Build your future here with ISANS

Last year, ISANS worked with over 17,000 clients to build a future in Nova Scotia. At ISANS, we help you find your pathway to possibility.

Peace by Chocolate

Peace by Chocolate names new bar after the Mi’kmaq word for peace

A Canadian chocolate company founded by Syrian refugee Tareq Hadhad has produced its first chocolate bar — and given it an Indigenous name. Peace by Chocolate of Antigonish revealed Wednesday its new milk chocolate and hazelnut bar is to be called Wantaqo’ti (pronounced Wan-tahk-oo-di), the Mi’kmaq word for peace.

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For this Syrian refugee, proving himself meant business

Immigrant business owner, Khaled Al Hilal, talks to CBC about entrepreneurship, becoming self-sufficient, barriers to employment and how the people of Halifax have supported him.

(Aya Al-Hakim/CBC)

ISANS using literacy app to accelerate refugee children’s English reading skills

By: Aya Al-Hakim, CBC News April 28, 2018. Children from newcomer families are learning to read English letters and words faster by using a literacy app at Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) children’s centres. Squiggle Park is a reading game created by a Halifax start-up in 2015 to help accelerate kids’ reading skills in only 30 minutes of weekly play. The app has been used since February as part of a pilot program sponsored by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.  

Health and Wellness Forum 2018

Health and Healing: Mind, Spirit and Body – Multicultural Health and Wellness Forum 2018

Hundreds turned out for this year’s 10th annual Multicultural Health and Wellness Forum, hosted by (Im)migrant Health and Wellness Network on Thursday, April 26, 2018. This year’s theme was Health…

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Support the ISANS team in the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon Charity Challenge

On your mark. Get set. Go! ISANS is participating in this year’s Blue Nose Marathon Scotiabank Charity Challenge, May 18-20. This year our team is running for the ISANS Refugee…

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Squiggle Park & Early Childhood Education at ISANS

ISANS is known for its extensive list of services for newcomers, including settlement services, language classes, employment counselling and job-readiness programs, support for immigrant business and much more. Our Early…

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Celebrating Our Volunteers: Caroline Blair-Smith

Caroline Blair-Smith has been a mentor to many through our Professional Mentorship Program. She has been volunteering with our Practice Interview Program for more than 10 years and has been…

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Celebrating Our Volunteers: Cindy Hirtle

Cindy Hirtle has been volunteering as an EAL tutor for twenty years! Thank you, Cindy, for your continued commitment to creating a welcoming community and for giving your time and…

Paul MacDonald

Celebrating Our Volunteers: Paul MacDonald

We asked Paul MacDonald, classroom assistant extraordinaire, about the benefits of volunteering. Paul shares some of the reasons you can find him three afternoons a week in a language classroom.…

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Celebrating Our Volunteers: Gillian Power

Gillian Power is a volunteer in our Community Connections program, and has been matched with a family to help them integrate and settle in Halifax. “I retired the same month…