Helping the Kenora district prepare for growth and future challenges.
The Northern Policy Institute has released the findings of its final report on demographics and labour market trends ‘Northern Projections: Human Capital Series.”
Three recommendations have been made.
Senior Data Analyst Alex Ross says one recommendation is promoting and improving education among First Nations peoples.
The findings show 60% of Indigenous men and 57.3% of Indigenous women in the Kenora district are participating in the labour market, but less than half are employed.
Ross says addressing issues concerning employment and the need to promote and improve education among Indigenous peoples becomes pertinent for the local labour market and economic growth.
The second recommendation is fostering female, youth and newcomer participation in the labour force.
Ross says youth need to be recruited to care for the elderly and a strategy is needed to stem the tide of youth outmigration.
“The Kenora districts population, people aged 65 and over, is projected to grow significantly in the coming years. It’s something that’s common across all districts but actually Kenora is going to experience higher health care costs in the future than some of the other districts.”
The third recommendation is a need to upgrade infrastructure.
Ross points out that 77% of the population lives in rural areas and that number continues to climb.
He stresses investments in high speed Internet, roads, rail and airports will help strengthen the local economy.
