CANADIAN CONNECTIONS HOUSING SUMMIT
Connecting People & Places to Drive Newcomer Success
December 19th, 2024
Finding your first rental in Canada can be challenging without a job offer or credit history, especially during a housing crisis. But, with preparation, you can find the right housing solution and avoid a lengthy search and added costs.
Our housing summit will give you information and tools to help you prepare to find housing while still in your home country. From choosing the right city to understanding the cost of housing, you’ll gain tips to find the perfect rental. You’ll discover how to set a realistic housing budget, find housing that meets your unique
needs, and save time and money!
Join us and discover how to navigate your successful rental housing search.
Attend the Summit and Discover:
- How to choose the right city to land in and avoid a costly secondary move after you arrive.
- Current housing market conditions including availability, vacancy rates, and affordability.
- How much time you may need to find your first rental and how to set a realistic housing budget.
- The challenges of renting without a credit history and how to overcome them.
- How to impress landlords so they notice your rental application and consider you a trustworthy tenant.
- Proactive steps to help you search before and after you arrive including:
- 1. Searching independently using rentalsfornewcomers.com
- 2. Using a real estate agent to help you search
- 3. Exploring affordable homesharing options.
Who Should Attend?
This summit is a must-attend event if you are moving or have recently arrived in Canada and have one of the following documents:
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invitation to obtain pre-arrival services
- Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) letter/document
- Passport request letter that indicates Permanent Resident visa issuance
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) request that an applicant for permanent residence complete a medical exam
- Single Entry Permanent Resident Visa
- Permanent Resident Visa pick up notification letter.
Arriving in Canada in the next 6 months? This summit is for you!
The Canadian Housing Summit Starts
Day(s)
:
Hour(s)
:
Minute(s)
:
Second(s)
Thursday, December 19th
What Canada’s Housing Crisis Means to Newcomers
Click on a profile picture or logo for more information about our speakers!
David Frattini
Managing Partner
Prepare for Canada & Rental for Newcomers
Hashim Yawazi
Realtor
Jesse Greenwell
Head of Communications
Mainstreet Equity
Time: 9:30 am – 10:30 am EST
Learn what Canada’s housing crisis means for your housing prospects upon arrving in Canada. You’ll also get “how-to” tips to help you prepare for your first permanent rental house search, and save you time and money!
This session will:
- Help you prepare an action plan for your housing search
- Identify common challenges newcomers face and get valuable tips to overcome them
- Identify how to sell yourself as a prospective tenant
- Provide tools you can use to connect with landlords
- Highlight the benefits of working with a real estate agent to find a rental property.
Connect with our Speakers for a
Live Question and Answer Session
Time: 10:30 am – 10:55 am EST
How Free Settlement Services Can Help You Integrate Faster and More Successfully in Your New Country and City
Click on a profile picture or logo for more information about our exhibitors!
Cameron Moser
Time: 11:00 am EST
Cameron discusses the critical decision of where to settle in Canada, key factors to consider when choosing a city, and the unique opportunities available for newcomers in smaller communities.
Cristian Medina
Time: 11:20 am EST
Cristian highlights the importance of utilizing free pre-arrival services and explains how Planning for Canada can help newcomers prepare for their job search and career success in Canada.
Anika Sweet
Time: 11:40 am EST
Anika will give an overview of SOPA’s Arrive Prepared program, explaining its main features and benefits. She will talk about how the program helps newcomers get ready for their move, the value of using pre- and post-arrival services, and how to match labour skills with local job market needs.
Mark Batt
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Mark discusses helping newcomers settle successfully by understanding the connection between local jobs and housing. He provides an overview of the Success Active Engagement and Integration Project (AEIP) program for newcomers, explaining how it works and what makes it unique. He also talks about the process of settling into new communities.
Latika Sood
Time: 12:20 pm EST
Latika provides an overview of the pre-arrival services offered by Next Stop Canada, including one-on-one counseling and the Youth Program, designed to ensure a smooth transition to life in Canada. She also explains how immigrants can use the Pre-Arrival Canada registration portal to select a free pre-arrival program that best suits their needs.
Evgenia Pavlenko
Time: 12:30 pm EST
Evgenia provides insights into the construction industry in Canada and offers an overview of the BC Construction Association’s Integrating Newcomers (IN) program. This free pre-arrival service is designed for newcomers, highlighting who is eligible and how professionals with relevant backgrounds can benefit from the program.
