PG-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond and Baljit Sethi, executive director, IMSS – photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. – The provincial government has announced $109,355 for English language training in Prince George to support immigrants and refugees looking for work.

The Province is teaming up with the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society of Prince George (IMSS) to provide the training, which is needed to help newcomers overcome language barriers when seeking a job.

“We’re very blessed in Prince George to have an organization like the IMSS and I think what we need to remember at times like this is while there’s lots of attention and rightly so, on the arrival of Syrian refugees, we receive refugees in B.C. every year,” said Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Shirley Bond.

“So this is part of a broader provincial announcement, a total across the province of $2.6 million to support not just Syrian refugees, but new Canadians and immigrants and in particular with a focus on professional language training.”

IMSS executive director Baljit Sethi said she was very pleased considering the timing of the announcement.

“I am very excited because I knew that we will be getting some refugees,” she said. “This opportunity will address language building and cultural understanding that is essential in building a successful career or work life in our community.”

Bond also acknowledged that five privately sponsored refugees will soon settle in Prince George and said she believes the city has the capacity to welcome more.

“We do believe there is capacity here – we have a mosque, we have an Arabic speaking community, we have health services, we have immigrant and multicultural services, a community table in place, so it’s very possible that we’ll receive refugees, not enormous numbers, but I don’t make the decision, the provincial government does.”