Mixed blessings and missed opportunities : Intercase study on inclusion and exclusion of Ottawa's visible and ethnic minority residents

The data in this report provides a baseline portrait of the level of inclusion and exclusion of visible and ethnic minority residents in key areas. [...] Much of the social capital of the community is within the family and community, extending to family and friends around the world (the Diaspora). [...] Of particular concern was the inadequacy of ESL and FSL for the individual needs of students or for effective workforce integration, the weak supports for learning a second official language for adults in the workforce, and the fact that the burden of skills retraining or upgrading education (in relation to foreign acquired credentials) rests primarily with the individual. [...] The importance of safety issues for participants points to the significance of a community based safety and crime agenda in meeting the aspirations of participants and as a potential point of meaningful civic engagement. [...] For six visible minority groups in Ottawa, over 50% of their members live in high poverty or very high poverty neighbourhoods, specifically 66.7% of the Black group, 62.2% of the Latin American group, 61.8% of the Southeast Asian group, 61.5% of the Arab group, 60.7% of the West Asian group and 56.1% of the Chinese group.