Attractive settlement

A new immigration marketing campaign hopes to showcase the Northwest as a viable destination over the larger urban centres that are traditionally favoured by foreign newcomers.
With that in mind, the Immigration Northwestern Ontario website focused its marketing strategy on recruiting immigrants from India, the Philippians, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. Stephanie Ash, a member of the co-ordinating committee for the Immigration Northwestern Ontario website, said they were focusing on those countries because they already had most of its immigrants coming to Canada.

"These people already want to move to Canada," Ash said on Wednesday, adding that now the immigration committee hopes to attract even more people from those countries.

Traditionally, immigrants who come to Canada move to larger cities such as Toronto or Vancouver. The goal is to keep those immigrants in the Northwest, especially those trained as doctors or other specialists.

The website’s strategy caught the attention of some British newspapers.

The Daily Telegraph in the United Kingdom reported that the region had an urgent need for professionals, particularly in the health-care, science and technology sectors, as well as graduates and entrepreneurs. The Telegraph also reported that the marketing campaign is planned to run across major cities in Britain over the next few months.

Ash said that each marketing campaign is slightly different depending on what country they were trying to recruit. The marketing strategy for the United Kingdom highlighted the better quality of life aspects of the North, including affordable housing, no long-distance commuting and the natural landscape.

Statistics Canada’s 2006 Census showed 725 people immigrated to Thunder Bay between 2001 and 2006.

Ash emigrated herself from Britain to Canada in 2001 and was able to start her own business, Firedog Communications.

She said she wouldn’t have been able to afford to start a business or purchase a home if she still lived in the UK. It was the affordability and life style that also attracted her parents to come to Canada, she said.

"What we’re trying to do is encourage potential immigrants to go to our website and learn more about living, working and doing business and playing in northwestern Ontario communities," she said. "We have a great quality of life and lots to offer. We need more doctors, we need more health care professionals and we’re looking for interested people to move into our communities. It’s about renewing northwestern Ontario’s communities."

The immigration website launched in March and available in 11 languages from Italian to Hindi.