Summary of the main points generated from the consultation meeting from the perspective of
immigrant stakeholders (academic, health providers, and settlement service providers).
Issues and trends Proposed solutions
Immigrants as a heterogeneous socio-cultural
group have varying risks for substance use
based on socio-cultural and pre- and
post-immigration experiences.
• Understand the risk profile for each
community
• Identify and involve the community leaders
and opinion shapers for each ethnic group
address associated with substance use in the
community.
• Create awareness about the impact of
substance use on family and community
• Build capacity for community leaders to
drive substance use interventions.
• Support systems for parents to build
capacity, especially for community
organizations to support families struggling
with addiction.
• When discussing a sensitive topic such as
substance use and addiction in the
community, it should be handled with
sensitivity due to cultural dynamics.
• Conversations about substance use
should not be judgmental and should focus
on the positives to prevent alienating the
affected community.
Substance use among immigrants is a family
problem (men are reported to abuse alcohol
more than women; youth believe alcohol and
marijuana use is expected in Canada).
• Create culturally safe support groups
separated by gender
• Family oriented approach to be applied in
substance use prevention and treatment
interventions
• Help families identify and navigate risk
factors for SUD-stress, mental health issues,
acculturation.
• Educate families on early signs of
substance use
• Build capacity for families to engage with
loved ones on substance use issues
Lack of knowledge of substance use and
addiction, its risks, and impacts are a major
concern
• Create addiction content in the settlement
services provided, such as English lessons
• Engage settlement workers that have a
pre-existing relationship with the communities
in addressing substance use issues with the
respective community
• Organize knowledge-sharing events such
as workshops on stigma reduction
• Include substance use content for all 

immigrants seeking services from the
settlement agencies
• Amplify substance use and addiction
problems immigrants have given the lack of
race-based data on addiction.
Religious and cultural expectations of
substance use disorders create barriers to
care and cause stigma and shame
• Engage faith-based organizations affiliated
with the target community in substance use
prevention interventions
• Build capacity among ethnic leaders to be
actively involved in the community process
• Recruit trusted community leaders to
provide support to those affected by addiction
• Engaged people with lived experience in
the community
• Make the community take ownership of
the substance use prevention interventions
Lack of specific programs to address
substance use and addiction among
immigrants
• Conduct an environmental scan to explore
how other jurisdictions support immigrant
parents’ substance use treatment.
• Encourage health care providers to screen
for substance use risks and disorders
• Use existing resources such as detox and
pain clinics to increase access, such as
HIPPIE
• Create space for affected individuals to
engage and support each other.
• Provide access to timely youth counseling
• Seek federal funding to create programs
for substance use prevention among
immigrants 