By Sandi Krasowski | The Chronicle-Journal
Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce president Charla Robinson says the Ontario government’s next budget must address Ontario’s productivity gap, and that immigration can help.
Robinson outlined key issues of concern earlier this month in a deputation to Dave Smith, parliamentary assistant to the minister of finance and Kevin Holland, associate minister of forestry, during a pre-budget discussion.
She noted the business community continues to grapple with economic uncertainty and the government should focus on measures that both support immediate growth and lay the groundwork for sustainable long-term investments. Among the topics discussed, immigration to address labour shortages was at the top if the list. Due to a demographic shift and a population decline in Northern Ontario, at least 100,000 newcomers are needed by 2041 to sustain current population levels and labour needs.
Last week the new Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot was launched by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development awarding Thunder Bay up to 200 nominations through the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) employer job offer stream.
On Monday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the cutting of 3,300 jobs in the next three years and “significant reductions” in the department’s term workforce. Madeline Dennhardt, marketing and communications co-ordinator with the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) said the IRCC cuts will unlikely impact the new REDI pilot.
“Thunder Bay receiving an allocation of 200 spots through this immigration pathway is a new development for our community, and we are excited about the opportunities it brings,” Dennhardt told The Chronicle-Journal
As the Chamber and the CEDC wait for the federal government to move forward with the second phase of the Rural Northern Immigration Pilot, of which the REDI pilot is a branch, 22,000 immigration spots have been allocated to Ontario.
“We’ve been advocating for the federal government to allocate 3,000 of that Ontario portion for Northern Ontario communities,” Robinson said. “Otherwise, with immigration, 90 per cent of it ends up in Toronto and the GTA, and northern communities don’t get the people that they need.
“The 200 allocated spots for Thunder Bay, for this one-year pilot, is the government’s way to ‘feel out,’ how these allocations could work,” she said, adding they will continue to push for the 3,000 spots.
“This is a step in the right direction. The government is hearing our concerns and is setting aside some of those Ontario designated spots for Northern Ontario.”
She said it’s always a learning process when you make a significant change to things but this is the way to work through how specifically an allocation like this would work for Northern Ontario with this Thunder Bay program.
Thunder Bay is the only Northern Ontario location that was chosen.
