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ABSTRACT
The arrival of Francophone newcomers is placing additional health, social and cultural demands on the FrancoManitoban community. The pressure newcomers exert on local reception services compels, and warrants, the development of new protective strategies for improved community health and social and cultural well-being.
Thoughts expressed by Gbeudi, a newcomer: "I'm African. I spent six months in London before coming here, but it's good here, really well organized. Accueil francophone has been very helpful: they placed me with a Canadian family where I rent a room. People are very nice....I was at an African evening, with people from my country, but you see local white girls at the door selling tickets to get in. It's surprising, but it's good. I came here to see what it's like, to get things ready, and later I will go back and bring my family here to settle."
This article outlines theoretical considerations and preliminary data for a research project undertaken at the request of the research office at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg, with the support of the Corporation Catholique de la Santé du Manitoba. The Corporation's "Étude d'évaluation stratégique sur l'intégration des médecines alternatives à la médecine officielle (2006-2009)" seeks to build the capacities of public medical institutions in view of, among other things, socio-demographic changes caused by the arrival of newcomers. The study, now in progress, is already concerned with the potential clientele for the alternative health services that would be integrated into what is regarded as officiai medicine. Our research project, entitled "Nouveaux arrivants et pathologies émergentes en milieu franco-manitobain: Quelles exigences?" seeks to identify newcomers' implicit (unexpressed) and explicit (known) demands regarding sociocultural and health services available in the Franco-Manitoban host community. The first step involves collecting basic data on migration trends and their multidimensional implications at the community level. This article will, therefore, focus on contrasting local social and health services with the direct and indirect demands of newcomers. It will attempt to identify requirements for community, social and institutional development. The abovementioned theoretical considerations relate to the issues, objectives and approach of our research project. The preliminary data consist of information obtained from Accueil francophone and from several immigrants, such as the excerpt at the beginning of this paper.