Neepawa's Growing Community Capacity Through Immigration

Between them, Town of Neepawa EDO (Economic Development Officer) Marilyn Crewe and Executive Director of Neepawa and Area Immigrant Settlement Services Don Walmsley have a lot to say when it comes to immigration in the town of Neepawa. The Settlement Services office was established in town in 2008 but it was really in 2010 that the town started to see a significant number of arrivals, a wave of immigration driven by the local pork processing plant, Hylife, that has yet to slow down.

In conversation with NACTV journalist, Rrain Prior, they talk about the challenges of accommodating the rising population of the town in the last decade as a result of Hylife, a agriculture business, moving into town.

One of the differences between Neepawa and some other areas of the province and the country is that the people coming to Neepawa tend to stay. While there is some degree of onward migration to elsewhere in the country, the majority of people who come to the area as temporary foreign workers proceed through the provincial nominee program to permanent residency, then bring their families to join them, and settle down. Walmsley says that about 200 people arrive as temporary foreign workers each year, which is now resulting in 600 to 800 people each year joining them as family members.

While this is absolutely a net positive for a community, it also brings its own set of challenges around housing, education, and infrastructure. The town has at times struggled with this and there is still a lack of housing compared to the growth rate, but new builds and the creation of rental options are starting to catch up. Crewe says that since 2013, the planning district has issued an astonishing $177 million in building permits. A formal housing strategy is in the works which will help the town - as well as the outlying communities - prepare for the future.

Schools are also near or at full capacity, even after opening a new middle school last year, and overall infrastructure such as roads and sewer systems are seeing greater wear and tear as the population increases. The hospital has been working at capacity, with an estimated 90 births in the community last year. In December of 2021, the province announced a new hospital would be constructed in the community, with anticipated completion in 2025.

One of the more unanticipated advantages of seeing the town’s size and demographics change through immigration is the impact on recreation. An assessment conducted a few years ago indicated demand for facilities that the town just didn’t have at the time. While there is still a healthy Prairie demand for hockey and curling, we now have alongside it a significant basketball league and biking club as well as smaller organizations for table tennis, darts, and sepak takraw, sometimes called ‘kick volleyball’.

Crewe and Walmsley agree that immigration has brought life and vibrancy to a community that was known for decades as just a pretty retirement area. “Immigration is one path [to growth],” says Walmsley, addressing communities that might follow in Neepawa’s footsteps, “but if that's not for you, then find something else, because the other option is decline.”