A quarter of Hamilton's current residents are born outside the country and Statistics Canada anticipates that figure will jump 3 per cent by 2031. But despite that large percentage, newcomers settling into their lives still encounter discrimination and social exclusion and don't always feel welcome. There are common beliefs and assumptions about newcomers that make their integration more difficult. The Spectator asked local settlement workers, city staff and ethnic community leaders to highlight the top myths about immigrants they come across. We arrived at 10 common misconceptions and attitudes and looked to address them with recent research. The City of Hamilton recognizes both the necessity of attracting immigrants and the challenges they face when they arrive here. The Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council (HIPC) was created in 2009 to “strengthen, broaden and enlarge” the presence of immigrants in the city. The process involves identifying and addressing problems that newcomers face as well as showcasing immigrants' contributions to the community.
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