色狐入口

Communities in Northern British Columbia are hoping a new federal immigration pilot will help them fill job vacancies.

Unveiled by the Government of Canada last month, the will facilitate permanent residence for foreign workers of various skill levels in selected communities in Canada鈥檚 three northern territories and the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Eligible communities are those with a population of 50,000 or less located at least 75 kilometres from the core of a metropolitan area of 100,000 or more, or a city of up to 200,000 people that .

In a recent with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb said his community of around 10,000 people in British Columbia鈥檚 Central Interior region would benefit from immigration.

鈥淲e have jobs, jobs, jobs that we can鈥檛 fill,鈥� Cobb said.

Cobb said the jobs span the spectrum, from entry-level opportunities to skilled trades in the forest and mining industries, both of which are key local industries.

鈥榃e just need their help鈥�

Cobb鈥檚 views were shared by Kathleen Connolly, Executive Director of the Dawson Creek & District Chamber of Commerce.

Situated in northeastern B.C., Dawson Creek has around 11,000 residents and an economy based largely on agriculture, retail, tourism and oil and gas development.

Connolly told CBC that the new pilot would help fill the employment gap that鈥檚 being created by the Dawson Creek鈥檚 ageing population.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really difficult to recruit folks to rural and remote areas, so any opportunity to get people who want to come and experience our country and learn about our country, grow and even move on, we鈥檙e happy to have them,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e just need their help.鈥�

Connolly said there are job opportunities 鈥渆verywhere鈥� in the region but the challenge is getting people to stay, which she hoped the pilot might help solve.

鈥淚f there are opportunities to welcome families into our communities and become part of what we鈥檙e doing, that is just so super awesome,鈥� she said.

Pilot an opportunity to 鈥榯urn the聽tide鈥�?

Joel McKay, Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Development Initiative Trust, said the labour shortages that B.C.鈥檚 northern communities are facing are 鈥渁cross the board.鈥�

Job openings span a variety of sectors, from service (restaurants and hotels) to industry, trades and professional occupations such as doctors, nurses and physiotherapists.

鈥淓ach community is different, so you can鈥檛 paint a broad-brush and say this is the type of skilled worker that we need in northern B.C., please come here now,鈥� he observed. 鈥淓ach community has its own needs and we have to be flexible as to how we respond to those needs and try to fill those gaps in the coming years.鈥�

McKay said the pilot is an opportunity to 鈥渢urn the tide鈥� and open new eyes to the lifestyle advantages that B.C.鈥檚 northern communities offer.

He said those advantages are being developed as communities invest in the kind of amenities that can make them 鈥渕ore attractive places to live in the long-term,鈥� amenities such as upgrades to arenas, airports and playhouses, recreational facilities, mountain biking trails and a revitalized downtown core.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got an extraordinarily mobile workforce and the challenge now is not whether young people 鈥� will find work, but where are they choosing to work and set up their lives,鈥� McKay said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e choosing communities where they have a lifestyle that appeals to them, so investing in place, investing in attractive communities is a big piece.鈥�

Communities wishing to participate in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot have until March 1, 2019, to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Information for interested immigration candidates will be available later in 2019.

For more information on B.C. immigration programs, visit this .

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