Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy

Prepared by: Prepared for: David Bruce Director Cumberland Regional and Economic Development Association Gwen Zwicker Research Associate September 2006 Rural and Small Town Programme Mount Allison University 144 Main Street Sackville, NB E4L 3K9 Phone: (506) 364-2391 Fax: (506) 364-2601 [email protected] http://www.mta.ca/rstp/ Table of Contents

Executive Summary ...... 1 1.0 Introduction ...... 9 1.1 Project Objectives ...... 9 1.2 Project Rationale ...... 9 1.3 Recent Population Trends in Cumberland County ...... 10 2.0 Methodology ...... 13 3.0 Cumberland County Immigration and Migration Profile ...... 15 3.1 Immigration Profile ...... 15 3.2 Migration Profile ...... 17 4.0 Economic Outlook ...... 23 4.1 Labour Force/Human Resources ...... 23 4.2 Business Profile ...... 23 5.0 Youth Retention and Attraction ...... 29 5.1 Youth Out-Migration in Cumberland County ...... 29 5.2 Cumberland County Youth Input ...... 29 6.0 Communities and Immigration ...... 33 6.1 Cumberland County Community Input ...... 33 7.0 Recommendations/Actions ...... 37 7.1 General Observations about Immigration ...... 37 7.2 General Observations about Youth Retention and Attraction ...... 38 7.3 Recommendations and Actions for Cumberland County ...... 39 Cultural Awareness/Education ...... 39 Youth Retention ...... 42 Youth Attraction ...... 45 Settlement Services ...... 48 Social Supports ...... 50 Infrastructure ...... 51 8.0 Action Plan ...... 55 9.0 Appendices ...... 61 Appendix A: Youth Out-Migration in Haileybury and Region ...... 63 Appendix A: Dealing with Youth Out-Migration in Prince Edward Island ...... 67 Appendix A: Attracting Immigrants to Revelstoke, British Columbia ...... 71 Appendix A: Immigrant Settlement in Steinbach, Manitoba ...... 77 Appendix B: Youth Services/Organizations Available in Cumberland County ...... 81 Appendix C: Immigration Procedure ...... 85 Appendix D: Community Focus Group Participants ...... 89 Appendix E: Youth Focus Group Participants ...... 91 Appendix F: Responding to a Sudden Large Need for Increased Labour Supply ....93 Appendix G: References ...... 95 Appendix H: Selected Immigration and Associated Websites ...... 99 List of Tables and Acronyms

Tables

Table 1: Population Changes in Cumberland County, 1986-2001 ...... 11 Table 2: Immigrant Status by Place of Birth, 2001 ...... 15 Table 3: Population by Citizenship, 2001 ...... 15 Table 4: Immigrants by Selected Places of Birth, 2001 ...... 16 Table 5: Immigrant Population by Period of Immigration, 2001 ...... 17 Table 6: Immigrant Population by Age at Immigration, 2001 ...... 17 Table 7: Net Migration, Cumberland County, 1999-2004 ...... 18 Table 8: Top 20 Sources of New Residents, Cumberland County, 1999-2004 ...... 19 Table 9: Top 20 Destinations of Migrants from Cumberland County, 1999-2004 ...... 20 Table 10: Age of Migrants, Cumberland County, 1999-2004 ...... 20 Table 11: Median Income of Migrants, Cumberland County, 2002-2003 ...... 21 Table 12: Number and Distribution by NAICS Type of All Registered Businesses, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003 ...... 24 Table 13: Retail Trade Mix, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003 ...... 25 Table 14: Retail Trade Mix, Selected Retail Sub-Categories, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003 ...... 25 Table 15: Retail Sales, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003 ...... 26 Table 16: Household Expenditure Estimates, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2005 .....27

Acronyms

CANSA Cumberland African Nova Scotian Association CREDA Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association CIC Citizenship and Immigration Canada MANS Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia MISA Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association NAICS North American Industry Classification System NSCC Nova Scotia Community College NSNP Nova Scotia Nominee Program OOI Office of Immigration (Nova Scotia) PERCÉ Programme d’entrepreneurship - régional, communautaire et économique (Regional, Community and Economic Entrepreneurship Program) PNP Provincial Nominee Program Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy

Executive Summary

Nova Scotia, like most other provinces across Canada, is seeing a number of demographic and economic challenges which have the potential to lead to labour force shortages, a slower demand for goods and services, and increasing fiscal pressures. Immigration and repopulation are ways Nova Scotia can help meet long-term population, economic, and labour force needs.

Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association (CREDA) commissioned a Strategy and Action Plan for the County, facilitated by Mount Allison University's Rural and Small Town Programme. The primary purpose was to prepare a repopulation strategy and action plan for implementation in Cumberland County. Particular emphasis was placed on two elements: youth retention, attraction, and repatriation of those under 30; and attracting immigrants to the area as well as fostering immigration throughout the County by helping to build an awareness of population trends and the need for immigrants.

Recent Population Trends in Cumberland County

The population characteristics of the County have changed significantly between 1986 and 2001. The population has declined by 2,205 (6.3%) people but has increased by 1,005 households (8.2%). The largest declines have happened in Springhill, Parrsboro, and along the Fundy shore area. All areas and municipalities have seen an increase in the total number of households over the 15 year period, with the exception of the coast between Parrsboro and Amherst.

More alarming, however, is the shift in age distribution. Children age 0-14 made up 20% of the population in 1986, but in 2001 it was under 17%; similarly, those age 15-24 made up over 16%, and by 2001 it was less than 12%. The population is aging - those 65 years of age and over in 2001 were almost 20% of the population. This pattern is consistent across each municipality and rural part of the County. The only exception is that the 65 and over age group in Oxford dropped from 22% to 19% of the population in this time period. As these figures clearly suggest, there is a pressing need in the County to examine the potential for repopulating the area through a strategic approach to retaining and attracting youth and young families, and to examine the possibilities for immigration to the area.

Methodology

Six phases made up this project:

Phase One: Establish a Working Committee on Population Issues

Phase Two: Assess Economic Development and Labour Force Development Needs and Economic Opportunities

• review of existing CREDA and partner studies and data which identified business development opportunities; • completion of a commercial mix analysis by reviewing the existing inventory/database of businesses to identify potential business opportunities;

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 1 • identification of labour force needs through a review of the CREDA labour force/skills study, with a particular emphasis on looking for skills gaps and total labour force shortages.

