More than 800 people supported through rural immigration pilot in Thunder Bay, Ont.
CBC
More than 800 people have been supported by the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) in Thunder Bay, Ont., so far, as employers look to fill critical labour shortages in the area.
The five-year pilot was announced last year by Thunder Bay—Superior North MP Patty Hajdu. Employers issue recommendation certificates to newcomers, which allows them to work in the community and apply for permanent residence.
“It is an employer-led program, so employers need to apply and get designated and then they put forward candidates that meet the objectives of the program,” said Jamie Taylor, chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), which oversees the program locally.
The RCIP replaced the former Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program, which ended in summer 2024. It’s being offered in just over a dozen communities, including Sudbury, Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie in northern Ontario.
The program has targeted several key areas in Thunder Bay, including business, health, community and social services, sales and service, trades and transport.
“We prioritize the sectors that are still having difficulty finding labour. We're not trying to replace anybody's job that could be filled locally,” said Taylor. “[We are] really prioritizing sectors and jobs that are very much preventing businesses from thriving.”
The pilot’s first year saw 358 employers designated and 475 recommendation certificates issued, representing the program’s full annual allotment. In all, 475 principal applicants and 356 dependents have been supported, for a total of 831 people, according to the CEDC.
“Employers are looking for skilled talent to not only maintain their business but to grow their business, and often times that talent might not be available in our local market,” said Hajdu, who serves as both minister of jobs and families and minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor).
While some parts of the country “have seen really high, rapid growth of immigration that is unsustainable,” said Hajdu, “there are other pockets like northern Ontario where we see a real labour shortage.”
“Our government has been taking action to really control the flow of immigration and make sure that communities have what they need to support the successful integration of newcomers,” she said.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced in November that permanent resident admissions “will stabilize at 380,000 from 2026 to 2028.”
“To support a return to sustainable immigration levels, the government is committed to reducing Canada’s temporary population to less than five per cent of the total population by the end of 2027,” the department said in a news release.
Though Taylor said community partners recognize the government is limiting immigration spots across the country, “so far, they've recognized that rural immigration is still important, and we're hopeful that they'll continue to do that.”
For Hajdu’s part, she said she will advocate for the RCIP’s continuation.
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