OCASI Annual Report 2021

Spirit and Solidarity

Read President & ED Message See Financial Report
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About OCASI

Mission

The Mission of OCASI is to achieve equality, access and full participation for immigrants and refugees in every aspect of Canadian life.

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Principles

OCASI asserts the right of all persons to participate fully and equitably in the social, cultural, political and economic life of Ontario. OCASI affirms that immigrants and refugees to Canada should be guaranteed equitable access to all services and programs.

OCASI believes that Canada must be a land of refuge and opportunity, a country known for humanity and justice in its treatment of immigrants and refugees. OCASI believes that in cooperation with other groups and communities which promote human rights and struggle against discrimination, OCASI will see these principles realized.

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Highlights

OCASI – 42 Years

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1977

Visionaries

17 agencies form a steering committee to monitor the Immigrant Settlement Adaptation Program (ISAP) at the first ISAP conference.

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1978

OCASI founded

The steering committee incorporates as O.C.A.S.I. Annual membership fee is $24.

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1982

ISAP

OCASI campaign generates 6000 letters in support of ISAP, saving the program that was to end.

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1980/81

OCASI Conference

OCASI gets program funding, hires 1.5 staff and holds the first conference.

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1988

Immigration Numbers

OCASI and allies advocate to set yearly immigration at 1% of the population, government agrees

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1992

Multilingual Access to Social Services Initiative

MASSI is created by Ontario. OCASI advocacy results in the inclusion of cultural interpreter training and services.

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1995

Settlement renewal

OCASI leads Ontario opposition to devolution of federal government responsibility for immigrant settlement and integration to the provinces.

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1998

Sector is computerized

OCASI advocacy results in the computerization of sector agencies funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

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2000

Settlement.Org

Settlement.Org is launched and becomes the trusted source of information for newcomers.

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2001

Every Child’s Right to OHIP Coalition

OCASI and allies get OHIP coverage for Canadian-born children of parents without full immigration status.

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2002

Immigration & Refugee Protection Act

OCASI and allies successfully advocate to include same-sex spousal sponsorship in this new immigration law.

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2007

Francophone agencies

OCASI creates the Francophone Consultative Committee to better support agencies serving francophone refugees and immigrants.

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2008

Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change

COP-COC founded in 2007 by OCASI and allies, holds first provincial forum.

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2009

Positive Spaces Initiative, Accessibility project

OCASI launches PSI and Accessibility projects to build sector capacity to meet needs of LGBTQ newcomers and immigrants and refugees with disabilities.

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2012

Making Ontario Home

OCASI launches report from the largest study of immigrant and refugee use of settlement services and their needs in Ontario.

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2012

OCASI School for Social Justice (SSJ)

OCASI launches the SSJ, an initiative to strengthen the advocacy capacity of member agencies.

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2014

OCASI Client Management System

OCMS is launched across Canada. It is a powerful online client data system

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2014

CRRF Award

OCASI receives the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) Award of Excellence for the Accessibility Program.

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2015

Refugee Resettlement

OCASI supports sector agencies in resettling refugees arriving from overseas.

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2015

OCASI Francophone Director

OCASI francophone member agencies elect the first Francophone Director to the Board.

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2016

Anti-Islamophobia Anti-Racism Campaign

OCASI partners with allies and launches a public education campaign on Islamophobia, racism, and anti-Black racism.

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2016

Anti-Racism Directorate

The Ontario government establishes an AntiRacism Directorate, thanks to efforts of advocates such as OCASI.

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2017

Telling Our Stories

OCASI launched a graphic novel written by immigrant and refugee women as a violence against women prevention tool.

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2017

Anti-Racism Act

Ontario passes the Anti-Racism Act, first of its kind in Canada, thanks to advocacy by COP-COC and others.

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2018

Women’s Caucus

Women’s organizations among OCASI member agencies establish a Women’s Caucus

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2018

Community of Practice

OCASI creates a national practice in collaboration with sector umbrella organizations across Canada.

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2019

Women’s Director

OCASI member agencies elect the first Women’s Director at the 2019 Annual General Meeting.

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2019

National anti-racism strategy

A national anti-racism strategy is introduced by the federal government, and later different orders of government start to collect disaggregated data all thanks to years of advocacy by groups such as OCASI and COP-COC.

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2020

COVID-19 Pandemic

The federal government deems immigrant and refugee settlement and integration services to be essential during the pandemic. OCASI successfully advocates to IRCC for flexibility in funding, including a decoupling of administration and program costs.

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2020

Members Supporting Members Fund

OCASI members vote to create a Members Supporting Members Fund at the 2020 AGM. This is a first for OCASI.

Member Agencies

Members of our Community

Source: OCASI Membership Database 2019 (reported by 271 member agencies)

1978-2020

Cumulative number of agencies per year

We grew from 17 to 244 member agencies in 42 years.

2020

Member agencies

  • 244 Member Agencies
  • 40 Women’s organizations
  • 20 Francophone Agencies
  • 8 New member agencies
2020

Charitable organizations

184 member agencies

2020

Languages

107 Services provided by OCASI members in Languages other than English & French

2020

Staff

  • 15,200 workers (79% are women)
  • 48,700 volunteers
2020

Agencies generating revenue

  • > $5MM: 61 agencies
  • $1-5MM:: 91 agencies
  • < $1MM:: 86 agencies
2020

Connections to Indigenous Peoples

47% of member agencies carried out activities with or about Indigenous peoples in Canada between 2014 and 2019.

61% of member agencies reported having a relationship with an Indigenous group, organization, Elder, Knowledge-keeper, leader, community worker or peoples.

2020

Unionized agencies

29% of member agencies are unionized

2020

Member agencies divided by region

  • Central East: 12 (5%)
  • Central West: 20 (8%)
  • East: 22 (9%)
  • North: 12 (5%)
  • South: 16 (7%)
  • Toronto: 140 (58%)
  • West: 20 (8%)

↪ See all

12 Members (5%)

Central East Region

  • Barrie
  • Bradford
  • Durham Region (Ajax, Oshawa, Pickering, Whitby)
  • Peterborough
  • York Region (Aurora, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan)

↪ See all

20 Members (8%)

Central West Region

  • Peel Region (including Brampton)
  • Halton
  • Milton
  • Mississauga
  • Oakville

↪ See all

22 Members (9%)

East Region

  • Belleville
  • Kingston
  • Ottawa

↪ See all

12 Members (5%)

North Region

  • Kenora
  • North Bay
  • Sault Ste. Marie
  • Sudbury
  • Thunder Bay

↪ See all

16 Members (7%)

South Region

  • Beamsville
  • Brantford
  • Cambridge
  • Fort Erie
  • Guelph
  • Hamilton
  • Kitchener
  • Niagara
  • St. Catharines
  • Waterloo
  • Welland

↪ See all

140 Members (58%)

Toronto

  • City of Toronto

↪ See all

20 Members (8%)

West Region

  • Chatham
  • Leamington
  • London
  • Sarnia
  • Windsor-Essex

↪ See all

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Volunteers, Students, Staff

Behind the scenes

Strategic Direction and Management
7 people
Staff
57 people
Interns and Students
3 people
Acknowledgements

Thank you

City of Toronto

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Employment and Social Development Canada

Women and Gender Equality

Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services

YMCA Halifax/Dartmouth

United Way Greater Toronto

Atkinson Foundation

WES Mariam Assefa Fund

Canadian Women’s Foundation

YWCA Canada

A special thank you to our funders, partners and collaborators.

A special thank you to our many volunteers for your generous contributions.