Phase Three: Youth Retention and Attraction

• review of existing CREDA and partner studies and data which identify youth issues; • assessment of the range and quality of available services, including health, education, and social which will be of interest and concern for youth in the region; • youth focus groups at each of the County high schools as well as the Springhill campus of Nova Scotia Community College; • interviews with high school administrators about their alumni programs and possibilities for contacting former students and providing them with information about opportunities in the region.

Phase Four: Immigration Strategy

• an inventory of the existing cultural groups and services in the county, their capacity for providing services to immigrants, and identification of the gaps; • a review of the new NS Immigration Strategy and its various programs, with a view to assessing their relevance and use in the county; • identification of potential for school-based cultural awareness programs which will be a key part of becoming a welcoming community; • presentation by Nova Scotia Office of Immigration official to the working committee to explain the variety of options and programs available.

Phase Five: Profile of Successful Repopulation Efforts (case studies)

Phase Six: Strategy and Action Plan

Immigration Profile

Based on the 2001 Census, There were 810 immigrants in the County in 2001. Most reside in Amherst (200) and in the northern part of the County. An additional 5200 County residents were born outside of Nova Scotia. More than half of the immigrants in Cumberland County have come from the United Kingdom and the United States (430 of 800). The other primary countries of origin include the Netherlands and Germany. Very small numbers - 25 or fewer each - have come from 10 other countries. Most of these came from other European countries, while very few came from Asian countries. Almost half of the immigrants presently living in the County arrived prior to 1971 (385 of 795 for whom there is information about their period of arrival). Relatively few - only 85 - arrived in the period of 1991-2001.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 2 Migration Profile

In the five year period 1999-2004 just over 5,000 people moved to Cumberland County while almost 5,500 moved out of Cumberland County, for a net loss of 451 people (based on annual taxfiler data prepared by Statistics Canada). The most common source of new residents in the County is other parts of Nova Scotia (2,333 people moved from elsewhere in NS to the County in that period). New Brunswick, Ontario, and Alberta are also important sources of new residents. In addition, 83 immigrants arrived in this area in the 1999-2004 period.

There is a considerable issue related to migration and age. The County lost 600 more people than it gained in the key 18-24 age category in the 1999-2004 period. By contrast, the County gained 300 more people than it lost in the 45-64 age category. This latter age group typically has few or no youth with them when they move - they are early retirees or they have older teenagers who themselves are ready to move out of the household. One positive note is that a total of 1751 adults age 25-44 moved into the County in this time period. These figures suggest that a concerted effort is needed to identify doable and workable strategies to attract and retain young adults and young families.

Labour Force/Human Resources

As was identified in the May 2006 Human Resources Skills Development Plan and Action Steps, much of the workforce in Cumberland County is in the 35 - 44 year age range. This reinforces the belief throughout the County that the workforce is stable and has a low turnover rate. While the average age of this workforce is in the young - middle adult range, the workforce in general is aging. As such, the experienced workforce in this group may become a target for other industries. The two biggest occupational types where shortages may be a problem are trades/skilled operators and business/finance supervisors. Both of these shortages could be addressed by immigration and youth retention/attraction.

Business Profile

There are more than 1700 registered businesses in Cumberland County (as of December, 2003), and 617 of these (almost one-third) are located in Amherst. Agriculture and other primary industries, retail trade, construction, services (mostly personal services such as hairdressing and repair services), and transportation/warehousing are the five most important business sectors by number of businesses. These five sectors represent half of all businesses. In Amherst itself retail trade, services, real estate, construction, and health care/social services are the most prevalent; together they represent 54% of all businesses in Amherst. This mix is not surprising given Amherst's role as a regional service centre for the County.

Retail sales data shows a very similar pattern to the number and type of businesses. There was just over a quarter billion dollars in retail sales for the entire County in 2003, with most of this (81%) occurring in Amherst. Grocery stores and motor vehicle dealers accounted for a larger portion of the sales. General merchandise stores (at more than $30 million) and health/personal care stores (at more than $25 million) were also important. Household expenditure estimates for 2005 suggest that residents of Cumberland County and Amherst made expenditures far in excess of the sales estimated for 2003 in the County and in Amherst for a number of key retail sectors. For example, more than $27 million was spent on clothing, but sales were estimated at just over $8 million in

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 3 clothing stores. However, it is important to recognize that some clothing purchases would have been made in general merchandise stores such as Wal-Mart and Zellers. A similar observation could be made related to household furnishings and equipment, with just over $20 million in purchases compared to less than $5 million in sales (plus whatever would have been sold in general merchandise stores). Although it is difficult to estimate with a high degree of accuracy the total retail leakage from the County to other locations (notably Greater Moncton and possibly the Truro and Halifax areas), it is likely that there may be further retail opportunities to satisfy local demand. There may be new business development opportunities for immigrants and for youth/young adults choosing to settle in the area. More work beyond the scope of this report/action plan is required to document and quantify the specific new business development opportunities which could be 'marketed' to residents and others interested in starting a business in the County.

Recommendations

The following recommendations for action have been developed based on the analysis of information collected and the input provided by focus group participants:

Education

Establish a multi-cultural organization to serve Cumberland County. This organization would help to educate citizens on cultural awareness; host events to introduce citizens to diverse cultures; create a social space where immigrants would learn about other cultures; work with the school system to introduce issues and events around diverse cultures, etc.

Work toward establishing ESL training throughout the County. It was suggested in some focus groups that ESL instructors could be, for example, retired teachers acting on a volunteer basis. A regional strategy may address this gap but the service must remain consistent at the community level, i.e. it must meet local needs. A regional strategy to provide ESL to Russian speaking immigrants would not meet local needs if local newcomers were Spanish speaking.

Work through government and employment agencies as well as workplaces to alleviate the issue that immigrants are "taking jobs away from local people." People need to see that because of the aging population and the falling birth rate, there are not as many available local workers as there previously have been and that newcomers are a good solution to these issues. It is important to convey clear information about immigration processes, demographics, and to combat criticisms that "immigrants steal our jobs" or "immigrants drive up housing prices."

Work with the Nova Scotia Department of Education and the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board to introduce issues of cultural diversity to children in elementary and junior high schools.

Work with immigrants already in the area to be guests at area schools to expose children to cultural diversity.

Work to set up displays and hold events at local libraries (readings, crafts, etc.) and other public buildings so that both children and adults will have the opportunity to learn about other cultures.

