The Rhineland Pioneer Centre was a busy place on Oct. 18, as a wind-up celebration was held for a program that has brought hundreds of new residents to Altona.
Since 2019, the Rural & Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program has offered a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers and is designed to support economic development and strengthen local businesses’ capacity to develop and retain a skilled workforce.
The celebration drew local and provincial dignitaries, participating business owners, as well as newcomers who have benefitted from the program. The complimentary dinner, catered by Potpourri of Flavours, offered a wide variety of cultural dishes, and bouncers were provided to keep the children busy.
Stephanie Harris, Altona/Rhineland economic development officer for SEED, which facilitated the program, said they’re thrilled to celebrate the success of RNIP.
She noted that about 30 employers have utilized RNIP to hire foreign workers to address their labour market shortages. In total, 140 job offers have been provided, which has helped over 350 newcomers to apply for their permanent residency in Canada. Families have arrived from over 29 different countries.
“I would like to thank our municipal partners for planting the operations of the immigration program and their active involvement,” she said. “I would also like to thank the immigration selection committee, Regional Connections Immigrant Services, our community mentors, employers, and so many others that made this pilot program a success.”
Addressing the crowd last week, Manitoba Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino said she’s heard a lot about Altona’s way of welcoming newcomers.
“I came to Canada when I was four years old, and I know from my experience the importance of immigrating as a family. Sometimes they come as workers and live by themselves for many years, and that doesn’t always work out for a lot of reasons. Another thing that is important is a welcoming community, and Altona has that in spades. Thanks so much for the leadership and all the folks in Altona for what you’re doing to welcome people.”
She added the third thing newcomers need is the ability to work in their chosen field of study and experience.
“Those are the things that will see a lot of retention and success. And you guys are off to a wonderful start with this five-year pilot program. Depending on how it goes with the federal government, I wish you success there. The province is always willing to be your partner. We have partnered with other regions; we need to do that because we want to see all parts of our province grow.”
Altona Deputy Mayor Donna Rosling Wolters thanked Harris and the dedicated staff at SEED who have been strong advocates of the program since it’s inception.
“Thanks also to the community mentors who have been invaluable to new families, all the businesses and employers who embraced the program, and organizations such as Regional Connections and the Pembina Valley Local Immigration Partnership (PVLIP) for their ongoing efforts to support newcomers to the community.
“We’re grateful to those who have chosen to make Altona their new home. The knowledge, energy and diverse cultures you’ve brought to our community have already made so many positive impacts and I look forward to the contributions that will shape Altona in the years to come.”
Municipality of Rhineland Reeve Don Wiebe congratulated SEED for all their hard work in facilitating RNIP.
“I recall when we applied, and how hard it was to imagine we could be selected from a national slate of applicants. We also want to express our appreciation to the newcomers that have come from so many different countries to be part of this community. By welcoming diversity, we can build resilient communities.”
Altona was one of the 11 communities that benefited from the RNIP program. Going forward, SEED has applied for the new Rural Community Immigration Pilot program launching this fall.
“We’re still waiting to hear back regarding that application,” Harris said. “They have not announced the selected communities yet … hopefully we’ll hear about that soon.”
Meanwhile, they’ve been working with the provincial government on creating an immigration partnership program similar to the ones in Winkler, Morden, Parkland and a few other communities.
“Hopefully in the coming months, all those pieces will come together,” said Harris.
