New Comers to Ajax

As the child of immigrant parents, I know what obstacles my mother and father faced – a new country, a new language , the challenges of finding employment and finding their way through a maze of social obstacles – those things we take for granted.

For example, who do we turn to for advice on finding work - and, if we find work, how do we get there?

Ajax, to its credit, does a pretty good job in providing orientation assistance to newcomers looking to start a new life in Canada.

One of the most important services available to newcomers to Ajax – and to Canada, for that matter - is the Community Development Council of Durham (CDCD).

CDCD has different programs that cater to the needs of immigrants like language instruction; helping new residents adapt to life in Ajax and employment counselling; introductions to youth programs, transportation and community services, and; services to assist in dealing with municipal, provincial and federal agencies.

CDCD can be contacted by telephone at 905-686-2661 and additional information on their range of services can be found on their website at http://www.cdcd.org/

The Town of Ajax also provides a translation line service in Portuguese, Tamil, Arabic, Dari, Tagalog, Hindi, Farsi, Spanish, Mandarin and Urdu.

It can be accessed at 905-427-8811. The Town’s website, in my opinion, is one of the best municipal sites in Canada. It can be found at http://www.townofajax.com/

If you know of someone who needs assistance settling into life in Ajax, please let them know these services are available to them.