Work with established immigrants to host community events during which children and adults can learn about foods, customs, etc. This may involve local Historical Societies, churches, etc. who

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 4 could show how newcomers to the area have become an integral part of local society over the years. This kind of event could be built into existing festivals and community celebrations.

Youth Retention

Encourage Guidance Counselors to interact more with students about career choices. Youth focus group participants indicated that while there is information in their Guidance Counselors' offices about post-secondary choices (university calendars, etc.), they do not feel it is well communicated. Students also felt that more information should be provided on education in trade occupations.

Work with the Nova Scotia Community College system and other post-secondary institutions to offer a wider variety of career choices locally. While the available choices offered at NSCC Springhill have become more diverse in recent years, and the opening of a business school satellite in Amherst is seen as a positive thing, both community and youth participants saw the need for more training of skilled workers in such trades as plumbing, electrical, and carpentry. Offering these locally would keep young people in the County as well as encourage them to apprentice and perhaps set up their own businesses in the area.

Show students how to access information on careers as well as job choices. While young people are proficient at using the internet for various purposes, they need to know how to access and navigate government websites, other job search sites, information to help them with career choices, etc. Providing local information would be helpful in showing young people what is available in the local area which they may not have been aware of. It also creates an opportunity for young people to learn about becoming entrepreneurs.

Expand career fairs which are held at local high schools. Students stated that there was little information about local companies able to offer employment and career choices during recently held career fairs. Including local companies would assist them to match their employment needs with youth as well as to provide youth with options which may allow them to stay at home to work.

Develop a program similar to that used in Colchester County in which a database of young people is maintained. It would then be possible to contact young people away from home via mail or email. In this way, young people would be kept aware of employment opportunities in Cumberland County as well as events taking place. This kind of communication makes young people more aware of their local area and they feel they are valued "at home." This could be a co-operative action between CREDA and the schools. Resources and a staff person would need to be put in place.

Create other organizations in Cumberland County like Parrsboro's Youth Town Council. Municipalities may also choose to go a step farther by formalizing appointments of young people to committees of Council and to encourage youth to become involved in or start up sports organizations, social groups, or advisory committees.

Youth Attraction

Promote entrepreneurship and succession planning. Showing young people ways to start up a business or take over an existing one is a positive step to attracting them back to their home community.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 5 Advertise local career opportunities on community and regional websites as well as email to young people who have moved away.

Build on experience gained by young people when they were outside the community. Specific skills or career choices may provide opportunities to expand an existing business or start up a new business. Instead of citizens or businesses having to go elsewhere for a service, for example, they may be able to get it at home.

Using the database previously referred to, survey youth who have moved away from Cumberland County to determine why they left and what their experience has been since doing so. The survey would also include youth who moved away and have since returned and would help determine what could be done locally to make the area more attractive to settle in as well as what job opportunities are possible.

Settlement Services

Establish settlement teams in each town/municipality, including the surrounding rural areas, which would play a key role in assisting immigrants upon their arrival.

Establish a single point of contact (each municipal office, for example) where immigrants could go to access the services of the settlement team.

Survey recently arrived immigrants within six months of their arrival to assess how their settling in process has been and what attracted them to the area in the first place.

Work with the media to get the message out about newcomers arriving in the area and to provide cultural background information.

Establish a partnership with the federal and provincial governments to work on showing the benefits and needs of rural areas for settlement.

Provide a package of information to government officials travelling outside of Canada to help with attracting immigrants to rural areas.

Social Supports

Work with municipalities and private developers to see what can be done to provide affordable and appropriate housing to young professionals and families. This may require preparing a housing needs study and a market demand study. A model similar to that used to complete a similar study in Oxford could be employed.

Work with provincial government and private enterprise to look at ways to provide more daycare services to newcomers, particularly in larger companies. Additional daycare spaces will benefit both immigrant families and families who already live in the County.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 6 Work with federal and provincial governments to expand the network of family resource centres so that there will be a place where parents and children can go to meet others. This will also serve as a location to get information on all kinds of parents' and children's services. With the already established track record of Maggie's Place, there is opportunity to establish ‘satellite offices' in other parts of the County.

Infrastructure

Make a concerted effort to clean up or remove derelict properties, and to properly landscape the area once a building has been removed. Councils could deal with this issue in a timely manner by enforcement of unsightly premises by-laws.

Work with the provincial government and others to upgrade existing roads.

Continue working with high speed internet provider(s) to extend the service to all rural areas. Although service providers aim to establish this kind of service in more populated areas first, efforts should be made to lobby them to extend high speed to all areas. In return, the more sparsely populated areas may attract more population. Focus group participants indicated that while high speed availability is good to promote the area for business, even retirees make regular use of the internet.

Market the availability of high speed internet as part of a package that would be provided to government officials traveling outside of Canada to attract immigrants.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 7

1.0 Introduction

Recognizing the demographic and economic challenges which exist in Cumberland County, the Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association (CREDA) took the lead to commission a Strategy and Action Plan for the County. This strategy was designed to look at the issues of immigration and youth attraction/retention and to link them with a commercial mix analysis and labour force issues. Mount Allison University’s Rural and Small Town Programme was chosen to facilitate the project, the objectives and rationale of which follow.

1.1 Project Objectives

The primary purpose of this project was to prepare a repopulation strategy and action plan for implementation in Cumberland County. Particular emphasis was placed on two elements: • youth retention, attraction, and repatriation of those under 30; and • attracting immigrants to the area as well as fostering immigration throughout the County by helping to build an awareness of population trends and the need for immigrants

To support the strategy and plan there was also a need for developing an understanding of the economic opportunities for new business startups through an analysis of the existing commercial mix and the issues facing existing businesses in terms of retention and expansion. The strategy developed has been linked to economic development and labour force development plans established by CREDA and others throughout the County.

1.2 Project Rationale

Rural depopulation has been a problem and a challenge for the Atlantic region and its provinces and municipalities for several decades now. In recent years the problem has been much more acute as it has been coupled with a long period of economic adjustment and decline. Most rural parts of the region have suffered slow and steady population decline.

A naturally aging population, youth out-migration, a falling birth rate below replacement rates, and a lack of immigration to the region as a whole and to the rural parts of Atlantic Canada more specifically are the demographic realities. These have very real social and economic consequences for all levels of government and community.

