Emergency Services Introduction for New Canadians (ESINC) program is now available virtually for all new immigrants in Halton. The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) introduced a series of videos on their website last week for newcomers whose knowledge of public safety or emergency services may be limited. The virtual component was created for newcomers where English is not their first language and can not attend in-person classes. They are often enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) classes.
The ESINC program was introduced in 2006 as a diversity initiative to welcome and inform new immigrants. It has been running successfully ever since. Through the program, the participants learn about the operations of emergency services, ways to access them and the current crime patterns, which can be relevant to newcomers. Emergency services delivered the presentation in person to the ESL and LINC learners.
The newly released virtual program of educational videos introduces the role of emergency services in Halton. It was developed in partnership with Halton Multicultural Council, local Fire Services and Halton Region Paramedic Services. HMC Connections developed the content. Also, newcomers were consulted to capture the evolving needs of the new immigrants.
Apart from the introduction video presented by Deputy Chief Roger Wilkie, Deputy Chief of District Operations of the HRPS and Hanadi Al-Masri, Director of Social Innovations & Enterprises of the Halton Multicultural Council, there are seven videos. The themes are:
- Alcohol and cannabis use
- Internet safety
- Mental health response and support
- Identity theft
- Fire and paramedic services
Each video is available with subtitles in Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Urdu. HMC Connections volunteers provided the translations.
Hanadi Al-Masri announced that emergency services would add two more videos to the series after consultation with HRPS. One video will address women's safety, and the second video will address hate crimes. The series will continue to be updated. “Due to COVID, the in-person participation required for this initiative has been impacted. This new virtual content is the latest addition in the service delivery model,” she added.
Sergeant Ryan Smith from the HRPS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office also stated, “It is our responsibility to ensure all newcomers feel safe and understand the role of the various emergency services in Halton”. He believes this important safety information will reach more newcomers than ever before because virtual programming is not constrained by time or location.
The HRPS encourages newcomers to contact Sergeant Ryan Smith at 905-825-4747 ext. 5130 or email [email protected] to suggest more topics for creating virtual content in the future.
