This spring, when Manitoba’s Immigration Advisory Council was introduced by the provincial government, there was some question of how much input there would be from rural Manitoba despite several communities being named in the initial announcement. The advisory council itself was ultimately very urban-centric, but a series of public consultations were held in key locations across Manitoba this summer to broaden the committee’s perspective.

Minister of Immigration and Advanced Education Jon Reyes returned to Neepawa to chair the public meeting, alongside Minister of Municipal Relations, and Agassiz MLA, Eileen Clarke and accompanied by members of his team. The session began with a presentation outlining the current immigration system(s), focusing on Manitoba’s pioneering Provincial Nominee Program, before moving on to a handful of prearranged speakers. These included Don Walmsley, executive director of Neepawa and Area Immigrant Settlement Services, Brian Hedley, deputy mayor of Neepawa, and Lindsay Hextall, director of Human Resources for HyLife.

"One think I do want to point out,” said Reyes before moving on to the speakers, “is Neepawa has done a great job in attracting immigrants and forming community. One thing that I learned with my visit with HyLife, they don't just attract immigrants here but they retain them and they build community."

One of the recurring themes from the speakers was that there is a need for training programs and facilities in rural areas which could help keep young people from having to leave the community to further their education, particularly in trades. Newly-arrived immigrants also often do not have access to a vehicle which inhibits their opportunities when no local training facilities exist. Additional to that, there is a huge need for better credential recognition for professionals arriving from other countries. Currently there is not only a lot of red tape and delay involved, but also considerable expense to newly-arrived residents who are generally working at low-level jobs in the interim.

"Rural communities are problem solvers," said Walmsley. "Come speak with us directly. We have too much indirect contact."

Following the speakers, the meeting opened up to anyone who wanted to ask questions or present ideas or information. A lot of the conversation circled around the need for a more holistic approach to assist rural communities with the kind of growth Neepawa is experiencing, not just looking at immigration policy but also at how it interacts with things like employment, housing, social services, and education. People also echoed the need for better and faster credential recognition, with specific examples cited of multiple Neepawa residents working in customer service positions who possess engineering degrees from their home country.

When asked about the timelines involved, Reyes indicated that the Advisory Council's report is due by the end of the year but there is no firm timeline for any actions that might come of it. However, he acknowledged that there is a labour shortage across the province and he expects that a plan will be formed in the short term following their report.