Neepawa is a Model for Communities Looking to Grow Through Immigration

Mid-February, the provincial government announced that they were planning to form a new Immigration Advisory Council, with a mandate to recommend improvements to current immigration policies and programs. They specifically mentioned seeking a diverse set of backgrounds and skillsets, and named Neepawa as a community outside of Winnipeg that has seen a significant change through immigration. Today we talk to Don Walmsley, executive Director of Neepawa and Area Immigrant Settlement Services, about what effect that will have on our community, and also how we might affect the council.

Neepawa and Area Immigrant Settlement Services is responsible for services to permanent residents in their catchment area, which is a broad swath of southwestern Manitoba. This includes such things as English-language training, employment, housing, and schools. While they have special funding from the province to work with temporary foreign workers (TFWs) right now, that is not a normal part of their mandate, which is funded by the federal government. That is one thing that might change when this council looks at streamlining the process and supports for immigration.

Manitoba was a pioneer within Canada with its Provincial Nominee program, which allowed the province to support people who wanted to immigrate to Manitoba through an employment structure. From what has been expressed so far, the immigration strategy remains closely tied to the employment needs of the province, which is one aspect that the council will be focusing on.

One of those gaps is in healthcare, which is certainly going to be the situation in Neepawa as our healthcare system expands with the new hospital. Another dimension the council might need to look at is integrating educational opportunities to fill the needs of the province as the families of new permanent residents arrive in the area as well.

More than the change Neepawa might see as a result of this advisory council in terms of streamlining processes and expanding programs in Manitoba, is what we can offer the advisory council. If the council is looking at creating a template for a new community to start the recruitment process, Neepawa can certainly speak to its own experience.

Unlike urban centres, where services tend to be siloed, immigration supports in rural areas are usually a one-stop shop with integrated services for newcomers. These supports need to range from the fundamentals of settlement to needs such as licensing, travel, business requirements, and many other dimensions that are not always front of mind. Any rural community that wants to look at an immigration recruitment strategy needs to also look at their underlying infrastructure to ensure it can support the population increase.

Walmsley feels that with such a broad mandate, the council will have to key in on critical areas to enable them to work within their timeline. With a final report due from the council by the end of this year, we expect to see further information and progress on this project in the near future.