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. 

Welcoming Week is a time to recognize the important role newcomers play in building stronger communities. Powerland Computers and RRC Polytech’s Centre for Newcomer Integration (CNI) have developed a strong partnership rooted in a shared commitment to supporting newcomers as they transition into the Canadian workforce. By welcoming newcomers and creating opportunities to put their skills and talents to use, both organizations are helping to build a stronger Manitoba. What began as a mutual interest in creating meaningful opportunities has grown into a multifaceted collaboration.

Welcoming Week is a time to celebrate the resilience and achievements of newcomers in our community, and the story of CNI student Suman Rajput is a perfect example. Her journey reflects the determination, courage and support that make it possible for newcomers to build confidence and pursue their goals in Canada. 

Suman Rajput, a student at RRC Polytech’s Centre for Newcomer Integration (CNI), was recently recognized with the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) Assistive Technology Award. The annual award provides $1,000 to a student registered with Student Accessibility Services or Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services to support their academic success through technology. 

Welcoming Week is here, and as part of the celebration, we are reflecting on some of the ways that CNI creates meaningful experiences that help newcomers feel welcome in Manitoba. At RRC Polytech’s Centre for Newcomer Integration (CNI), welcoming newcomers is about more than starting classes. It is about creating meaningful experiences that help students build connections, settle into the community, and feel supported in their new lives in Manitoba. 

Throughout the year, CNI organizes and participates in events that reflect this commitment. The Book Exchange, for example, invites students to share and discover books in English and other languages. This activity not only encourages learning, it also highlights the diverse backgrounds and stories that make up the CNI community. 

Welcoming Week is a time to celebrate the contributions newcomers make to our communities and to highlight the ways organizations across Manitoba work together to build inclusive spaces. At RRC Polytech’s Centre for Newcomer Integration (CNI), this commitment extends beyond the classroom and into workplaces across the province. One example is CNI’s recent collaboration with Shared Health Diagnostic Services, where tailored workshops helped healthcare employees strengthen communication skills, build confidence, and support diverse teams. 

In response to rising demands and staffing pressures, Shared Health Diagnostic Services partnered with RRC Polytech’s Centre for Newcomer Integration (CNI) to enhance communication skills among frontline staff. Since fall 2023, more than 140 employees have participated in a customized workshop series designed to address real communication needs in Manitoba’s healthcare environments. 

A personal reflection by Craig Fisher, Indigenous Education, RRC Polytech 

The knowledge I carry came not from studying connection 
but from living as the hyphen between worlds— 
from understanding that relation survives every attempt at division. 

Here, together, we make these relations visible again. 

As Welcome Week begins, I want to share a story about what it means to live as relatives—not just with each other, but with the land and water that sustain us all.