In addition to the general questions posed to all service providers, we asked specific questions that related to each provider's area of expertise. What follows is a summary of their responses.
Here were no notable differences between the two large centres and the smaller ones, aside from the fact that in Calgary and Edmonton, police receive 40 hours of training in multicultural issues, while officers in other areas learn on the job.
The primary challenges in terms of refugees in all of the communities are a lack of familiarity with Canadian laws and a fear of police based on experiences in their own countries. When asked about under- or over-representation of refugees in any criminal area, the respondent from Edmonton cited domestic violence is over-represented. Although the representatives from the other cities did not indicate an over-representation, police from Lethbridge and Medicine Hat also said domestic violence was a problem. The only other extraordinary crime reported was a shop-lifting ring with ties in Montreal organized by Central Americans in Medicine Hat.
As with the police, there were no real differences in responses based on size of community in the health field, other than scope: Calgary and Edmonton offer more specialized services to refugees, particularly in the first language of the clients. All centres offer immunization clinics and most cited TB testing as a priority.
The health challenges that the respondents viewed as most significant are the following: missing or falsified vaccination documentation; inadequate dental hygiene, both for children and adults; and a lack of information regarding birth control. In Medicine Hat, the health workers said that the problems faced by refugees were not out of the ordinary, aside from chronic pain as a result of torture.
There was very little mention of mental health issues; only the workers from Edmonton discussed them in any detail; the Calgary and Medicine Hat respondents reported that mental health is difficult to assess due to language barriers. The health care workers from Lethbridge acknowledged that depression is a major problem, but that language barriers prevent many people from accessing support.
The teachers working within the K-12 system were asked what the primary challenges are for refugee children. Language issues were identified by everyone and most shared a concern for students who come with educational gaps. Inadequate funding was cited as a problem in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer; some students are in need of considerably more pedagogical support (most programs have the students integrated into mainstream classrooms with some pull-out). Some respondents remarked on the difficulties students have fitting in socially, because of cultural differences, although the teacher in Lethbridge has found that refugee students there fit in right away. The teacher from Red Deer commented that some students have learning disabilities that do not surface immediately because their need for language masks them. The respondent from Edmonton pointed out that refugee students sometimes believe that their stay in Canada will be short - that it will be only a matter of months before they go back home. Those children often resist getting involved in language learning.
Calgary and Edmonton have a greater variety of ESL offerings than any of the smaller cities, particularly higher level courses and bridging programs to academic upgrading, but all communities provide the federally funded LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) program. The percentage of refugees (as opposed to other immigrants) participating in LINC programs ranges from very few (only one in Fort McMurray in the past year) to 75% in two programs in Red Deer and Lethbridge. Within LINC, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary report that most of their clients study for 40 weeks. In Lethbridge, 16 weeks of LINC and 20 weeks of workplace language instruction are provided. The other communities generally offer between 4-6 months of language instruction. When asked if people quit before their allotted language training, the Calgary respondent noted that Iraqi men leave after about 20 weeks to seek employment in order to bring their families to Canada. The respondent also stated that it is difficult culturally for Iraqis to take instruction from female teachers and a large majority of ESL teachers are women. Fort McMurray, Lethbridge and Red Deer interviewees reported that few refugees quit early, but in Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat and Edmonton there was a sense that several people quit in order to find jobs.
Teachers were asked to describe the general proficiency level of students once they completed their LINC training. Most respondents suggested that their students achieved roughly Canadian Language Benchmarks 3/4 (i.e., very basic skills). A respondent from Lethbridge noted that "Immigration really encourages them to work."
When asked to comment on special needs of refugee students, people from every community commented on mental stress and physical problems (especially dental problems and post traumatic stress). The respondent from Red Deer said that seniors, in particular, have a hard time and that ESL serves as both a social outlet and group therapy for participants. In Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, and Grande Prairie, refugees worry a great deal about finding jobs; the teacher from Red Deer reported that the job situation there has improved in the last few years, alleviating the concerns of refugee students. Finally, interviewees from Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer observed that their students continue to worry about the political issues that brought them here.