Northwestern Ontario Immigration Forum Works to Solutions
THUNDER BAY – A diverse audience focused on solutions at the Northwestern Ontario Immigration Forum in Thunder Bay as the two-day event kicked off at the Italian Cultural Association.
Charles Cirtwell of the Northern Policy Institute explained to the audience that, “It’s going to be a lot of work”. That hard work, however, appears to have a solid destination as the federal government has announced a new pilot project targetting regions to gain new immigrants.
Immigration in Ontario is mostly Toronto based. 97 percent of the people who immigrate to our province end up in Toronto. In fact, delegates were told that Thunder Bay received 220 immigrants last year, while Toronto welcomes that many people every day.
There are real shortages of jobs across Northwestern Ontario, jobs that in many cases could be filled by immigrants.
The Forum was also addressed by Thunder Bay Superior North MP Minister Patty Hajdu.
This year’s forum is focused on solutions. Delegates from across the region appear very interested in working together toward a united plan.
After hearing from a number of speakers in the morning session, the attendees broke into workshops to discuss areas where solutions are needed.
The Northwestern Ontario Immigration Forum continues on Wednesday at the Italian Cultural Centre in Thunder Bay.
