Vernon city council receiving the request for support by CFNO to participate in the RCIIP program (photo by Liam Verster/ Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Filling Workforce Gaps

Second immigrant worker program proposed for Vernon and North Okanagan

Jun 25, 2024 | 12:00 PM

Community Futures North Okanagan is looking to build off a successful program used to bring skilled foreign workers to the region.

At the regular meeting Monday, June 24, Vernon city council was asked to support CFNO’s bid to be a participating community in the federal government’s new Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP), and to provide $80,000 annually over a three-year period to support operations of the program.

John Perrot, Vernon’s Manager of Economic Development and Partnerships, told council that this pilot would pick up where the “highly successful” three-year Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) ended.

“The purpose of the program was to create a pathway to asses, reach and retain skilled foreign workers in the [participating] communities. And in Vernon and the North Okanagan area we provided recommendations to just over 1,000 (1,034) workers towards permanent residency. Many of those workers obviously had family members attached, and that number actually doubles (to 2,068 newcomers), and over 500 (507) local businesses utilized the program throughout the region,” Perrot told council.

“It was successful with retainment, 87 per cent of applicants have stayed in the region here.”

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Perrot noted these workers have filled gaps in accommodation and food services, health care and social services, manufacturing, child care and education, trades and construction and many other sectors over the past three years.

The economic development manager said with the aging population, Vernon’s gaps in the labour force are widening, and having this program in place allows businesses to fill roles and services to be maintained for locals and visitors.

The City of Vernon was asked to provide $80,000 towards the new pilot, as 63 per cent of the workers who came to the region worked in jobs within the city. The city’s contributions would come through the Development Reserve Fund and not through taxation.

The Regional District of North Okanagan’s Board of Directors previously agreed to request its partner municipalities contribute a combined $35,000 for the new pilot annually, with CFNO adding an additional $11,400 each year.

Upon receiving the report, council expressed some disappointment in the fact that, though RCIP is a federal pilot, the Canadian government is not providing funding towards the program, though council also agreed that the program had benefitted the local and regional workforce.

Council voted in favour of providing a letter of support for CFNO to include in its application as a participant in the CFIP, as well as provide $80,000 annually from reserves to fund the program if successful, subject to the RDNO and CFNO also contributing.

Council also directed city staff to establish a partnership agreement with CFNO to administer the RCIP if successful.

Following the presentation, Leah Horsfield, executive director of CFNO, told Vernon Matters the previous immigrant worker pilot had been a success, pointing to the retention rate of 87 per cent.

“It’s remarkable. Most newcomers who come to a community come to urban centres, so this was the intent of the pilot, is to determine if you made the criteria from a community standpoint, you made it appealing for newcomers to come, would they stay? And I think we’ve proven that, yes, if the criteria meets the needs of the community and the employers within it, then, yes, newcomers will stay and make rural communities their home,” Horsfield said, adding these workers fill vital roles in the labour force.

“If we want people to care for our parents and build our houses and take care of our children, we can’t fill those roles domestically, we just don’t have the numbers, so we have to look at innovative and creative immigration programs to make that happen.”

Speaking with Vernon Matters, Mayor Victor Cumming agreed with the presenters that the previous program was very successful in attracting workers to help fill gaps, especially as Vernon’s population is skewed towards the more elderly.

“If you see anywhere in Western Europe or North America, this is an ongoing concern, that the population in general is aging and the percentage of those who are in the 14 to 64 [age group] are in decline, relative to the total population. The number is growing, but it’s just not growing as fast as those who are currently leaving the workforce at the top age groups,” Cumming stated.

“Asian countries have been experiencing this. Japan, South Korea, others are ahead of us in experiencing this, primarily Japan and there’s good lessons to be learned there. It’s important for us to maintain the workforce, and that’s why the federal government has maintained this immigration flow.”

He added bringing more people to Vernon does raise a concern about housing, though added that is a common issue across Canada.

Cumming said he was disappointed the federal government would not provide funding for the new pilot, and hoped the neighbouring communities agree to contribute to the program.

Horsfield stated the other area municipalities will be asked to support CFNO’s bid as a RCIP participant and commit funds to run the program in the coming week, with the application to be submitted by the end of the month.