Teachers of English as a Second Language Association of Ontario 27 Carlton Street, Suite 405, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1L2 Telephone (416) 593-4243 Fax (416) 593-0164 Email: teslontario@telus.net

February 10th, 2005

Dear Ministers Volpe and Chambers:

I am writing to congratulate you on your joint initiative to strengthen higher-level and job-specific language training for internationally trained newcomers in the province. As you are certainly aware, 59% of all immigrants to Canada settled in Ontario (2001 Census) and 46% of these newcomers spoke neither French nor English (Ministry of Health, Canada). In addition, 25% of Ontario residents speak neither French nor English as their mother tongue (Ministry of Finance, Ontario). Providing funds to improve the language and employment skills of these professionals will certainly enhance their opportunities for employment and ensure that their children will be able to more easily integrate into Canadian society.

In addition to thanking you for this initiative, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to TESL Ontario, the organization that represents nearly 3500 teachers and administrators involved in all aspects of teaching English as a Second Language in Ontario. While a detailed description of our activities lies beyond the scope of this letter, I would like to highlight the most important ones (see attached annual report for 2004). As stated in its Mission Statement, “TESL Ontario provides support and direction to professionals, government bodies and learners involved in English as a Second Language in Ontario.” To achieve these objectives, TESL Ontario:

1. Sponsors an annual conference (supported by your CIC and the Ministry of Education of Ontario) for its members as well as other professionals in fields related to ESL: Settlement, Refugees and Immigration. This year more than 1100 participants attended the conference of which 500 were supported by CIC. Members attending come from all areas and levels: LINC, elementary, secondary, college, university, international and the private sector.

2. Works on behalf of the profession with relevant ministries, school boards and organizations regarding issues of importance to our profession.

3. Produces Contact, an online publication, focusing on research and practice in L2 teaching and learning. It also publishes a Special Research Issue based on the Research Symposium that is part of our annual conference.

4. Partners with other organizations in related fields, CESBA, ERGO, OCISO, CCR, etc. to facilitate the integration of new immigrants into Ontario and Canada.

5. Provides expertise to local, provincial and national government bodies through consultations, representation on committees; e.g., TESL Ontario in cooperation with CIC (Ontario) took the lead in organizing language programs for the Kosovars at different locations in Ontario (Borden, Trenton, Kingston).

6. Certifies teachers involved in LINC, ESL and other adult-based programs in Ontario to ensure that all instructors have the necessary level of expertise to provide learners with a quality learning environment.

In the future, TESL Ontario will continue to offer the above services but we would also like to assure you that you can count on our cooperation and support with regard to issues involving the teaching of ESL to all learners in Ontario. We are certainly appreciative of the support we have received from both your ministries and we hope that it will continue into the future as Canada/Ontario receives increasing numbers of immigrants who require specialized language and professional training.

If you have any questions about TESL Ontario or would like to meet with us, we would be pleased to arrange for a meeting at your convenience. As an organization, we will continue to communicate with you in the future on issues of mutual concern.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Courchêne, Ph.D.
Public Relations and Issues, Chair,
TESL Ontario.