Esther Njuguna,
Outreach Worker for Build ON
Canada is a country well-known for accepting high numbers of immigrants. However, the government of Canada noted that the immigration systems were set up in such a way that vast majority of new immigrants were choosing to live in major cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a result, small cities and rural areas were not benefiting from the economic immigration programs.
In 2019, the government of Canada launched The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot designed to bring immigrants to smaller communities and since then, we have seen more small cities and rural towns in Canada with aging population and labour shortages come up with new ways to attract and retain new immigrants. Some of the most successful ways used by multiple communities are:
1). Provincial nomination programs
The small communities and towns are working with the provincial government to bring in people that are well-suited for small town life and are less likely to move to big cities once in Canada. Operating at a local level, the criteria for selecting newcomers are rather different from those used by the federal government.
Morden, a small city in Manitoba is coming out as one of the role models for other small cities. Through the
Morden Community Driven Immigration Initiative the city has so far been a great success, with immigrants arriving to this Pembina Valley community for two main reasons: quality of life and jobs. In 2011, Morden’s population was just 7,800. Since then, the population of the area, including the neighbouring city of Winkler, has increased by 3,000, thanks in part to immigration initiatives like the MCDII. Morden targets workers in occupations such as manufacturing jobs, cabinetmakers, factory sewing machine operators, and heavy vehicle mechanics which is quite different from the occupations targeted by the federal government programs.
In 2013, Moncton, N.B. developed its own immigration plan. Now, the city’s immigration strategy officer spends her time running career fairs focused on getting employers to hire immigrants and mounting projects to urge international students studying there to stay.
Realizing the benefits of increasing their immigrant populations, many small cities and rural areas across Canada have been making an effort to attract new immigrants to locations outside of major cities. For example, Simcoe County, a region of Southern Ontario, recently debuted an informational website to attract immigrants to the region, translated into 15 different languages.
If the trend of immigrant settlement in rural areas continues, Canada could see a major demographic change as well as economic growth in small towns.
2). Offering settlement Services for newcomers.
The federal government plans to spend $35 million over the next three years to boost settlement services for newcomers, who for the most part reside in small towns and rural communities. The services include assistance in looking for jobs, finding a place to live, social groups, language classes, assisting in getting government services as well as information access.
One such organisation is Neepawa and Area Immigrant Settlement Services (NAISS, Inc.) which is a non-profit agency funded by the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that provides English language training and settlement services to permanent residents and refugees who live within 9 rural communities including Neepawa, Minnedosa, Gladstone, Erickson and 8 rural municipalities.
In Morden, a team of 40 to 50 volunteers’ welcome immigrants that come through their provincial nominee program. They give the newcomers tours, help them open bank accounts, obtain their provincial health card, prepare their resumes for job applications and more.
The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) provides services to help new immigrants settle and integrate into rural communities in Southern Alberta. Service delivery includes workshops, information and orientation sessions, and direct client service in either individual or group settings. A wide variety of topics are covered, including housing, employment, education, health care, and English classes. CCIS encourages active participation in the community and facilitates the settlement process by bridging local services. They also help with application forms and documentations, and interpretations and translations.
It's definitely a breath of fresh air to see small cities and rural towns laying supportive foundations to help newcomers settle in and thrive in the community.
3). Creating an environment where residents are open to new ideas, customs and embrace diversity within the community.
Having a welcoming community definitely makes the integration of newcomers into the community much easier.
The City of Brooks hosts a Taste of Nations event where several cultures within the community are able to represent their nation by showcasing their food, dance and clothing. This is a well-attended event attracting thousands of people during Alberta Culture Days. The celebration provides a fun opportunity for families and people of all ages to come together and experience a wide variety of cultures. The city of Brooks also runs a program called “Faces of Brooks”, where the people of Brooks share their stories and quotes, which are then displayed on the city’s social media platforms. The objective is to exhibit that regardless of our backgrounds, we all have goals, barriers and challenges; yet each individual’s goals, barriers and challenges may be different. With this, we are able to see different perspectives while allowing citizens to gain more insight.
It's great to see the various opportunities that small cities and rural areas are offering new immigrants. As we are a nation of immigrants, it’s important to not forget the beautiful cultural mosaic that has been created and continues to be created. Please stick around for our second part of the series that covers more ways that the smaller, but amazing, places are doing to make new immigrants welcome.