The Effects of Immigration on Toronto
Toronto is a very popular destination for many immigrants looking for a new home, whether one is considered to be of refugee status or is simply seeking for a new lifestyle. In Canada, immigrants have mainly been concentrated in the major 3 cities; Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver (Bonikowska, Hou, & Picot, 2017). Multiculturalism in Toronto is a huge deciding factor to the increasing number of immigrants. The reason why Toronto is ranked as one of most immigrant-concentrated CMA in the world is mainly due to multiculturalism (Siemiatycki, 2011). Another reason why many immigrants have been choosing Toronto to be their new home is due to the exceptional living standards and lifestyle this city has to offer. Toronto is geographically located in the right place as well, becoming a desirable home to many. There are many municipalities and services available in Toronto; which is a plus point for individuals considering migrating to this city. Globalization is the process where a business/organization influences or begins to operate on an international scale. Globalization has indeed increased the interconnectedness between countries around the world, which also allows the country to develop economically. Although Toronto is a small city in Canada, it has made a huge impact on a global scale. This is also another reason why immigration to Canada has increased over the years. Furthermore, immigration policies of Canada have played a major role in Toronto’s history when considering immigration.
Multiculturalism has played a significant part in Canada ever since it was adopted in 1971. Toronto plays a significant role when referring to the topic of having a diverse community. Toronto being only 1 of the 33 CMA’s (Census Metropolitan Area) in Canada, the city has been able to pull 30% of the immigrants who came to Canada between 2011 and 2016. This is 356,930 people who chose to make Toronto their new home, which is also almost double the number of people who moved to Montreal (Ballingall, 2017). Toronto now ranks as the most immigrant-concentrated CMA, becoming the home to 36% of immigrants in all of Canada.
With the high numbers of immigrants present in Toronto, an even larger multicultural environment at workplaces and social events are now created in this city. With a diverse cultural workplace, cultural awareness and strong employee relations are created. Individuals also have the privilege of learning about one another’s culture, thus creating a deeper bond between employees. A strong bond between coworkers is necessary as it can increase productivity for the company, which eventually leads to efficiency. Multiculturalism is equivalent to the scientific fact associated to magnets; “opposites attract”. One’s diverse cultural knowledge also allows a company to be able to work with another company that is culturally different because the multicultural company then possesses employees that may be able to connect culturally. Toronto is relatively close to many other major multicultural cities known as the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Some of the areas the GTA incudes are Mississauga, Brampton, Markham and Scarborough. “In the GTA it is estimated that by 2031, approximately 75% of people living will be immigrants or Canadian-born children of immigrants” (Nakamura & Donnelly, 2017).
Multiculturalism had taken off in the 1970s where Canada had just begun to accept more people from around the world as immigrants. In the 1990s, multiculturalism had really started to make an impact in Toronto. There are more than 80 ethnic groups and more than 100 different languages present in Toronto at this time. “This is why the United Nations designated Toronto as the world’s most ethnically-diverse city” (Mehr & Chartier, 1998). When an individual is considering Toronto to be their new home they would be happy to know that they would seamlessly be able to become a part of Toronto’s community with a possibility of meeting others from the same cultural background as well. With a large population of diverse citizens in Toronto, there are many local communities that one may share cultural similarities with which they can chat about over lunch or dinner at various types of restaurants located around Toronto.
Not only is Toronto a great place due to its economic activity, but is also considered to be a tourist city. The city is filled with beautiful landscapes along with outstanding historical artifacts such as the C.N. Tower. It is interesting to note that the C.N. Tower was previously known as one of the seven wonders in the world. Immigrants do not only get these benefits but also will be able to seamlessly fit into a diverse society. Of course, there are also municipal government services available to immigrants such as, parks, transit, social services, and libraries. All these services go a long way when it comes to shaping the quality of life one experiences (Bonikowska, Hou, & Picot, 2017). “Municipalities play a key role in immigrant settlement in Canada” (Rose & Preston, 2017). There are many financial services available to immigrants accepted as permanent residents but it all depends on the type of immigration class and citizenship status.
Personal health is very important to every human being, which is why Canada is an ideal option for anyone considering immigrating. The provincial government provides publicly funded healthcare and is available across all of Canada. Many immigrants like the idea of free healthcare, which could be a possible reason to choosing Toronto over another city to settle down. While many complain about the housing market in Toronto, there are still some very cheap housing options available in the suburbs, which is also known as the GTA. With the transportation methods available in the GTA, it is quite easy for one to get to Toronto and back without any hassles and within 1 hour.
Toronto is a great fun place for settlement but is also considered the land of opportunities for many career paths. The financial and service sector in downtown can be the home to any immigrants who have a passion in business and/or information technology. After all, Toronto is considered as Canada’s dominant metropolis and financial centre. Uneducated immigrants also have a variety of options when it comes to working in Toronto. Immigrants have a large variety of workplaces they can choose from in the manufacturing sector that are available and located throughout Toronto and mainly in the GTA. The downtown core still remains as the major employment opportunities whereas, secondary employment concentrations are located in the suburbs.
