A new action plan is out aimed at attracting more people to northern Ontario.
The report follows six days of meetings last February between more than 300 high profile individuals representing some 100 organizations.
The document lays out short, medium, and long-term objectives and identifies 16 core themes and 18 separate action items to make Ontario’s Northern Regions more welcoming.
Five key points came out of the meetings; “We need a plan. We need a brand. We need to work together. We need people to provide services, not websites. We need to monitor and update the plan, every year.
Highlights of the strategy include:
-Northern communities must become welcoming communities-for everyone. Newcomers and current residents alike.
-Northern Ontario needs a coordinated marketing plan that allows large and small community to leverage shared resources. Common themes, common messages, common resources, and a collective effort to promote Northern Ontario and all the community present here. Growing the north is not a zero-sum game.
-Greater linkages need to be maintained between those combating racism, those promoting immigration, and those seeking to further reconciliation. Newcomers must be part of the reconciliation process from their first arrival to our regions.
-The exisiting immigration portals need to be brought up to date, be better resources, and be more directly accountable to the community. They also need to shift focus to population growth and include more information on tools to fight racism and promote reconciliation.
Officials are looking at potential funding opportunities to modernize the immigration portals.
Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corporation Director Ryan Reynard says the action plan must be implemented immediately and stresses communication is the key to growing the north.
Reynard admits COVID-19 has influenced the job market in the past year but is confident things will turn around.
“Still a need for numerous types of positions out there. So whether its registered nurses, speech language pathologists, servers, drivers, you know all sorts of positions, certainly will be available again and some still are.”
To view the full report visit https://www.northernpolicy.ca/come-north-reports
Population growth is not simply an exercise in addition, it also requires reducing any subtractions. Read our latest report Come North – Population Growth in Ontario’s Northern Regions – Conference Report, Proceedings and Action Items https://t.co/VCkzKQxrok pic.twitter.com/4qIXFiZyZN
— Northern Policy (@NorthernPolicy) January 14, 2021