A declining population in Cumberland County as well as the issues of an aging population and youth retention all provide challenges for the long term economic viability of the region. The province of Nova Scotia has had an interest in immigration for a number of years, and has recently released its Immigration Strategy, which aims to attract, retain, and integrate immigrants into local society. A strategy to address these issues can be linked to a number of CREDA’s strategic priorities.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 9 Nova Scotia participates in a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) which is a recruitment and selection program to help Nova Scotia increase immigration rates to the province. The PNP is a five-year agreement with the Federal government. Nominees apply through several program categories within the PNP for permanent resident status in Canada.

There are currently three program categories which are open to immigrants: 1. Skilled worker: an employer-driven program aimed at immigrants with skills in limited supply in Nova Scotia; 2. Economic: a program aimed at immigrants with a proven track record in business or management; and 3. Community identified: a program aimed at immigrants, identified by a community, as being able to make a specific economic, social or cultural contribution.

Each category has its own set of criteria which must be met before an immigrant is considered a good candidate to settle in Nova Scotia.

1.3 Recent Population Trends in Cumberland County

The population characteristics of the County have changed significantly between 1986 and 2001. The population has declined by 2,205 (6.3%) people but has increased by 1,005 households (8.2%), as shown in Table 1. The largest declines have happened in Springhill, Parrsboro, and along the Fundy shore area. All areas and municipalities have seen an increase in the total number of households over the 15 year period, with the exception of the coast between Parrsboro and Amherst.

Cumberland County has 4 "subdivisions" for statistical purposes, outside of the 4 municipalities. They are as follows:

Subdivision Boundaries

Cum berland County A the far western portion of the County beyond Parrsboro and south of Amherst

Cum berland County B south of the TransCanada Highway between Oxford and Amherst surrounding Springhill, down to Parrsboro and bordering Colchester County

Cum berland County C north of the TransCanada Highway between Oxford and the NB Border

Cum berland County D east and north of Oxford to the Colchester County border

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 10 Table 1: Population Changes in Cumberland County, 1986-2001

2001 Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Parrsboro Springhill Amherst Oxford Co. Co. Co. Co. Co. Subd A Subd Subd Subd B C D Households 13315 1050 1570 2020 1765 685 1650 4025 555 Population 32605 2470 4015 5215 4485 1530 4095 9470 1335 Age 0-14 16.8% 14.6% 17.6% 17.1% 15.9% 17.6% 16.2% 17.3% 17.2% Age 15-24 11.5% 10.1% 10.7% 12.6% 11.1% 10.5% 12.0% 12.0% 11.2% Age 25 - 54 41.1% 38.5% 42.5% 42.5% 36.3% 41.3% 41.4% 41.6% Age 55-64 11.9% 14.6% 13.0% 12.5% 14.2% 12.4% 10.5% 9.9% 11.2% Age 65+ 18.7% 22.3% 16.3% 15.4% 19.2% 23.2% 20.0% 19.4% 18.7% 1986 Households 12310 1155 1535 1590 1595 675 1625 3625 510 Population 34810 3155 4585 4780 4810 1725 4710 9670 1375 Age 0-14 20.1% 18.7% 21.5% 22.9% 21.3% 18.6% 17.1% 19.6% 18.5% Age 15-24 16.2% 15.7% 16.5% 15.8% 15.4% 15.4% 18.6% 16.2% 14.2% Age 25 - 54 36.7% 34.1% 38.2% 39.6% 35.3% 33.6% 36.2% 37.2% 34.2% Age 55-64 10.4% 11.9% 10.6% 10.0% 10.7% 10.7% 10.4% 10.0% 10.9% Age 65+ 16.6% 19.7% 13.3% 11.6% 17.3% 21.7% 17.7% 16.9% 22.2% Adapted from Statistics Canada. Census of Canada, 1986, 2001.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 11

2.0 Methodology

Six phases made up this project:

Phase One: Establish a Working Committee on Population Issues

A committee with County-wide representation was selected to work with the Rural and Small Town Programme to provide advice and guidance throughout the project. Committee members were also responsible for raising awareness about population issues in the region.

Phase Two: Assess Economic Development and Labour Force Development Needs and Economic Opportunities

A key driver of interest in repopulation issues is the need for a sustained workforce that is able to meet the labour force needs of the business community. A related interest is in people who can start new businesses or who can purchase and expand existing businesses. Immigrants and entrepreneurial young people can fit both of these. Thus there is a need to assess economic development and labour force development opportunities.

The following steps were completed: • review of existing CREDA and partner studies and data which identified business development opportunities; • completion of a commercial mix analysis by reviewing the existing inventory/database of businesses to identify potential business opportunities; • identification of labour force needs through a review of the CREDA labour force/skills study, with a particular emphasis on looking for skills gaps and total labour force shortages.

Phase Three: Youth Retention and Attraction

Youth are the present and future of the region and its communities. Youth who stay, and those who move away and may want to come back will want to be assured that there are services and opportunities for them to have a productive quality of life.

The following steps were completed: • review of existing CREDA and partner studies and data which identify youth issues; • assessment of the range and quality of available services, including health, education, and social which will be of interest and concern for youth in the region; • youth focus groups at each of the County high schools as well as the Springhill campus of Nova Scotia Community College; • interviews with high school administrators about their alumni programs and possibilities for contacting former students and providing them with information about opportunities in the region.

Phase Four: Immigration Strategy

Immigrants can also play a role in the future repopulation of the region. However, there needs to be a healthy discussion in the county about the feasibility of attracting immigrants, establishing a welcoming, and setting targets and objectives.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 13 The following steps were completed: • an inventory of the existing cultural groups and services in the county, their capacity for providing services to immigrants, and identification of the gaps; • a review of the new NS Immigration Strategy and its various programs, with a view to assessing their relevance and use in the county; • identification of potential for school-based cultural awareness programs which will be a key part of becoming a welcoming community; • presentation by Nova Scotia Office of Immigration official to the working committee to explain the variety of options and programs available.

Phase Five: Profile of Successful Repopulation Efforts (case studies)

RSTP developed brief summaries of successful repopulation efforts in four other rural communities/regions in Canada. These were identified in consultation with the Rural Secratariat and others with knowledge of these successful places. The purpose of the case studies was to learn about the key elements which led to their success in attracting immigrants and/or retaining or attracting youth.

Phase Six: Strategy and Action Plan

The results of the various activities were incorporated into a strategy and action plan.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 14 3.0 Cumberland County Immigration and Migration Profile

In this section we briefly summarize what is known about the characteristics of the immigrant population in Cumberland County based on the 2001 census (the most current data available). We also examine the characteristics of migration in recent years, into and out of the County, based on Statistics Canada taxfiler data for the 1999-2004 period.

