From ‘There’ to ‘Here’: An investigation of the initial settlement experiences of Ethiopian and Somali refugees in Toronto

Very little research exists on the resettlement of refugees in Canada. This is particularly so in the case of refugees from African countries, albeit there are significant numbers of them in Canada. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, this paper contributes to the scanty geographical literature on refugee research by examining the initial settlement needs and experiences of Ethiopian and Somali refugees in Toronto. Analysis suggests that most Ethiopians and Somalis encounter considerable difficulties during the initial stages of resettlement in Canada. They face social exclusion and multiple forms of disadvantage including high unemployment, underemployment, and overcrowding, as well as frustrations and despair that sometimes result in suicidal behaviours, particularly among the young males. Host language incompetence and recency of immigration are some explanatory factors, but it is clear that systems of institutional and everyday racism have created very formidable barriers for Ethiopians and Somalis as they integrate into their new country. For Ethiopian and Somali newcomers settling in Toronto, information on (initial) settlement assistance tends to come from sources other than the government. Majority of respondents obtained such information through their personal network of friends, family, and compatriots. Ethnic origin does not discriminate between Ethiopian and Somali refugees in regard to the difficulties they face in Toronto, in that it does not show any statistically significant relationship with almost all the variables examined in the study. Understanding how refugees attempt to reconstruct their social geographies in the most multicultural and cosmopolitan Canadian city will contribute to a better understanding of their settlement needs and assist in the provision of higher quality services and programmes, besides informing policy decision-making on immigration and settlement in Canada. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.