Dawson Creek to send letter of support to Literacy Society

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – Council has accepted the Dawson Creek Literacy Society (DCLS) solicitation for a letter of support towards their settlement services.

The request was sent via a letter to council and was acknowledged in Monday’s meeting. After review, the request was put forward by council members. 

The organization works in partnership with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs through the immigration policy and integration branch.

Settlement services deliver assistance to newcomers in Dawson Creek by providing support in application forms, Canadian life skills, cultural diversity, English classes, anti-racism workshops and more.

Executive Director of the DCLS, Caitlyn Triebel, wrote the letter to council.

“I would like to request a letter of support on behalf of the Dawson Creek Literacy Society regarding our settlement services and support to Newcomers to Canada,” wrote Triebel.

“The Lake View Learning Centre assists more than 600 individuals per year with settlement services as we are one of the busiest centres in Northeast BC.”

Triebel said the letter of support would help to renew their settlement services contract with the provincial government.

“We want to show that we have the support from our city to do the services that we do, and we’re in the process of applying for a renewed contract with the B.C. government, which adds strength to our application,” said Triebel.

She said the settlement program had approximately 600 clients in 2022, with numbers continuing to rise this year.

“It’s hard to say until the end of the year, but it seems to be increasing. There’s lots of international students, and people are still coming from Ukraine,” said Triebel.

The Lake View Learning Centre provides various services for locals, but settlement services are usually only for newcomers. 

Triebel stated newcomers can face multiple challenges adjusting to the way of life in Canada. 

“Weather is a huge one for us up in the north here, so we have lots of people who are anxious to know about how to survive the winter and winter driving. There’s also a lot of scams that target international students and newcomers, like identity theft,” said Triebel.

“The English language is also tough for some people. When they come here to study, they usually pass an English test. However, if they’re bringing their family members, they don’t necessarily know English.”

The Dawson Creek Literacy Society was founded 32 years ago and operates the Lake View Learning Centre. 

For more information, visit Lake View Learning Centre’s website.