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This episode continues the conversation we had in our previous episode about how the settlement sector has been impacted by the pandemic, taking the time to focus on how service providers have continued to provide critical support in the midst of a pandemic. Amea Wilbur, an Assistant Professor of Adult Education at the University of the Fraser Valley and a UBC Migration affiliate, along with Suzanne Smythe, Associate Professor in Adult Education and Adult Literacy at Simon Fraser University speak with Laura Mannix, Director of Community Development at DIVERSEcity, a community resources society that provides specialized services to support newcomers living in the lower mainland of BC. During their conversation, Amea, Suzanne and Laura discuss everything from digital inequities, gender-based violence, and racialized work to how the pandemic has also brought forth many unexpected positives in community outreach through the adoption of innovative practices--what Suzanne and Amea call 'pandemic pedgagogies'--and the reinvention of existing programmes. They offer glimpses of what a more inclusive, equitable and intentional settlement sector might look like, one that takes a more culturally responsive approach and is borne out of feminist and intersectional insights. Recorded on August 10 on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam people.

What happens when refugees make it across the border and begin to rebuild their lives? In this episode, Dan Hiebert, Professor of Geography at UBC explores the refugee and settlement experience with Saleem Spindari, Senior Manager of Refugees and Migrant Workers Programs at MOSAIC, one of the largest settlement organizations in Canada, and with Dr. Nancy Clark, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria. While Dan talks about the wider world of refugee affairs, Saleem and Nancy provide a more ground-up perspective into the sorts of challenges that refugees face, from questions of public health, housing, employment, and education to how COVID-19 is creating further obstacles for those who work in and rely on the settlement sector. Dan, Nancy, and Saleem share their insights into what could be done to foster greater resilience and success both in the midst of a pandemic, and long thereafter.. Recorded on June 12 on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam people.

In this episode, Dr. Antje Ellermann, Associate Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of UBC Migration speaks with two legal scholars, Dr. Efrat Arbel, Associate Professor in the Allard School of Law, and Dr. Ben Goold, Professor in the Allard School of Law. They discuss how the public health crisis is changing immigration procedures at the US-Canadian border and putting additional strain on the rights of refugees and refugee claimants attempting to enter Canada, as well as on other border crossers whose right to privacy is being challenged. They assess the troubled legacy of the Safe Third Country Agreement signed by the US and Canada, the role of contact tracing apps, immigration detention and why the pandemic raises serious concerns about the place of human rights in Canada and beyond. Recorded on June 9 on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam people.

This episode explores how COVID-19’s impact on global supply chains and precarious labour pools poses an acute risk for Canada and other countries around the globe. Four experts discuss how the pandemic reveals not only the vital work that temporary foreign workers provide for the Canadian economy but the deep inequities in Canada’s occupational health and safety systems. During the episode, Dan Hiebert, UBC Professor Geography, speaks with Aryan Karimi, Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in UBC Sociology, Bethany Hastie, Assistant Professor in the Allard School of Law and Bronwyn Bragg, a PhD Candidate in UBC Geography.

In this episode, two experts, Dr. Randall Martin, Executive Director of the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) and Sandra Schinnerl, PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a UBC Migration Researcher, discuss how the closing of international borders, the rapidly evolving immigration policies that accompany them and the rapid transition to online learning is likely to leave an enduring mark on the world of international education. During this freeform conversation, Randall and Sandra also assess the role of international students in the Canadian economy and the future of an open order that is under threat.