A program that helped local employers fill their need for skilled workers through immigration is unlikely to be renewed in the Shuswap.
In October 2022, Community Futures Shuswap announced the federal government’s Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program, which launched in late 2019 in the Vernon-North Okanagan area, would be expanding to include Salmon Arm, Sicamous and electoral areas C, G and D. Locally, the program was overseen by a co-ordinator with community futures and in the past 20 months supported 108 immigrants and 53 companies that found the workers they needed.
According to community futures, 91 people hired through the program live (with their families) and work in Salmon Arm.
The pilot program, which was expanded from three to five years, recently came to an end, with Community Futures Shuswap processing its last application between June 10 and 14.
In a presentation at the June 24 city council meeting, Community Futures Shuswap (CFS) executive director Rob Marshall and local RNIP coordinator Caroline Grover explained that with the initial program coming to an end, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited expressions of interest for a new pilot program to begin this fall, with a June 28 deadline.
"RNIP was a community pilot program that unquestionably strengthened our local economy and supported the development of our workforce," said Marshall. "This is the most direct, fastest and measurable employment initiative Community Futures Shuswap has been involved with. RNIP supports business retention, expansion and succession as talent attraction has been identified as the most significant barrier to business retention and expansion."
During its first iteration, CFS received funding to administer the program from the provincial and federal governments and the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI), none of which will be providing funding going forward. In response, CFS turned to the city, with Marshall and Grover asking for a commitment of $25,000 annually over three years, as well as a letter of support for the CFS application to be an RNIP community.
"The rigorous competition requires we show not only financial support, but supports for immigrants upon their arrival such as suitable housing, healthcare and social services…," wrote Grover in a letter to the city.
While supportive of the program, council did not support the funding request for several reasons, including the city not having a "pot of money" available other than council initiatives which was sitting around $17,000. The timing of the request and the lack of support from the federal and provincial governments, despite the success of the program, was cause for frustration among council, with Coun. Kevin Flynn and others viewing this as another form of downloading to local government.
"My comments are not in any way reflective of the longstanding "value addedness" of Community Futures or reflective of the good work of this program so far, but it is downloading in my view," said Coun. Tim Lavery. "The province has stepped away, the feds have stepped away, ETSI has stepped away…
"In spite of the value of the program, I’m not in favour of supporting operational funding for any organization, and we often make those decisions along those lines."
Mayor Alan Harrison commented on the successes of the program being visibile throughout the community, and "the diversity piece is a piece that we’re working on and it’s one we entirely support." He referred to a comment made by Marshall about how the North Okanagan-Shuswap RNIP program turned out to be the gold standard for how it is done.
"It’s interesting because that’s not unusual; we’re often the endgame where core folks like yourselves who have worked hard… and want to renew under incredibly unfair circumstances…," said Harrison. "you’re asking for $75,000 with four days notice in an inflexible local government that has to balance their budget. It’s an impossibility really. It’s not that we didn’t hear what you have to say, we certainly heard what you have to say. We support the program…
"I absolutely support the letter of support, I cannot support the funding piece."
Council voted unanimously in support of writing a letter to the federal government.
Marshall welcomed the letter, and agreed with suggestions shared by the mayor and councillors around the timing of the funding request and the related deadline being a possible attempt to limit applications.
Asked if there is a Plan B, Marshall said, "that will end this application opportunity."
"That will be it and it just means we’ll go back to what other tools we have in our local toolbox to support business attraction and retention," said Marshall. "It just won’t include that immigration from that RNIP perspective."
