The St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP) is a community‑driven collaborative working to build welcoming, caring, and affirming environments for immigrants and newcomers across St. Thomas and Elgin County.
Guided by our Community Plan 2025-2028, STELIP brings together partners across sectors to address systemic barriers, strengthen local systems, and foster belonging. Our work is grounded in affirmation, collaboration, empowerment, and sustainability, recognizing the dignity, strengths, and contributions of newcomers and immigrants, and the shared responsibility of the broader community.
Through strategic planning, community engagement, and cross‑sector collaboration, STELIP supports lasting change so all people can feel connected, supported, and at home.
Our Vision
St. Thomas and Elgin County are welcoming, caring, and affirming communities that uplift the dignity, strengths, and contributions of culturally diverse newcomers and immigrants. By addressing systemic barriers and fostering equity, our community grows together in belonging so everyone can feel at home.
Our Principles
STELIP’s work is guided by four core principles that shape how partnerships are built and how community planning happens:
Affirmation
Centring the voices of newcomers and immigrants in decision‑making and community‑building, and creating spaces where people feel safe, proud, and valued.
Collaboration
Working across public, private, and non‑profit sectors, communities, and cultures to co‑create solutions grounded in shared responsibility and collective care.
Empowerment
Supporting newcomers in exercising agency, shaping their own journeys, and contributing meaningfully to community life.
Sustainability
Strengthening systems, relationships, and practices that are equitable, resilient, and responsive to evolving community needs.
Our Priorities
STELIP’s Community Plan 2025-2028 focuses on three interconnected priorities:
Build
Supporting early settlement by improving access to services, employment pathways, health care, housing, language learning, and culturally affirming supports.
Connect
Fostering meaningful connections between newcomers and the broader community through education, engagement, employer partnerships, and inclusive community spaces.
Transform
Advancing systemic and institutional change to address barriers and promote equity across policies, practices, and community systems.
Our Goal
Within five years of arrival, 80% of newcomers report feeling supported, connected, and engaged in community life, recognizing that integration timelines vary and that progress depends on equitable systems and collaborative community action.
Learn more:
Community Plan 2025-2028 (Full Report)
Community Plan 2025-2028 (Overview Slides)
Action Plan 2025: What We Will Do Together
Our Action Plan 2025 outlines how STELIP and community partners are putting the Community Plan into practice across St. Thomas and Elgin County. Rooted in the priorities of Build, Connect, and Transform, it highlights shared actions, examples of progress, and how partners track impact through the year.
Visual Identity Update
STELIP has introduced a new logo as part of an updated visual identity. During a transition period, you may see both the previous and new logos across our website, documents, and partner materials. This change reflects continued growth while maintaining our commitment to collaboration, belonging, and equity.
