[Updated on April 4, 2022: Opening Hours for Woodside Square LINC Centre Revised]
TORONTO, March 17, 2022 — The Centre for Immigrant and Community Services (CICS) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the Grand Opening of its relocated Woodside Square LINC Centre in Scarborough.
Toronto City Councillor Cynthia Lai, CICS Executive Director Alfred Lam and CICS Chair of the Board of Directors Mercy Yan were in attendance.
“The new Woodside Square LINC Centre now celebrates its opening amid the improved COVID-19 situation,” said Alfred Lam. “It is a significant part of CICS’ plan to fully reopen in-person services to the community. We believe it is essential for immigrants to be able to walk through our doors and get in-person support.”
Since 1992, CICS has offered English language courses through the federally-funded Language Instruction For Newcomers To Canada (LINC) program to help immigrants integrate into Canadian society. Over the last three years, CICS has provided over 27,000 hours of LINC classes.
To meet the community’s evolving needs, the Woodside Square LINC Centre is now relocated from the second floor of the shopping mall to the first floor near the entrance, enhancing the visibility and accessibility of the location. The new 3,400-square-foot site is fully funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and features three language classrooms, a childminding room and a settlement services counselling room.
In the future, the Woodside Square LINC Centre will expand its services to include mental health services, after-school youth activities and tutoring programs to become an accessible hub of information and services. The centre is expected to serve nearly 300 clients every day.
With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, CICS has reopened three of its service locations (Immigrant Resource Centre, Toronto Integrated Service Centre and Markham South Welcome Centre) on March 1. The remaining locations will also open their doors later.
Mercy Yan, CICS Chair of the Board of Directors (left), Toronto City Councillor Cynthia Lai (centre) and CICS Executive Director Alfred Lam (right) attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Woodside Square LINC Centre.
Toronto City Councillor Cynthia Lai took a group photo with the CICS staff after the opening ceremony.
Staff set up booths at the Woodside Square LINC Centre to introduce CICS services to the public.
About Woodside Square LINC Centre
Address: 1571 Sandhurst Circle, Unit 414, Toronto, ON M1V 1V2 (next to TD Bank)
Telephone: 416-292-6558
Opening hours:
(March 22 to March 31) Tue and Thur, 9 am – 5 pm
(From April) Mon to Fri, 9 am – 5 pm
About Centre for Immigrant and Community Services (CICS)
Founded in 1968, the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services (CICS) is a not-for-profit organization and a registered charity that provides core settlement and integration services at eight locations across Toronto and York Region, serving more than 20,000 clients every year. CICS offers early years, children and youth, family and seniors, employment, language training and settlement services, as well as volunteer and community food programs. Learn more at CICS’ website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.