Initiative Overview

Given the large number of Ukrainian newcomers expected to arrive in Ontario due to the war in Ukraine (winter 2022 onwards), this internal tool is part of the ministry’s plan to support the successful settlement and integration of this group with unique circumstances into life in the province.

This tool was developed to ensure Ukrainian job seekers and employers looking to hire Ukrainian newcomers receive customized and streamlined service experience in the Employment Ontario system. This includes clear access points for newcomers and a one-window approach for employers who want to offer positions to groups with unique circumstances.

The Employment Ontario Contact Centre (EOCC) uses this tool to triage training and employment related inquiries for Ukrainian newcomers and ensure relevant EOCC inquiries are directed to sites that are well-positioned to serve Ukrainian newcomers.

The tool consists of 25 sites, with 16 service providers.

The sites included on the list were selected because they had the following features:

• Higher than average experience serving newcomers;
• Strong performance in providing settlement services;
• Higher than average employment outcome performance of key employment and training programs serving newcomers;
• The ability to provide services in Ukrainian; and,
• Location based on where Ukrainian newcomers are expected to settle.

The tool’s aim is to streamline access and connections between Ukrainian newcomers, employment supports and employers.

This tool is solely used by the Employment Ontario Contact Centre (EOCC) to triage training and employment-related inquiries for Ukrainian newcomers. However, depending on the caller’s needs (e.g., geographic location), the EOCC may direct a caller to a site outside the list. Service providers not on the triage list are free to serve Ukrainian newcomers.

Further, the ministry is not asking the Employment Ontario (EO) service provider network to use this tool for their own referral process. Instead, EO service providers are asked to continue using the regular client referral process.

Settlement agencies provide information about and referrals to a range of community and government services (including OHIP, employment services, childcare, housing etc.) to help newcomers settle. These include:

• Providing services where possible in a newcomer’s first language;
• Translation and form filling – i.e., help with completing Social Insurance Number (SIN) applications, registering children in schools, applying for childcare, applying for social assistance;
• Providing information on all settlement related matters – setting up a bank account, how to use transit, where/how to get a phone, tax information etc.;
• Help finding housing. Some providers have extensive connections with landlords or they assist in finding actual housing;
• If clients do not have permanent addresses, clients can sometimes use settlement agency addresses for mailing health cards or other business such as enrolling children in schools; and,
• Agencies often have computers onsite that clients can access, or clients can go there to use Wi-Fi.

Agencies typically provide services in a combination of 1-1 supportive counselling type sessions and group information sessions.

More information about settlement services in Ontario can be found on the Get settled in Ontario page.

No additional ministry funding or resources is provided to shortlisted service providers. In addition to the overall Employment Ontario network currently having the capacity to serve Ukrainian clients, the triage tool consists of service delivery sites that the ministry has determined to be currently well-positioned to serve Ukrainian newcomers. Consequently, the ministry is not expecting shortlisted service providers to make any adjustments to their current services and programs.

Sites were shortlisted based on an assessment of their level of experience serving newcomers, and on their past performance in providing settlement services and in employment outcomes for key Employment Ontario (EO) programs serving newcomers. Based on this evidence-based approach, the ministry is confident these shortlisted sites are  well-positioned to serve Ukrainian newcomers.

To monitor settlement and integration developments of this group of newcomers and to identify if the ministry needs to make any adjustments to its employment and training supports plan, the ministry will continue tracking Ukrainian newcomer metrics at all EO sites.

The ministry is tracking Ukrainian newcomer metrics at all Employment Ontario sites. If an issue emerges, the ministry is open to adjusting its plan to support Ukrainian newcomers as needed.

The ministry does not anticipate this to be an issue as all Employment Ontario (EO) service providers are expected to be ready to refer clients to relevant services within the EO network.

Please see the list of shortlisted sites below.

EOCC Internal Triage Tool for Ukrainian Newcomers