The Globe and Mail on Saturday noted that Canada is adding a major city each year to our population. In the past 12 months over 700,000 new residents are now in Canada. Internally we add almost 300,000 per year through births. The balance comes from immigration. We can expect 500,000 new immigrants to Canada annually beginning in 2024-2025. The number will continue to grow in future years; this is a good thing.
The unfortunate problem is that most new immigrants choose to live in our largest cities. Smaller, more rural communities must compete to draw new immigrants away from Canada’s largest metropolitan areas.
This is an opportunity for the Rainy River District. Already, hundreds of jobs are available locally without any takers. That hurts the economy and well-being of the district. Already in many businesses we are seeing new residents taking ownership of businesses who have arrived in Canada from foreign countries. It is a good thing.
As Canada grapples with the question of how you accommodate a half-million new immigrants, in the District we must look at how we can attract one hundred new immigrants a year for the next several decades. And to meet the needs of new immigrants, municipalities must look at their plans for higher density housing, expanded streets, sewer and water delivery, schools, doctors, and hospital requirements.
Governments must create faster pathways for doctors, nurses and engineers to become accredited in Canada. That could even include locating to more rural parts of Canada where those professions are needed.
Everything must be examined to create the community of the future, welcoming new people to the district. In the past year there were 200,000 new housing starts across Canada, yet there were 600,000 families looking for homes. Families are fleeing cities because they can’t afford the cost of housing. By big city standards, homes are very affordable across our district. But to attract 100 new residents annually, district communities must build new homes. This may include finding developers or investors to build those new dwellings.
This is a good thing. We must look at higher density units such as townhouses, apartment, and condominium blocks. The communities of the district must promote the area as a good place to raise families with lots of opportunities to be successful. The communities must create a welcoming atmosphere for the new immigrants.
We must also continue to look at new operations that will create employment. A surplus of renewable wood fibre has been identified. What opportunities exist with that fibre. We continue to talk about tourism growth and must consider how to make Fort Frances more of a destination, than a passing through destination. We continue to see the expansion of grain growing in the west end of the district. How can it begin to be expanded and is there an opportunity to process some of that grain locally? Are there opportunities to expand the New Gold processing facility using minerals from nearby potential sites?
There are lots of ideas to be explored. It is time to begin looking to the future rather than dwelling in the past over the closing of the paper mill.
Former publisher
Fort Frances Times
