Cracks In The Canadian Mosaic?

"The number of ethnic enclaves...has exploded in Canada. In 1981, there were only six in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. By 2001, there were 254, according to a study by Statistics Canada, which defines ethnic enclaves as communities with 30 per cent of the population from one visible minority group.

Some neighbourhoods are low-income, underscoring the reality that visible minority families make up three-quarters of the country's poor. In a way, they mirror earlier waves of immigrants, such as Jews and Italians, who congregated in ethnic enclaves out of economic necessity and cultural identity long before anyone had ever heard of multiculturalism policies.

Today, Canada seeks out immigrants with more money and earning power, and many bypass inner-city neighbourhoods and head straight for the suburbs. There, in expanding and well-heeled communities, they either buy houses or rent basement suites in the homes of other newcomers.

The change over the past 15 years has been dramatic, with the three largest visible minority groups -- Chinese, South Asians and blacks -- experiencing a marked increase in their residential concentration, according to [Statistics Canada].

What are the long-term consequences of this explosion in ethnic enclaves? Does self-isolation impede integration? Will the children of these immigrants eventually blend into Canadian society like previous generations, or will their status as visible minorities block their progress no matter where they live?

Mostly, it's too early to tell. But one thing is already clear: Multiculturalism isn't working that well for visible-minority newcomers."