Editorial

by Dale Sproule

In March 2004, the first issue of Canadian Newcomer Magazine hit the street.

It was very focused on Toronto, featuring an interview with Mayor David Miller and an article on the YMCA Newcomer Information Centre and the many services they offer to newcomers in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

A total of seven articles in 32 pages. Almost all of the 10,000 copies were distributed within the GTA and they disappeared within a week.

From the beginning, our vision was to create a magazine written in the language of the marketplace (beginners level English) that would teach new immigrants about the culture they are settling into and the resources available to help make the settlement process faster and easier. We showed people how to find and use those resources.

With the support and encouragement of The Ontario Settlement Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, we were able to begin providing our service to Francophone immigrants and to expand into all of Ontario. Since no one had ever done this kind of magazine before, we have made a few mistakes along the way, and in every instance we have learned from those experiences and grown better.

By talking with newcomers, we discovered first hand that the articles were too long for most people to read in a single sitting, so we made the articles shorter. We continue to experiment with providing articles at a range of different language levels so they are easy to read and understand. We started running more articles about specific programs and organizations. And we launched our annual Settlement Guides – which are basically directories, with the names, addresses, phone numbers and websites of agencies that provide settlement, ESL and employment services especially for them.

Our theme issues allow us to cover a wide range of topics from job-hunting and health to the arts, sports and entertainment, food, ethnic media, Canadian lifestyles, travel, housing and starting your own business.

We have received requests to provide the magazine to other provinces and we have grown geographically to provide copies of the magazine in dozens of towns and cities throughout Ontario.

We have seen evidence that our dedication in providing useful information to newcomers has influenced other media outlets – which are now not only recognizing that there is a huge underserved audience, but also following our lead in providing valuable information to help people settle in this country.

We feel proud to have been among the first to recognize how important immigrants are to Canada and to provide essential information in a stimulating and thought-provoking way – whether it’s in the form of the magazine and the settlement guides (a resource you can take with you to read and refer to wherever you are), or on our website, where you can find every story we have published. We vow to keep growing and improving and trust you will still be with us when we reach our tenth anniversary.

Our growth over the past five years has shown that there is a large, enthusiastic and appreciative audience that really needs and uses the information we provide and we are grateful to all our readers, advertisers and partners for helping us reach this landmark. Welcome to our Fifth Anniversary Issue.

With the continued support of the dreamers, forward -thinkers and problem-solvers in private industry, the non-profit sector and the Canadian government, rest assured, this is just the beginning. We look forward to the next five years!

Dale Sproule, Editor