1. Introduction to the Project

Background research 
In 1999 the Canadian government responded to the crisis in Kosovo, where the “ethnic cleansing“ of Kosovo/ar-Albanians lead to a high number of refugees. The government facilitated the entry of over 7000 Kosovo/ar refugees coming from refugee camps. 905 refugees came to British Columbia, 396 of them as fast-track refugees, either having relatives in Canada or being of special, immediate need for resettlement. The remaining 509 refugees came through “Operation Parasol“. They were brought to communities in B.C., where a sponsor had to support them. Prior to resettlement in the communities, they stayed at military bases in Eastern Canada, while sponsors for them were located. Many sponsors were found and many communities offered to take up refugees...

Table: Number of Refugees arriving in B.C. in 1999 through operation parasol

City                           
       
Number of  Refugees  
Prince George   13
Kamloops   27
Vernon 
 		34
Kelowna
 		21
Penticton
 		20
Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, Langley
 		135
Lower Mainland
 		63
Victoria 
 		36
Duncan
 		23
Nanaimo
 		4
Courtenay/Comox 
 		21

(Source of information: Kathy Sherell, Graduate Student at the Dept. of Geography, SFU)

Refugee Resettlement in B.C.- An Analysis of Suitability:

What do cities have to provide for refugees? How do they have to look like to make refugees feel comfortable?

In my project I will look at four cities (Abbotsford, Burnaby, Chilliwack and Surrey) where Kosovo/ar refugees have already been settled. How are these cities structured and what do they provide for the refugees?
Unemployment rate, housing costs, job opportunities and community facilities provided by Immigration and Community Service Organisations are some of the criteria I will look at during my analysis.The goal of the project is to analyse the potential of the three following cities :

  • PORT HARDY
  • PRINCE GEORGE
  • KELOWNA                                                                                        Map:  British Columbia
B.C.

http://listingsca.com/British-Columbia/maps.asp




                                                                                                                                                                                       
2.Conceptual idea
4.Methodology 6.Methedological and Operational problems
3.Data collection
5.Spatial analysis BACK to main page/
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