For immediate release

June 14, 2012

Kwantlen to host national conference on refugee resettlement in Canada

(Metro Vancouver, BC) – Kwantlen Polytechnic University will be hosting a national conference - Canada and Refugee Resettlement: Research and Innovation for the 21st Century from June 20-22, 2012. The event, co-sponsored with Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia, and the Centre for Refugee Studies at York, will take place at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond, BC.

An expected 350 academics, policy analysts, policy makers and service delivery practitioners will be attending the conference to discuss innovative best practices and approaches for Canada's refugee resettlement system. Among the 30 topics that will be discussed during the three day conference are:resettlement or repatriation: an on-going dilemma

• culture and psychiatry: mental health issues
• health and successful models in health provision
• refugee women and oppression of women as related to refugee status
• needs and adjustment of refugee children and youth, including unaccompanied minors
• refugee claimants and issues of identification and security
• environmental crisis and refugees not covered by the UN convention on refugees
• addressing treatment needs of survivors of torture and trauma
• Bill C-31 and effects on Roma and other refugee claimants

World-renowned for their contributions to refugee laws and resettlement, four keynote speakers will be taking the spotlight: Paris Aristotle, chair, minister's council on asylum seekers and detention; James C. Hathaway, director, program in refugee and asylum law, University of Michigan; Dr. Judith Kumin, formerly UNHCR's director for Europe; and Debra Presse, director, resettlement, citizenship and immigration Canada.

As part of an international humanitarian program, Canada continues to provide asylum and resettlement for refugees. Approximately 20,000 refugees come to Canada each year, which represents less than 10% of the total immigration into Canada.

For more information please email professor Erling Christensen at Erling.Christensen@kwantlen.ca.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts and science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 17,500 students annually have a choice from over 200 programs, including bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations.

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For more information about Kwantlen, contact:
Joanne Saunders
Director, Marketing and Communications
Tel: 604.599.2243
joanne.saunders@kwantlen.ca