3.1 Immigration Profile

Table 2 shows immigrant status by place of birth. There were 810 immigrants in the County in 2001. Most reside in Amherst (200) and in the northern part of the County (Subdivisions C and D - 380). An additional 5200 County residents were born outside of Nova Scotia. For Subdivision boundaries, see page 11.

Table 2: Immigrant Status by Place of Birth, 2001

Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Parrsboro Springhill Amherst Oxford Co. Co. Co. Co. Co. Subd Subd Subd Subd A B C D Total 31715 2445 4015 5165 4285 1515 3755 9255 1285 population Non- 30905 2395 3945 5005 4060 1490 3705 9055 1260 immigrant population Born in 25705 2090 3330 3990 3470 1300 3185 7240 1095 province of residence Born 5200 305 185 1015 590 185 520 1810 160 outside province of residence Adapted from: Immigrant Status and Place of Birth of Respondent (21), Sex (3) and Age Groups (7B) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data - Cat. No. 95F0357XCB2001006.

Most of the immigrants in the County now have Canadian citizenship. Table 3 shows that as of 2001 there were 245 immigrants who had “citizenship other than Canadian.” Most of the these were in the northern part of the County and in Amherst.

Table 3: Population by Citizenship, 2001

Cumb. Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Parrsboro Springhill Amherst Oxford Co. Co. Co. Co. Co. Subd Subd Subd Subd A B C D Total 31715 2445 4010 5160 4285 1515 3755 9255 1285 population Canadian 31465 2435 3985 5115 4180 1510 3755 9215 1275 citizenship Citizenship 245 10 30 45 105 0 0 45 10 other than Canadian Adapted from: Immigrant Status and Place of Birth of Respondent (21), Sex (3) and Age Groups (7B) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data - Cat. No. 95F0357XCB2001006.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 15 More than half of the immigrants in Cumberland County have come from the United Kingdom and the United States (430 of 800). The other primary countries of origin, as noted in Table 4, include the Netherlands and Germany. Very small numbers - 25 or fewer each - have come from 10 other countries. Most of these came from other European countries, while very few came from Asian countries (35 plus perhaps a few within “all other places”). These findings suggest that there may be some potential to build on existing European source countries while boosting total numbers from Asian countries.

Table 4: Immigrants by Selected Places of Birth, 2001

Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Parrsboro Springhill Amherst Oxford Co Co Co Co Co Subd Subd Subd Subd A B C D Total 800 45 65 160 225 25 50 190 25 immigrants United 245 15 10 70 55 10 20 70 0 Kingdom United 185 0 0 35 60 20 15 35 10 States Netherlands 90 0 15 10 45 0 0 10 10 Germany 85 0 30 15 20 0 0 20 0 Poland 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 0 Ireland, 20 0 0 15 0 10 0 0 0 Republic of (EIRE) Pakistan 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 Mexico 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hong Kong 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 India 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 France 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lebanon 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hungary 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Switzerland 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 All other 80 15 0 20 30 0 0 15 0 places Non- 15 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 permanent residents Place of Birth of Respondent (16), Sex (3) and Period of Immigration (8) for Immigrant Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data - Cat. No. 95F0358XCB2001006.

Almost half of the immigrants presently living in the County arrived prior to 1971 (385 of 795 for whom there is information about their period of arrival). Relatively few - only 85 - arrived in the period of 1991-2001 (Table 5). In recent years the County has not been a destination for very many immigrants. Those who have recently arrived have settled mostly in the northern part of the County and in Amherst. Virtually no immigrants settled in Parrsboro and Springhill in the 1981-2001 period (there may have been a small number - less than 10 per decade - but there is data suppression for fewer than 10). These findings suggest that there is a need to make potential immigrants aware of the possibilities offered by the County as a place to settle.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 16 Table 5: Immigrant Population by Period of Immigration, 2001

Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Parrsboro Springhill Amherst Oxford Co Co Co Co Co Subd Subd Subd Subd A B C D Total 795 50 70 160 225 30 50 195 25 immigrant population Before 1961 270 40 20 45 70 10 15 65 10 1961 - 1970 115 0 10 40 20 0 15 30 0 1971 - 1980 200 10 15 30 90 20 15 10 15 1981 - 1990 125 0 20 35 10 0 0 55 0 1991 - 1995 40 0 0 0 15 0 0 20 10 1996 - 2001 45 10 0 10 30 0 0 10 0 Adapted from: Place of Birth of Respondent (16), Sex (3) and Age at Immigration (5) for Immigrant Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data - Cat. No. 95F0359XCB2001006.

The immigrant population has been relatively young when it arrived in Cumberland County. Looking at all 800 immigrants residing in the County in 2001, about 40% where less than 20 years old when they arrived in the County (Table 6). By comparison, only 23.5% of the general population of the County was less than 20 years of age in 2001. Clearly, there is strong evidence that when immigrants arrive, they arrive as a family and provide a much needed boost to the youth population of the County. This is a positive element to ensure that there is a sufficient population to warrant keeping the rural schools in the area open to meet the needs of the younger population and their families.

Table 6: Immigrant Population by Age at Immigration, 2001

Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Cumb Parrsboro Springhill Amherst Oxford Co Co Co Co Co Subd Subd Subd Subd A B C D Total 800 45 65 160 225 30 50 195 25 immigrant population 0 - 4 years 125 0 10 30 40 0 10 45 0 5 - 19 years 190 10 10 30 55 15 10 55 0 20 years 480 35 50 100 130 15 35 95 20 and over Adapted from: Place of Birth of Respondent (16), Sex (3) and Age at Immigration (5) for Immigrant Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data - Cat. No. 95F0359XCB2001006.

3.2 Migration Profile

Our Canadian and North American societies are very mobile and are becoming increasingly so with improvements in transportation networks and the globalization of the economy. Cumberland County is no different. As Table 7 shows, in the five year period 1999-2004 just over 5,000 people moved to Cumberland County while almost 5,500 moved out of Cumberland County, for a net loss of 451 people. The most common source of new residents in the County is other parts of Nova Scotia (2,333 people moved from elsewhere in NS to the County in that period). New Brunswick, Ontario, and Alberta are also important sources of new residents. In addition, 83 immigrants arrived

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 17 in this area in the 1999-2004 period. This is an encouraging number because only 85 arrived in the 1991-2001 period (Table 5).

