A town hall meeting was held in Carman last night for residents of the community and R.M. of Dufferin to discuss immigration.
    
The meeting was lead by Local Immigration Partnership Coordinator,(L.I.P.) Vassan Aruljothi.  He said the purpose of the gathering was to explore whether there is a need from the community for a committee on immigration, to answer questions about immigration in this area, to have an open discussion on the topic, and to introduce his

Vassan Aruljothiposition as L.I.P. Coordinator.

In his role through Regional Connections, Aruljothi said his job is to consolidate immigration-related services and initiatives in the area.

Aruljothi said he felt there was some very good discussion Thursday night. He noted speaking to one person ahead of the meeting who didn't think a committee was necessary, but by the end of the evening, the same person saw how it would be beneficial.

The function of a local immigration committee would be to be a support system and a consolidator for all the individual committees that are already existing, whether it's religious group representation, private citizenship sponsorship, or any existing initiative to do with newcomers and immigration. The aim should also be to provide a common platform to pool resources and avoid duplications.  "And the way I see it, this committee should be a representation of as many sectors in the community itself, businesses, individuals, politicians, school divisions, health...transportation, all the basic necessities should be represented, " said Aruljothi.

Aruljothi said the goal of yesterday's meeting was to have a proactive discussion on the topic of immigration, rather than reactive, and he feels the discussion brought forward some great proactive ideas.

Directly pertaining to the Carman and R.M. of Dufferin area, Aruljothi said the next step after Thursday's meeting is to gather interest from people who would like to be part of a committee and then hold a strategic planning session to determine the structure of the committee and its longevity.  "And there was a suggestion that perhaps this committee could be an off-shoot of the town council."

As for the Pembina Valley region as a whole, Aruljothi said his immediate plan is to create two councils, a local partnership council, and an immigrant advisory table.  He explains what the roles of those committees would be.

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