Possible solutions to save settlement and language services in Williams Lake are being discussed as the local IMSS office prepares for closure at the end of June 2017.
Settlement Practitioner, Sharon Taylor says they are concentrating on talking to local immigrants to see what their needs are.
“If we’re going to redesign and reconfigure and figure out something new, then they should have a say in that and they should have some information. So there’s a local group of mostly women who have got together and have come up with a list of the things they think they need and we’re taking that forward to some groups to talk about.”
Taylor says they are very are hopeful that another organization will be able to continue their contract.
The office had officially received a reprieve this week after being told on February 24, 2017 by the acting executive director of IMSS in Prince George that they would have to close at the end of March due to federal funding cuts.
Taylor says she believes that one of the reasons that the federal government continued the contract with IMSS of Prince George until the end of June is so that they have enough time to come up with another solution.
She says June is a natural ending point as they do not run classes during the summer and they typically are not busy.