However, it is important to note that the same four provinces are also the major draw of County residents who are moving out. Perhaps more alarming is the fact that 72 people who were born outside of Canada (immigrants) moved from Cumberland County in the 1999-2004 period. That represents close to 10% of the total number of immigrants at the time of the 2001 census (approximately 800). This suggests that perhaps the County is doing a good job of “retention” (above the 70% target for retention set by the province). At the same time, however, there are challenges associated with retention and this may be an important issue to consider if more immigrants arrive in the coming years.

Table 7: Net Migration, Cumberland County, 1999-2004

Arriving in Cumberland Leaving Cumberland Net NL 151 107 44 PEI 145 189 -44 NS 2333 2433 -100 NB 944 1269 -325 QC 68 31 37 ON 710 675 35 MB 35 57 -22 SK 64 29 35 AB 310 396 -86 BC 156 155 1 North 31 68 -37 International 83 72 11 Total 5030 5481 -451 Adapted from: Statistics Canada, Small Area and Administrative Data Division. Table A: Migration Estimates by Province of Origin\Destination, 1999-2000 to 2003-2004. 91C0025. February 2006.

There are also some key counties and regions within Canada that are important sources of new residents for the County. Table 8 shows that Halifax County, Colchester County, and Westmorland County (NB) - which includes the Greater Moncton area - are the three largest sources of new residents. There are large influxes of people from provincial and national capital city regions - Halifax, Toronto, Charlottetown (Queens County PEI), Edmonton (Division No 11 AB), Fredericton (York County NB), Ottawa, and St. John’s (Division No 1 NL).

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 18 Table 8: Top 20 Sources of New Residents, Cumberland County, 1999-2004

CD# County/Division Province Leaving Arriving in Net Cumberland Cumberland 1209 Halifax County NS 1055 961 -94 1210 Colchester County NS 668 579 -89 1307 Westmorland County NB 724 494 -230 1207 Kings County NS 122 182 60 3520 Toronto Division ON 82 140 58 1212 Pictou County NS 157 126 -31 4806 Division No. 6 AB 111 123 12 1208 Hants County NS 91 108 17 1306 Albert County NB 99 89 -10 1217 Cape Breton County NS 94 79 -15 1305 Kings County NB 60 78 18 1102 Queens County PEI 125 77 -48 4811 Division No. 11 AB 92 76 -16 1310 York County NB 118 68 -50 3506 Ottawa Division ON 57 65 8 3521 Peel Regional Municipality ON 65 60 -5 1206 Lunenburg County NS 49 59 10 1001 Division No. 1 NL 36 57 21 1301 Saint John County NB 82 56 -26 1103 Prince County PEI 50 55 5 Adapted from: Statistics Canada, Small Area and Administrative Data Division. Table D: Migration Estimates-Major Flows by Origin\Destination, 1999-2000 to 2003-2004. 91C0025. February 2006.

Most of the people who leave Cumberland County are heading to places elsewhere in the Maritimes, as shown in Table 9. Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Mississauga, and Ottawa are also leading destinations for people - especially youth - leaving the County.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 19 Table 9: Top 20 Destinations of Migrants from Cumberland County, 1999-2004

CD# County/Division Province Leaving Arriving in Net Cumberland Cumberland 1209 Halifax County NS 1055 961 -94 1307 Westmorland County NB 724 494 -230 1210 Colchester County NS 668 579 -89 1212 Pictou County NS 157 126 -31 1102 Queens County PEI 125 77 -48 1207 Kings County NS 122 182 60 1310 York County NB 118 68 -50 4806 Division No. 6 AB 111 123 12 1306 Albert County NB 99 89 -10 1217 Cape Breton County NS 94 79 -15 4811 Division No. 11 AB 92 76 -16 1208 Hants County NS 91 108 17 3520 Toronto Division ON 82 140 58 1301 Saint John County NB 82 56 -26 1303 Sunbury County NB 81 21 -60 3521 Peel Regional Municipality ON 65 60 -5 1305 Kings County NB 60 78 18 3506 Ottawa Division ON 57 65 8 1103 Prince County PEI 50 55 5 1206 Lunenburg County NS 49 59 10 Adapted from: Statistics Canada, Small Area and Administrative Data Division. Table D: Migration Estimates-Major Flows by Origin\Destination, 1999-2000 to 2003-2004. 91C0025. February 2006.

There is a considerable issue related to migration and age. The County lost 600 more people than it gained in the key 18-24 age category in the 1999-2004 period. By contrast, the County gained 300 more people than it lost in the 45-64 age category (Table 10). This latter age group typically has few or no youth with them when they move - they are early retirees or they have older teenagers who themselves are ready to move out of the household. One positive note is that a total of 1751 adults age 25-44 moved into the County in this time period. These figures suggest that a concerted effort is needed to identify doable and workable strategies to attract and retain young adults and young families.

Table 10: Age of Migrants, Cumberland County, 1999-2004

In-migrants Out-migrants Net-migrants 1999-2004 1999-2004 1999-2004 0-17 years 1160 1149 11 18-24 years 765 1368 -603 25-44 years 1751 1819 -68 45-64 years 1021 719 302 65+ years 333 426 -93 Total 5030 5481 -451 Adapted from: Statistics Canada, Small Area and Administrative Data Division. Table A: Migration by Age Group, 1999-2000 to 2003-2004. 91C0025. February 2006.

Generally speaking, when people move to Cumberland County they earn incomes that are slightly higher than they earned the year before in their former place of residence. For example, looking at all migrants arriving in Cumberland County in 2003, they earned, on average, $17,100 in 2002 in their former place of residence, and earned $17,600 in 2003, mostly as a result of their arrival

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 20 in Cumberland County (Table 11). The opposite is true for people leaving - they tend to earn more money (about $1,600 each on average) in the year after they leave Cumberland County.

