New immigration pilot in works after past success

THUNDER BAY -- The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot facilitated by the federal government and delivered locally through the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) has come to an end as of Aug. 31.

The program saw more than 1,200 people choose Thunder Bay as their home, contributing to the region's workforce.

Jamie Taylor, chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay CEDC, said the immigration pilot program has positively impacted Thunder Bay and its surrounding areas by "providing crucial support to employers and facilitating new beginnings for hundreds of individuals and families."

She said the government recognizes the success of the pilot and is planning to run another five-year pilot as they work on a permanent program.

"We don't have all the details in terms of how different it'll be, but we imagine there'll be some small changes to it," Taylor said.

"But essentially, it will have the same idea in terms of an economic pathway for rural communities," Taylor said.

The Community Economic Development Commission team has onboarded more than 500 eligible employers who welcomed newcomers as new employees. They also issued more than 900 letters of residency recommendation for immigrant workers.

Taylor explained that employers who have met the eligibility criteria and have made a job offer to a candidate are considered eligible employers for the program.
"When a candidate has a permanent job offer from an approved employer, we look at a number of different criteria, and then if they've scored (what is required), we would issue a letter of recommendation," she said. "Then they take that letter of recommendation to the federal government to be able to apply for the permanent residency."

The top three industries supported by the pilot were health care, food services and retail. Taylor said there is a "wide range" of industries that have benefited from the pilot, which also include the mining and security work sectors.

Earlier this week, Thunder Bay city manager John Collin hosted a round table discussion around growing and improving Thunder Bay with more than 100 stakeholders, including the Community Economic Development Commission. One of the focuses was aimed at the importance of immigration and pulling more people from other parts of Canada to work and live in Thunder Bay.

Taylor said she "completely agrees" with Collin's concepts.

"I think immigration is definitely one of the tools that we need to grow our community and that's what the (Community Economic Development Commission) has been focused on," she said.

She added that the development commission is interested in the continued delivery of a similar Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program.

Meanwhile, as the government develops a new five-year immigration pilot, Taylor said, "All we can do is wait."

"We'll just continue to provide information about traditional immigration pathways that (newcomers) are still eligible for," she said.

Sandi Krasowski is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter at the Chronicle-Journal.