Exhibitors
Click on a logo for more information about our exhibitors!
BANKING & INSURANCE
SETTLEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
HOUSING
Simplify your banking with the Scotiabank StartRight® Program
Interested in the Canadian Connections Summit, but know you can’t attend? Register and you’ll get access to the Summit On-demand Page. Registrants receive first access to Summit recordings.
Register Today!
Cameron Moser
DIRECTOR OF SERVICE AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
ACCES EMPLOYMENT
Cameron Moser has been working for over a decade to foster successful settlement journeys for newcomers to Canada. As the Director of Services and Program Development at ACCES Employment, he supports the ongoing growth of employment programs that accelerate the labour market integration of highly skilled immigrants, including pre-arrival employment programs, programs for Internationally Educated Healthcare Professionals, programs for bilingual Francophone newcomers and career pathways programs for individuals making career transitions.
David Frattini
Managing Partner
Prepare For Canada
Rentals For Newcomers
David brings insights into the needs of prospective immigrants and recent arrivals related to living, working, and taking your first financial steps in Canada. He has built successful relationships with many stakeholder groups that range from professional associations to settlement services for newcomers. These critical relationships help newcomers to prepare and achieve success in Canada.
Cristian Medina
Senior Program Officer, Planning for Canada, Programs and Partnerships
Cristian Medina is a Senior Program Officer at Planning for Canada, a program delivered by Colleges and Institutes Canada. With extensive experience in the pre-arrival sector, Cristian has dedicated his career to supporting immigrants in achieving successful settlement and integration. Prior to his current role, he held various positions in Toronto and Kingston, Ontario, including Program Coordinator at the Kingston Immigration Partnership, Youth Opportunities Program Coordinator, Community Connections Coordinator, and Settlement Worker. His work reflects a deep commitment to empowering newcomers and fostering inclusive communities.
Anika Sweet
Supervisor, Pre-Arrival and Employment Transition
Anika Sweet, Supervisor for the Settlement Online Pre-Arrival ( SOPA ) Program, has been working in the non-profit settlement sector for the last 9 years, empowering newcomers to Canada to achieve their settlement and employment goals within their new communities. She has been actively involved in providing support and education and strives to facilitate cultural integration with a strong commitment to fostering inclusive environments.
Evgenia Pavlenko
Data and Operations Coordinator
BCCA
Evgenia has a BA in Professional Communications combined with 10+ years of professional and personal experience working with marginalized groups. She is currently working in the non-profit sector supporting skilled immigrants successfully settled in Canada. In her role as a Data and Operations Coordinator for BCCA-Integrating Newcomers, the only Canada-wide construction pre-arrival service, she helps facilitate the economic and social integration of immigrants into the construction workforce.
Latika Sood
Community Engagement and Content Specialist, Pre-Arrival Coordinated Services
YMCA of Greater Toronto
As part of the Pre-Arrival Canada team at the YMCA of Greater Toronto, Latika is passionate about supporting newcomers to Canada in their settlement journey. With a strong background in community engagement, Latika strives to empower newcomers with the knowledge they need to build a successful future in Canada.
Mark Batt
Senior Project Manager, Pre-Arrival Settlement Services
Mark is the Senior Project Manager for SUCCESS AEIP Pre-Arrival programs. He has a background in senior management in the private sector and has managed a variety of provincially and federally funded settlement programs for more than 15 years. Having lived as a (British) expat for most of his life in Malaysia, China and Japan, and eventually immigrating to Canada, he has specific insights into the needs of newcomers and the requisite adjustments needed to integrate into a new society.
Hashim Yawazi
Realtor
Hashim Yawazi is an experienced realtor who places his clients at the heart of every transaction. He understands that starting a new chapter can be both exciting and challenging, which is why he is dedicated to making the transition seamless. With extensive expertise in the real estate market, Hashim provides personalized guidance every step of the way, helping clients find the perfect rental or owned home and ensuring their journey is smooth, rewarding, and stress-free.
Jesse Greenwell
Head of Communications
Mainstreet Equity
Often referred to as The Face of MEQ, Jesse has been with the Mainstreet family off and on since its humble beginnings in 1998. He’s a talented writer, public speaker and has an impressive background composing speeches for some of Canada’s top political figures. After studying history at Laurentian University in addition to pursuing a communications concentration at Harvard Extension School, Jesse is tremendously knowledgeable in the corporate messaging space.
