An idea worth exploring

Today, less than 17 percent of jobs in Canada are found in manufacturing products. Technology changes in manufacturing have reduced the need for people. Technology and services are the fastest growing job areas of the economy. Where does Rainy River District’s future lie?
Dave Kircher proposed to the Economic Development Advisory Committee of the Town of Fort Frances that the community should investigate transforming the Resolute Mill into a technical training facility. The idea has some merit. Canada faces a major shortage of skilled workers in the trades.
One only has to look at the list of jobs for machinists, pipe fitters, electricians, carpenters, stationary engineers, mechanics and heavy-duty mechanics. We see ads every week for nurses, nurse practitioners, and personal service caregivers. The list grows longer every week.
The district has a window of opportunity to transform its economy into the 21st century. Anyone running for mayor in the district or a senior position on any council should be thinking about the future of their communities.
They should be asking; “What do I want my community to look like in a decade? What jobs do we need in the future?”
The buildings of the paper mill will disappear. Different uses of the forests will be found. Those new uses will require technologists with skills unknown today.
How do we either retain our youth to learn those skills for the future, or how do we attract people to come to the district, learn, and then remain with their new skills?
We have two post-secondary education facilities in the area. Confederation College already exists. Seven Generations Education Institute is growing and offering more courses all the time.
Councils should be asking; “How do we grow our population?”
Can new mayors and councils expand the opportunities of those two facilities to offer more courses and opportunities for students to come and learn in the Fort? What additional amenities would make the schools more attractive?
Would dormitories make it easier for students to come and learn? How can we form better partnerships with both Confederation College and Seven Generations? What additional educational opportunities can those two schools offer?
Fort Frances, in building its library, noted that it was also a technology centre. Telemedicine makes it easier to communicate with specialists in Thunder Bay.
Vermont, a state in the U.S. with a population of roughly Northern Ontario, is promoting its lifestyle and the ability to move to the state and work remotely. It is a strategy that appears to be working.
For the last three years, the population has grown following several decades of decline.
The state understands that people can work from a location far from major centres at jobs that are unique by telecommuting.
A 2016 survey by the U.S. Society of Human Resource Managers found that between 1996 and 2016, the number of organizations offering some form of telecommuting option tripled to 60 percent from 20 percent, while a poll by Gallup figured that as of 2016, 43 percent of U.S. workers were able to work remotely at least some of the time, and that 75 percent did so more than one-fifth of the time.
In Canada, the 2016 census found that only 7.4 percent of workers worked remotely. But the figure is growing.
This could be an opportunity to attract young people who can use their skills remotely while enjoying the quality of life in the Rainy River District.
Pay cheques would flow into the district. New homes would be built. New stores would open. The tax base would expand.
It definitely is an idea worth exploring.