it were a large corporation laying off so many workers, there would be legal obligations to have severance packages and an employee assistance plan. This is a huge financial toll, and there will be a drain on the charitable resources after March 31. CIC has provided no transitional plan to agencies like ours.
I'd like to conclude by summarizing this; I've cut a lot out, because we were restricted in our time.
Information on the decisions re the cut from CIC over the last few months has been vague and very generic. The non-profit charitable sector, in particular in Toronto, is being gutted by CIC.
CIC is leaving a legacy that they're actually bankrupting some of our communities. There was no consultation, no thought, no plan, no appeal--no care for the mayhem left behind.
We have a few recommendations, if I have time, Mr. Chair.