Canada ranks in the top 10 in terms of numbers arriving, when it comes to countries that receive immigrants and refugees on an annual basis. BC and, in particular, Vancouver and the urban areas that surround it, receive the second highest numbers of such “new Canadians” in Canada.
One direct result of this is that English as an additional language learners, called English Language Learners or ELLs in BC public schools, are rapidly increasing. In fact, these learners now constitute the majority in most of the larger urban school districts, and their numbers are increasing significantly in more and more areas of the province. It is, therefore, critical that we support these new learners – our future citizens and taxpayers – as effectively as possible.