Table 11: Median Income of Migrants, Cumberland County, 2002-2003

Arriving in Cumberland Leaving Cumberland Median income Median income Median income Median income 2002 2003 2002 2003 NL 0 0 0 0 PEI 0 0 0 0 NS 15500 16000 14800 16000 NB 17500 17300 13500 15000 QC 0 0 0 0 ON 20800 19100 17400 18800 MB 0 0 0 0 SK 0 0 0 0 AB 21000 19400 15100 20600 BC 19700 24400 14400 18600 Net Migrants 17100 17600 15100 16700 International 0 0 0 0 Note: 0=data suppression by Statistics Canada due to small sample size. Adapted from: Statistics Canada, Small Area and Administrative Data Division. Table E: Median Income of Migrant Taxfilers; Migration Years 2003-2004, Income Years 2002 and 2003. 91C0025. February 2006.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 21

4.0 Economic Outlook

4.1 Labour Force/Human Resources

Businesses need to think longer-term in terms of human resources planning. Even though area businesses have not yet experienced difficulty in retaining employees, industry reports indicate there will be skills shortages in many occupational groups. Business owners should begin thinking 3 - 5 years ahead by working with the business community and possibly Chambers of Commerce to offer talks and presentations on labour market changes and projections as well as productivity as a business and management issue.

4.2 Business Profile

There are more than 1700 registered businesses in Cumberland County (as of December, 2003), and 617 of these (almost one-third) are located in Amherst. Agriculture and other primary industries, retail trade, construction, services (mostly personal services such as hairdressing and repair services), and transportation/warehousing are the five most important business sectors by number of businesses (Table 12). These five sectors represent half of all businesses. In Amherst itself retail trade, services, real estate, construction, and health care/social services are the most prevalent; together they represent 54% of all businesses in Amherst. This mix is not surprising given Amherst’s role as a regional service centre for the County.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 23 Table 12: Number and Distribution by NAICS Type of All Registered Businesses, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003

Cumberland County Amherst Number Percent Number Percent Business 1771 100 617 100 11 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 339 19 18 3 44-45 - Retail Trade 248 14 108 18 23 - Construction 184 10 54 9 81 - Other Services (except Public Administration) 154 9 57 9 48-49 - Transportation and Warehousing 110 6 21 3 62 - Health Care and Social Assistance 93 5 54 9 54 - Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 88 5 42 7 53 - Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 86 5 56 9 31-33 - Manufacturing 85 5 34 6 72 - Accommodation and Food Services 82 5 30 5 41 - Wholesale Trade 78 4 31 5 52 - Finance and Insurance 63 4 33 5 56 - Admin. and Support, Waste Mngmnt, Remediation 53 3 28 5 71 - Arts, Entertainment and Recreation 38 2 11 2 55 - Management of Companies and Enterprises 34 2 23 4 61 - Educational Services 13 1 7 1 51 - Information and Cultural Industries 12 1 7 1 91 - Public Administration 7 0 2 0 21 - Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction 4 0 1 0 22 - Utilities 0 0 0 0 NAICS refers to the North American Industry Classification System. The two-digit code identifies the general sector; and each business is assigned a six-digit code for the purpose of further classification and grouping. Amherst data is a subset of Cumberland data (ex. 108 of 248 retail trade businesses are located in Amherst). Retail trade data not available for other municipalities in the County due to data suppression. Adapted from: Custom tabulations from Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2006.

Looking specifically at the retail trade sector, there are 11 sub-categories of business activity. The most important in terms of total number of businesses in the County include food and beverage stores, miscellaneous retailers (florists, office supplies stores, used merchandise stores, etc.), motor vehicle and parts dealers, gas stations, and building materials and related stores (Table 13). However, in Amherst the most important are food and beverage stores, clothing stores, miscellaneous retailers, motor vehicle and parts dealers and non-store retailers (such as electronic shopping and mail-order houses). It is important to note, however, that department stores such as Wal-Mart, Zellers, Canadian Tire, and others, each of which carry a broad range of goods, are found within NAICS code 452 General Merchandise Stores - of which there are 13 in the County and six within Amherst.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 24 Table 13: Retail Trade Mix, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003

Cumberland County Amherst Business Number Percent Number Percent 44-45 - All Retail Trade 248 100 108 100 445 - Food and Beverage Stores 54 22 17 16 453 - Miscellaneous Store Retailers 30 12 12 11 441 - Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers 29 12 11 10 447 - Gasoline Stations 26 10 9 8 444 - Building Material, Garden Equipment and Supplies 23 9 9 8 446 - Health and Personal Care Stores 19 8 8 7 448 - Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores 19 8 14 13 454 - Non-Store Retailers 15 6 10 9 452 - General Merchandise Stores 13 5 6 6 442 - Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores 7 3 3 3 443 - Electronics and Appliance Stores 7 3 6 6 451 - Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book and Music Stores 6 2 3 3 Adapted from: Custom tabulations from Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2006.

A further analysis within the retail sector shows that almost all of the food and beverage stores are in fact grocery stores (Table 14). There may be opportunities in the County to develop more specialty food stores, especially if there is an effort to attract a more culturally diverse population. Used merchandise stores play a large part of the commercial mix as well. There are very few automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores in the area. There is also only one shoe store and one book store.

Table 14: Retail Trade Mix, Selected Retail Sub-Categories, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003

Business Cumberland County Amherst 445 - Food and Beverage Stores 54 17 4451 - Grocery Stores 49 16 4452 - Specialty Food Stores 5 1 453 - Miscellaneous Store Retailers 30 12 4531 - Florists 4 1 4532 - Office Supplies, Stationery and Gift Stores 6 1 4533 - Used Merchandise Stores 10 6 4539 - Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers 10 4 441 - Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers 29 11 4411 - Automobile Dealers 22 8 4412 - Other Motor Vehicle Dealers 4 1 4413 - Automotive Parts, Accessories and Tire Stores 3 2 448 - Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores 19 14 4481 - Clothing Stores 13 9 4482 - Shoe Stores 1 1 4483 - Jewellery, Luggage and Leather Goods Stores 5 4 451 - Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book and Music Stores 6 3 4511 - Sporting Goods, Hobby and Musical Instrument Stores 5 2 4512 - Book, Periodical and Music Stores 1 1 Adapted from: Custom tabulations from Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2006.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 25 The retail sales data shows a very similar pattern to the number and type of businesses (Table 15). There was just over a quarter billion dollars in retail sales for the entire County in 2003, with most of this (81%) occurring in Amherst. Grocery stores and motor vehicle dealers accounted for a larger portion of the sales. General merchandise stores (at more than $30 million) and health/personal care stores (at more than $25 million) were also important.

