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People and Culture

English & French Speaking

As Canada is considered a bilingual (English and French) country, approximately 95% of individuals living in Newfoundland and Labrador speak English as their primarily language.  In this Province, French speaking individuals are mainly located in the Port-au-Port Peninsula regions on the West coast of the island. The English spoke in Newfoundland and Labrador contains features that originate from the British Isles in southwestern England and southeastern Ireland (Association for New Canadians Newfoundland and Labrador). 

According to the 2006 Grand Falls-Windsor Community Profile, released by Statistics Canada, approximately 13,130 individuals (from population of 13,385) speak only the English language while 30 individuals speak just French. The profile revealed that 10 individuals speak both English and French.    

A brief 2008 survey, conducted by an Immigration Researcher hired by the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor, demonstrated current immigrants could speak various languages including English, Chinese, Afghanistan (Pashto & Dari), French, Spanish, Hindi (Devanagari), Malayazam, Urdu, Creole, Somali, Greek, Lebanese, Ilocano and Tagalog. The following represents the languages spoken by immigrants in Grand Falls Windsor:

Current Immigrants

Immigration is an important element of population growth in Canada. It is estimated that by the year 2030, 100 percent of Canada’s population growth will be attributed to immigration (Labour Market Development Division).  According to the Atlantic Business Magazine, by 2026 the growth of the Canadian population will be dependent on the number of arriving immigrants (Bruce).

In 2003, the four Atlantic Provinces attracted 2,650 immigrants to the region. These immigrants offer various skills and diversity, including entrepreneurial skills to start businesses in Atlantic Canada. According to data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, between the years of 1998 and 2003, there were 2,401 immigrants that came to our province Newfoundland and Labrador (Labour Market Development Division).  

In 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin stated that “Canada needs more immigrants, plain and simple, and we need them to succeed. Too often, today’s new Canadians, despite higher levels of education on average, are not achieving economic success as quickly as in previous generations. 

How Immigrants Heard about Grand Falls-Windsor

According to the results of a 2008 Immigration Survey, that was completed by 25 individuals, the following are some of the ways in which residing immigrants heard about Grand Falls-Windsor:

Friends already living here

Family

Colleagues

Completed Post-Graduate Training in Grand Falls-Windsor

Employment Advertisement

Previous Business Owner

Was taking a drive through Newfoundland

Through some friends who are physicians

Deciding to Stay in Grand Falls-Windsor

A 2008 residential survey was conducted by an Immigration Researcher for The Town of Grand Falls-Windsor. Results indicated several reasons why immigrants have decided to stay in Grand Falls-Windsor:

Employment

Grew up here, married here and now raising family

Satisfying Work Environment

Friendly People

For Business

Parents live in Grand Falls-Windsor

Got Married

Nice and Quiet Place to Stay

Small Friendly Community

Great place to raise children

The Location