Presenters: Dr. Ren Thomas, Assistant Professor, School of Planning & Roberto Montiel, Diversity and Inclusion Office at Halifax
Date: October 24th, 2019
Description
It is widely recognized that housing is a key determinant of mental health and is essential to the successful integration of newcomers. As part of the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project’s two-part housing series, in this webinar, Ren and Roberto speak to the housing landscape in Atlantic Canada for immigrants and refugees. This includes the key challenges faced in finding adequate, suitable and affordable housing; strategies for choosing a type of housing; and, the role of immigrant and refugee service providers in advising and educating newcomers on housing issues.
Presenter's biographies
Dr. Ren Thomas is a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) and has worked on a number of nationally funded research projects on housing and transportation. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Planning and a Founding Fellow of the MacEachen Institute of Public Policy and Governance at Dalhousie University. She has worked in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, including contracts for the Ontario Growth Secretariat and BC Non-Profit Housing Association. Her edited book, Planning Canada: A Case Study Approach, was published by Oxford University Press in 2016.
Roberto Montiel immigrated to Canada from Mexico City, where he taught in the Communications Department at the Universidad Iberoamericana for five years. He came to Halifax to work on a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies, which he completed in 2014. His areas of focus were Philosophy and Postcolonial Literature. He has been leading the Halifax Immigration Partnership since August 2015. The HIP is part of a national initiative funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to tailor immigrant settlement and integration plans to local strengths and needs.
