Program that pairs employers with skilled immigrant workers expands beyond Timmins

Officials in Timmins are now able to connect employers and skilled immigrant workers beyond the boundaries of Timmins via the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).

“We’re hoping to get a lot of francophone applicants from the Kapuskasing/Hearst region whereas we hadn’t had any francophone applicants come through the RNIP program previously," said Bailey Campbell, of the Timmins Economic Development Corp.

“We see a lot of agriculture in the Temiskaming Shores area and forestry up in Hearst and Kapuskasing.”

RNIP workers who have been managing applications from employers and newcomers looking for permanent residency for the past two and a half years said they are seeing positive results.

"As of this year we have accepted 104 applicants and in 2021 we accepted 106, so you know we do have two months left in the year and we’re hoping to bring, you know, a good amount of newcomers through," said Campbell.

Gulab Singh, also with the Timmins Economic Development Corp., said immigrants are looking for affordability.

“(They) don’t want to go to big city because obviously it’s expensive to live in a bigger city,” Singh said.

“Timmins is an affordable city.”

Singh and Campbell said the sectors that have made the best use of the RNIP program include health, information and technology, business administration and early childhood education.