With a notoriously creative mind, he is a bright and well-spoken individual and passionate advocate for underrepresented communities and human rights causes. A hilarious sense of humour, extremely impressive ability to speak in almost any language or accent, and unmatched passion for communications, public relations and marketing make Jesse an enormously valuable member of the Mainstreet team.
When not in the office, Jesse can usually be found enjoying the best cultural offerings of Calgary, or chilling lakeside with a book and his dog in Muskoka.
The BCCA – Integrating Newcomers (BCCA-IN) program is a government-funded, free, nationwide employment coaching service for skilled immigrants looking to transition careers to the construction industry in Canada – before moving here.
At no cost to you, BCCA-IN will assign a dedicated career coach and you will receive construction-related job hunting tips and tools, live job leads, a detailed skills and education assessment, connections to provincial professional associations and licensing authorities, plus, suggestions on the most relevant pre and post-arrival settlement services you should access.
The Capital Region of New Brunswick – a place where urban and rural lifestyles coexist harmoniously, offering a unique blend of opportunities and tranquility.
Ignite, the economic development agency of the Capital Region can help you access information about settlement and relocation, explore the job market, connect with industry and peers, and find your footing in the new community you call home.
Next Stop Canada & Pre-Arrival Canada registration portal
Next Stop Canada is an online national pre-arrival services program funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for people who are already approved to immigrate to Canada but haven’t landed yet.
It provides personalized information on many settlement-related topics to prepare adults and youth (aged 12-19) newcomers before they arrive in Canada.
&
Pre-Arrival Canada.
The Pre-Arrival Canada Portal is a centralized registration portal that facilitates access to multiple government funded pre-arrival programs and services. By visiting www.prearrivalcanada.ca clients are able to browse and register for free pre-arrival services to get help before arriving in Canada.
In just three easy steps clients can check their eligibility for pre-arrival services, complete one registration form, and begin accessing pre-arrival supports and referrals. Pre-arrival programs on the portal include; Active Engagement and Integration Project (AEIP), ACESS Employment, BCCA Integrating Newcomers, YMCA Build ON, Canada InfoNet, YMCA Next Stop Canada, Pre-Arrival Support Services (PASS), Planning For Canada, and Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA).
We help immigrants prepare for their move, settlement and employment in Canada. Planning for Canada offers FREE orientation services online (worldwide) and in-person (in India and the Philippines). Our live, interactive, and personalized services provide the information you need to better prepare for life and work in Canada. Since 2007, we have served more than 63,000 clients from 111 countries.
The Pre-Arrival Canada Portal is a centralized registration portal that facilitates access to multiple government funded pre-arrival programs and services. Clients are able to browse and register for free pre-arrival services to get help before arriving in Canada. These services offer support with settlement and employment needs connecting individuals with the appropriate information and resources they need in order to successfully settle in Canada.
Mainstreet Equity Corp. currently owns and manages rental properties exclusively throughout Western Canada, including larger portfolios in the Calgary area, Edmonton area, Lower Mainland BC, Regina, and Saskatoon, with additional buildings in Kamloops, Lethbridge, Vancouver Island, Vernon and Winnipeg.
Rentals for Newcomers helps you to make an easier transition to life in Canada when it comes to finding rental housing! We connect you with the landlords who want to help you with your housing needs.
aha insurance is the broker of choice for Prepare for Canada to provide competivite rates on the insurance coverage you need in minutes. Looking for travel medical health or renters insurance? Connect with aha.
Planning for Canada offers a range of services to support immigrants, including workshops on living and working in Canada, self-directed e-learning modules tailored to individual needs, and one-on-one sessions to create personalized settlement plans and connect clients with experts in Canada for tailored guidance and referrals. Additional resources include an e-library for flexible learning and webinars covering key settlement and employment topics.
Free tools, resources and courses designed to help you find a job in your field in Canada.
By registering with the SOPA Program you will receive personalized one-hour planning session on career and settlement goals with our staff located in the province of your destination
SOPA courses help you develop the skills necessary for your job search in Canada. If you already have a job offer, the SOPA courses will provide you with communication tools required for success in the Canadian workplace.