Standards of living are very high in Cana-
da; cars and cellphones are commonplace
possessions. Furthermore, the cost of liv-
ing is rising. Immigrants have to hastily
integrate themselves into the labour mar-
ket and earn money to survive. “Manag-
ing their expectations, being responsive
to these needs and making sure that CCIS
programs relate to them is an ongoing
challenge,” Birjandian said. Last year alone,
CCIS, alongside the Diocese, sponsored
and settled 900 refugees.
On the other side is community expecta-
tion. In Birjandian’s experience, communi-
ties expect newcomers to arrive and quick-
ly become taxpayers. CCIS is constantly
communicating with communities to help
them understand the complexities of the
integration process while simultaneously
creating welcoming environments that set
immigrants up for success.
So far, CCIS has been managing quite well.
This year it was the recipient of the City
of Calgary Award: Community Advocate
Organization, something that Birjandian is
very proud of. “If we want to stay faithful
to our roots and make sure that the man-
date that we have is not lost during fund-
ing conversations, then being recognized
as an organization that is not giving up on
advocacy is very good for us,” he said.
There is no doubt that immigration is going
to be more prominent in Canada, which
means that there is a real need for the
type of services offered by organizations
like CCIS. Over the next five years, CCIS
will be focusing its initiatives on providing
opportunities to the most vulnerable.
Fariborz Birjandian, CEO
DECEMBER 2016
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