Prince George will welcome its seventh Syrian family later this month, joining about 1,000 refugees expected to arrive in B.C. by the end of this year.
"We have received a call that we're expecting one family as of now but then there might be more to follow," said Sharon Pannu, a settlement practitioner with the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society.
The family of five - a couple with three young children - will be sponsored by the government like four other families in Prince George and will bring the city's total newcomers to about 41. The first two families to arrive in Prince George were privately sponsored.
It's been a good couple weeks, said Pannu, with Prince George's first Canadian-born Syrian a couple weeks ago.
"It was very exciting," she said.
Jobs Minister Shirley Bond was optimistic things will go more smoothly than when about 2,000 refugees were welcomed earlier this year, but the exact number is still being worked out, The Canadian Press reported.
Pannu hopes the start of the new school year will be better for the the families now settled in Prince George, with time off to adjust to a new system. When the families came earlier this year, their children started school soon after their arrival.
"Some of these children have not even been in schools in their own country," said Pannu, so it takes time to adjust to the Canadian school system.
Many come from a rural background and aren't used to the kind of structure expected at School District 57 schools, but IMSS has arranged meetings with principals, parents, and counsellors to help ease that transition.
"The families of course the language is the biggest barrier. Being large families with young children there are certain issues they are facing right now, (like) settling in the schools."
IMSS is planning a workshop Thursday for families to help them understand what to expect in B.C. schools.
"They are starting to feel more settled now," she said, adding the workshops will help inform "what they can do in order to hold on to their roots but still integrate into the culture here."
