Report/Rapport : Attracting immigrants to rural communities, August 2009

Source: The Monieson Centre, Queen's University.
"Immigration is a vital source of rural population sustainability, regional economic development, and cultural vitality. In particular, immigrants can help businesses address labour shortage issues, provide professional services that are in demand (e.g., physicians and other health care professionals), and start new businesses and create jobs as entrepreneurs."

"An influx of immigrants can also help communities deal with declines in population due to out‐migration of youth to urban areas. Historically, however, the distribution of immigrants in Canada has been concentrated in major cities, notably Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, while smaller rural municipalities have not been as successful in attracting new arrivals. As such, it is imperative that rural community leaders adopt strategies that attract immigrants to their communities. This Knowledge Synthesis will describe these steps. Also, this synthesis will highlight a case study of one rural community – Winkler, Manitoba – that has been successful in attracting and integrating immigrants into its community."

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This knowledge synthesis is part of The Monieson Centre’s Knowledge Impact in Society (KIS) Project, a three-year endeavour to connect academic knowledge with economic development needs in Eastern Ontario. The synthesis is an accessible presentation of the latest research on issues affecting rural Eastern Ontario. The knowledge synthesis topics were determined through information gathered at 15 community workshops run in partnership with the Eastern Ontario Community Futures Development Corporation network. The KIS Project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. For more information, visit www.easternontarioknowledge.ca.