Globalization allows countries to do business with one another. Trading internationally is a key process, allowing the involved countries to benefit on one another by importing and exporting. “The increase of international trading over the years has been a result of the globalization process” (M. Surugiu, C. & Surugiu, 2015). Importing allows certain countries to receive what they want or need that they do not possess. This can be in terms of anything such as food, technology, entertainment, etc. Exporting allows countries to sell resources to other countries to keep the country running financially. For example, many of Canada’s exports go to the United States due to the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). A lot of the resources sold to the U.S are located in Toronto, making this city an important one in Canada. As a cherry on top, since Toronto is located reasonably close to the U.S.A, most of the exports occur from Toronto. There is a strong and powerful connection between globalization and immigration. What this means is that individuals have always left their homes in search of better economic opportunities.
Toronto has been a city that has been studied under a microscope for many decades. Many immigrants looking for a new place definitely do take Toronto under consideration when considering Canada. Ever since the postwar period, the majority of successful CMAs in terms of economy have seen a pattern of development for rapid population growth, transition from the primary/secondary sector to service sector, and increase in ethno-cultural diverse society. All of these patterns are evident in Toronto and are largely possible due to the large number of immigrants already being present in Toronto. Each immigrant that comes to Canada not only helps the country by providing their skills but also helps by becoming ‘work’ for others because he/she is a consumer of all kinds of other services with demands as well. Toronto has shaped its economic standing over the years in order to be considered as a global city. This is done by the help of both working sectors in Toronto; manufacturing and service sector. Economic conditions most likely played a significant role when potential immigrants were deciding where to live. From 2000 to 2010, annual immigration in Canada rose from 6.3% to 11.6% but the percentage going to Toronto decreased and increased in Alberta. The reasoning of this is mainly due to the economic conditions of Alberta. Due to more oil being pumped in Alberta, many more projects were also being finalized where a major one was considered to be the Keystone XL Project. Such projects like these create new jobs that creates opportunity for immigrants. From 2010 and onwards, Alberta started to decline in terms of immigration and movement began to increase in Toronto.
Canada’s immigration policy changes have made a major change in terms of immigrants in Toronto. In the early 1980s, three major events took place in Canada’s immigration procedure. First, newcomers were accepted from more continents in the country than previously being only Europeans, Africans and Americans. Secondly, with the introduction of the point system in 1965, immigrants were assessed based of their skills. Thirdly, after 1978, Canada has changed their perspective on accepting refugees yearly rather than only accepting only during a special world event (Wang, & Lo, 2000). At the time, Toronto was the only city in Ontario that had a fairly large population. The Canadian economy was also changing from a manufacturing economy to service and information technology economy. This led to an increase in immigrants wanting to move to Toronto who were approved via the point system. These new approved immigrants were incredibly helpful in the service sector as they brought their knowledge and skills with them, which has helped boost Toronto’s economy.
To conclude, Toronto is a great option for many immigrants. First, multiculturalism has a great amount of influence on one. Secondly, what the city has to offer in terms of entertainment and social life is also pretty good. In fact, Toronto does a really good job when showcasing the city with the social life and tourism present. Lastly, globalization decides how successful a city is economically. Many immigrants are looking for opportunities for their careers, where Toronto would be a great option due to the economic success this city has. Overall, Toronto is a city that welcomes everyone from around the world with a lifestyle they would be able to easily fit into.
Citations
Wang, S., & Lo, L. (2000). Economic impacts of immigrants in the toronto CMA: A tax-benefit analysis. Journal of International Migration and Integration / Revue De l’Integration Et De La Migration Internationale, 1(3), 273-303. 10.1007/s12134-000-1015-3
Bonikowska, A., Hou, F., & Picot, G. (2017). New immigrants seeking new places: The role of policy changes in the regional distribution of new immigrants to canada. Growth and Change, 48(1), 174-190. 10.1111/grow.12144
Rose, J., & Preston, V. (2017). Canadian municipalities and services for immigrants: A toronto case study. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 26(1), 29
Siemiatycki, M. (2011). Municipalities and Multiculturalism: The Politics of Immigration in Toronto and Vancouver BY KRISTIN R. GOOD. Canadian Public Administration, 54(2), p.312-314
Nakamura, Y., & Donnelly, P. (2017). Interculturalism and physical cultural diversity in the greater toronto area. Social Inclusion, 5(2), 111-119. 10.17645/si.v5i2.891
Mehr, S., & Chartier, G. (1998). Toronto–the world is our city. Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal, 68(3), 36
Ballingall, A. (2017, October 25). Toronto still top-choice for recent immigrants, as more people flock to the Prairies. Retrieved March 18, 2018, from https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/10/25/toronto-still-top-choice-for-recent-immigrants-as-more-people-flock-to-the-prairies.html
Surugiu, M, Surugiu, C. (2015). International Trade, Globalization and Economic Interdependence between European Countries: Implications for Businesses and Marketing Framework. Procedia Economics and Finance, 131-138.
Essay: The essay is around 2000 words (max 2100 – min 1900, bibliography, in-text citations, footnotes, headings, tables, and title page included) and must be double-spaced. ANY ASSIGNMENT THAT DOES NOT RESPECT THE WORD LIMIT WILL INCUR A 20% DEDUCTION. Use 12-size font. Number the pages.
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