The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) has been chosen to participate in a new immigration initiative aimed at bolstering economic immigration in select communities outside the Greater Toronto Area.
The Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot, provided by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, will run until Dec. 31, 2025.
As part of this initiative, the CEDC has been awarded up to 200 nominations through the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP’s) employer job offer stream.
Jamie Taylor, the chief executive officer of the CEDC, called these nominations a “vital resource” for local employers looking to fill or retain skilled positions to meet growing demands. She explained how the new program differs from the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, which ended in 2024 and is hoped to be restarted this year.
“It’s a little bit different in terms of our role,” Taylor said. “We’ll be working really closely with the ministry, and with employers to educate them on what the program entails so that they understand that it’s an opportunity for them to either keep an employee that they have or bring in an immigrant employee to their organization.”
She added that the employer still has to apply to the provincial program.
“What we understand, and we’re still learning, is that we have somewhat of a fast path or an acceleration because we have these 200 spots for Thunder Bay,” she said.
“We’ll have program advisors that will specifically help us guide us through and support employers and candidates through the process.”
The exact support is still being determined.
Taylor believes the CEDC will be promoting the Regional Economic Development through Immigration program and hosting workshops to ensure that employers are aware of what the steps are within the program to connect them directly with potential employees.
“We now have more eyes on Thunder Bay and we have dedicated resources to ensuring that we’re going to have these 200 spots in Thunder Bay,” she said. “Before, we were up against everybody who’s applying to the provincial nominee. Now the provincial government is saying, ‘Hey, Thunder Bay, we’re going to give you 200 spots,’ and we think that’s great.”
But immigrants can’t just show up and expect to fill 200 jobs.
Taylor said it works similar to how the provincial or the federal government program works, where there has to be a job offer to move through the immigration process.
“The provincial government still has to work through the federal process. Then they nominate those people through the federal government’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada program to obtain their permanent residency,” Taylor said.
The Regional Economic Development through Immigration pilot is part of the overall federal umbrella of the Rural and Northern Immigration project.
Taylor noted that they are still waiting to hear on the delivery of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot and said Thunder Bay could have another program in its entirety to put employees and employers together, have them become Canadian citizens and stay here in Canada.
“We think it’s great that the provincial government is recognizing that Thunder Bay has the experience and the expertise to be able to do this . . . and it’s also a signal,” she said. “It’s the first time this has ever happened in Northern Ontario.
