The Centre for Newcomer Integration (CNI) is introducing RED Talks — a new, student-focused event that helps learners build confidence using English in real-world settings. 

RED Talks features short, live presentations followed by small-group discussions. The event introduces students to content-based, lecture-style learning in an interactive environment where they can share ideas, explore new perspectives, and connect through meaningful communication. 

Event Details 

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM 
Location: Dining Hall, Exchange District Campus (160 Princess St.) 
Cost: Free for CNI students and staff 

Thrive Week is aimed at cultivating an environment of support that provides a sense of well-being, belonging, and connectedness for students and employees. 

During Thrive Week, members of the RRC Polytech community will discover simple, everyday ways to care for their mental health and feel their best — at school, at work, and beyond.

Activities, hosted by Campus Well-Being and the Students’ Association, include:

·       Feast and Friends: Forge new social connections with guided conversation over a shared meal

·       DIY Fidget Making: Learn basic woodworking techniques crafting your own custom fidget – a simple tool that helps with focus and stress relief

·       The Amazing Race: Experience teamwork and physical activity while competing in six fun-filled mini games

·       FortWhyte Alive Wellness Walk

·       Mini Massages

·       Pop Up Cat Café

·       Mini Golf

·       Library Puzzles and Colouring Stations

Folks can register here to save a spot in many of the events. 

The Connection Spot – Where campus meets community

North Forge is visiting CNI!

• Date: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
• Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Location: Outside the CNI Office, 2nd Floor – Manitou a bi Bii daziigae building

North Forge is Canada’s only startup incubator, accelerator, and fabrication lab, dedicated to fueling Manitoba’s innovation economy. They support science-based, technology-enabled, and advanced manufacturing startups from ideation to funding. Their facilities include one of North America’s largest publicly accessible fabrication labs (FabLab™), offering cutting-edge tools and technologies to bring ideas to life. Through their comprehensive programs, North Forge provides entrepreneurs with mentorship, resources, and a community to help transform their ideas into successful businesses.

Explore all that North Forge has to offer by visiting their website North Forge | Canada’s Only Startup Incubator & Fabrication Lab to discover how you can be part of Manitoba’s growing innovation ecosystem.

The Connection Spot – Where campus meets community

Immigrant Centre Manitoba (ICM) is visiting CNI!

• Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
• Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM & 5:30 – 7:30 PM
• Location: Outside the CNI Office, 2nd Floor – Manitou a bi Bii daziigae building

Immigrant Centre Manitoba (ICM) is a trusted newcomer-serving organization helping individuals and families settle, integrate, and thrive in Manitoba. They offer free services including settlement support, employment guidance, language and community programs, and personalized newcomer plans. Each year, ICM connects thousands of newcomers with the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Come meet the team, get your questions answered, and discover how ICM can support your settlement journey in Manitoba!

Further information about Immigrant Centre Manitoba can be found on their official website: www.icmanitoba.com

The Connection Spot – Where campus meets community

Resilia Community Wellness Centre is visiting CNI

• Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
• Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Location: Outside the CNI Office, 2nd Floor – Manitou a bi Bii daziigae building

Resilia is a Winnipeg-based non-profit offering culturally responsive, inclusive, and trauma-informed mental health and wellness services—especially for vulnerable and isolated individuals, couples, and families.

Stop by their booth to learn more, ask questions, and connect directly with their team. Don’t miss this opportunity to access support and resources designed with your wellbeing in mind!

For additional details about Resilia and their services, please visit their official website: www.resiliacentre.ca

This week at The Connection Spot – Where campus meets community

Manitoba Start is visiting CNI

• Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025
• Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Location: Outside the CNI Office, 2nd Floor – Manitou a bi Bii daziigae building

Manitoba Start is the first stop for newcomers in Manitoba, offering free career development, employment preparation, and credential support. Each year, they help thousands of newcomers connect with opportunities, while also working with employers to build inclusive workplaces. Their services are available to all newcomers, including refugees, permanent residents, Canadian citizens, and international students—ensuring that everyone has access to the tools and support they need to succeed.

In preparation for their visit, you can find additional information and resources www.manitobastart.com Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with Manitoba Start and explore the supports available to newcomers through their programs and services.

CNI proudly shares the inspiring story captured in this video, documenting Manitoba’s inaugural Immigrant Business Expo. It brought together newcomer entrepreneurs, support agencies, financial institutions, mentors, and community partners — all united by one goal: empowering newcomers to build and grow their own businesses.

By offering culturally responsive support, from legal and accounting advice to mentorship and networking, the Expo moved beyond being a showcase. It became a launchpad, helping immigrants navigate systemic challenges, forge real connections, and gain momentum for their ventures.

At CNI, we believe in replicating this model: amplifying voices, bridging gaps, and creating ecosystems where newcomer businesses thrive. Let’s build more opportunities — together.

📽️ Watch the journey in the video above.

The Connection Spot – Where campus meets community

CancerCare Manitoba is visiting Centre for Newcomer Integration!

• Date: Tuesday, October 7th, 2025
• Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Location: Outside the Centre for Newcomer Integration office, 2nd floor – Manitou a bi Bii daziigae building, 319 Elgin Ave.

CancerCare Manitoba is the provincial agency responsible for cancer control in Manitoba. They provide comprehensive cancer services including clinical care, support programs, and research to all Manitobans. Their mission is to reduce the impact of cancer through prevention, early detection, and treatment, focusing on patient-centered care and community engagement.

Students and staff are invited to stop by the CancerCare booth to learn more, ask questions, and connect directly with their team. Don’t miss this chance to access vital resources and support designed to help you and your loved ones!

Thanks to the generous support of BMO, the Centre for Newcomer Integration (CNI) at RRC Polytech continues to be a place where newcomers can build not just their language skills, but their understanding of what it means to live and contribute on Treaty One Territory, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. 

On Truth and Reconciliation Day, we reflect on the histories, stories, and experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. For many newcomers, this journey of learning begins with questions: about residential schools, about the land, about the responsibilities we all share when we live here. CNI helps create space for these conversations, rooted in curiosity, care, and connection. 

Throughout the year, CNI offers opportunities to learn about Indigenous history, rights, and worldviews. These include classroom discussions, cultural presentations, and special events that help students reflect on their role in reconciliation.  

This year, Craig Fisher, Program Facilitator with the School of Indigenous Education at RRC Polytech, visited CNI to share his presentation We Are All Connected: Learning to Live as Relatives Through Water, Land and Kinship. His message invited students and staff to think about how reconciliation is not just a concept, but a practice; one that begins with listening, learning, and building respectful relationships. 

For many students at CNI, those words hold personal meaning. Many of them are also rebuilding their lives and finding new communities in Canada. Truth and Reconciliation Day reminds us that while our experiences are different, our futures are intertwined. 

We invite all students, staff, and community members to take time this week to learn more, ask questions, and reflect on what reconciliation means in your own life. Whether you attend a community event, read a survivor’s story, or speak with someone from a different background, every step taken in the spirit of reconciliation matters. 

As Welcoming Week 2025 draws to a close, I want to pause and reflect on the connections made, the stories shared, and the sense of community built over this past week. Community is not just a place, it is people caring for each other. It has been inspiring and humbling to meet new students and learn about their journeys and plans for the future. The courage, determination, and openness of newcomers remind us all why welcoming matters.