Here’s an initiative that governments can learn from. Dubbed as “the Facebook of Canadian immigration,” Loon Lounge is an interesting citizen-led initiative where new and potential immigrants can gather, meet people, learn about life in Canada, ask questions, and share experiences and advice with people in different countries.  The social networking site also offers job search, salary information, facts about Canada and citizenship, a settlement plan, and other resources new immigrants.

I think it’s a great initiative for helping to welcome and acclimatize new residents to our country. To date, the social network has attracted 15,000 people from 191 countries.  David Cohen, founder of Loon Lounge was quoted in the Toronto Star as saying, “I know our government means well, but their efforts are, well, oafish.  The government can’t afford to answer one-on-one questions, they can’t help an engineer in Norway find someone in Toronto who can answer his question or tell someone in Greece where to find Toronto’s Greek neighbourhood.”