Table 15: Retail Sales, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2003

Cumberland County Amherst Description Sales-$ Locations Sales-$ Locations All Retail 282,138,520 157 228,465,451 99 44 - Retail(1) 245,196,838 127 196,823,126 80 445 - Food and Beverage Stores 94,308,236 36 74,086,011 20 441 - Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers 89,503,838 17 83,039,203 12 446 - Health and Personal Care Stores 25,622,286 15 15,229,902 9 447 - Gasoline Stations 15,634,549 18 10,779,563 9 448 - Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores 7,753,782 19 X X 444 - Building Materials, Garden Equipment 7,629,798 11 X X 442 - Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores 2,477,159 6 X X 443 - Electronics and Appliance Stores 2,267,190 5 2,267,190 5 45 - Retail(2) 36,941,682 30 31,642,325 19 452 - General Merchandise Stores 30,579,375 10 26,093,108 5 451 - Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book& Music Stores X X X X 453 - Miscellaneous Store Retailers X X X X X = suppressed data Amherst data is a subset of Cumberland data (ex: 12 of the 17 Motor Vehicle businesses in Cumberland are located in Amherst) Adapted from: Custom tabulations from Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Patterns, June 2006.

Household expenditure estimates1 for 2005 suggest that residents of Cumberland County and Amherst made expenditures far in excess of the sales estimated for 2003 in the County and in Amherst (Table 16) for a number of key retail sectors. For example, more than $27 million was spent on clothing, but sales were estimated at just over $8 million in clothing stores. However, it is important to recognize that some clothing purchases would have been made in general merchandise stores such as Wal-Mart and Zellers. A similar observation could be made related to household furnishings and equipment, with just over $20 million in purchases compared to less than $5 million in sales (plus whatever would have been sold in general merchandise stores). Although it is difficult to estimate with a high degree of accuracy the total retail leakage from the County to other locations (notably Greater Moncton and possibly the Truro and Halifax areas), it is likely that there may be further retail opportunities to satisfy local demand.

1The estimates are developed by Statistics Canada using a program called PCCensus. his database provides an estimate of the total dollars spent and average household expenditure on hundreds of items ranging from shelter to pet food and appliances to sporting events. Modeled for small areas by Compusearch's methodologists, the CSP Database is derived from the most recently available Statistics Canada's Family Expenditure Survey (FAMEX) National Recall Survey, Statistics Canada's Food Expenditure Survey, Compusearch's PSYTE segmentation system and current estimates of households and household income.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 26 Table 16: Household Expenditure Estimates, Cumberland County and Amherst, 2005

Expenditure Category Cumberland County Amherst Transportation $94,615,500 $45,491,200 Food purchased from stores $61,404,800 $29,718,700 Recreation $41,018,620 $19,924,360 Household operation $34,952,530 $16,806,550 Clothing $27,549,430 $13,546,120 Household furnishings and equipment $20,164,640 $9,517,130 Tobacco products and alcoholic beverages $19,370,280 $9,738,490 Food purchased from restaurants $18,927,720 $10,225,360 Health care $17,419,290 $8,558,070 Personal care $11,298,190 $5,667,200 Miscellaneous expenditures $9,583,060 $4,713,400 Education $8,745,890 $4,511,590 Reading materials and other printed matter $3,233,320 $1,661,260 Total $368,283,270 $180,079,430 Adapted from: Statistics Canada estimates of household expenditures, PCCensus, 2005.

This brief analysis of the retail mix and household expenditures suggests that there may be new business development opportunities for immigrants and for youth/young adults choosing to settle in the area. More work beyond the scope of this report/action plan is required to document and quantify the specific new business development opportunities which could be 'marketed' to residents and others interested in starting a business in the County.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 27

5.0 Youth Retention and Attraction

Youth out-migration is common to all types of communities - urban and rural, remote and metro- adjacent. Young people leave their communities for a variety of reasons - some to seek employment, some to further their education, and some to “see the world.” Once they leave, they find it difficult to return, believing there are better opportunities in larger centres. The challenge for rural communities is to make their communities attractive to young people, especially once they start a family and are looking for alternatives to large centres.

Strategies of several Atlantic projects aimed at addressing the youth out-migration issue have focused on two related activities: those which will keep young people from moving away, and those which will attract young people back shortly after they have completed their post-secondary education. Examples of one of these projects, Programme Entrepreneurship - Régional, Communautaire et Économique (PERCÉ) in Prince Edward Island, as well as a case study of youth out-migration from Haileybury, Ontario and region are summarized in Appendix A.

5.1 Youth Out-Migration in Cumberland County

The Cumberland Youth Retention Strategy, released in April 2005, identifies several issues related to youth out-migration and retention: 1. In 2001, 3740 people in Cumberland County were between the ages of 15 - 24, only 11.4% of the total population. 2. Fully 50% of youth out-migrate from Cumberland County. 3. The total population of the 20 - 34 age workforce reduced by 28% between the years 1991 - 2001. Continuation of that trend could have devastating effects on the local area. The Strategy identified that youth leave Cumberland County for various reasons, some of which are education; the feeling that the “grass is greener on the other side;” as a natural part of growing up; cultural attainment; and for employment. Education opportunities are abundant in larger centres, as are recreational and lifestyle choices. Jobs are more plentiful and offer higher wages than jobs in rural areas. Debt loads built up from student loans, etc. are easier to pay off with higher paying jobs in more urban areas.

5.2 Cumberland County Youth Input

Focus groups were convened with students at each of the area high schools (Advocate District High; Amherst Regional High; Oxford Regional High; Parrsboro Regional High; Pugwash District High; River Hebert District High; and Springhill Junior & Senior High) as well as at the Cumberland Campus of Nova Scotia Community College in Springhill. The young people who participated in the focus groups were very open and honest in the discussion. While providing their own views of Cumberland County as it relates to their situations, they echoed the sentiments of youth in many rural areas.

The young people were asked three broad questions: 1. What perceptions exist on why youth leave and do not return? 2. What needs to be done to encourage youth to stay in the community or to return? 3. What needs to be done to make the community more attractive so that young people will see it as a good place to settle?

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 29 Young people leave rural areas for various reasons, some of which include: job opportunities; education; social opportunities; to experience new things; to join friends who have left or are leaving; and many others. Many of the youth focus group participants indicated they would leave Cumberland County when they graduated high school, most to pursue further education. They also reiterated that a choice of life partners is limited within rural areas; many young people may discover that their choice of life partner is someone they will have met while away at university. As a couple, they may not choose to return to Cumberland County.

Cumberland County young people had high praise for their community, saying it was a good place to live and raise a family. Many said they would like to return to raise their own families at a later date. However, they identified several things which they felt were a deterrent to attracting young people: • lack of public transportation • limited daycare for single parents and young families • lack of appropriate housing choices for young professionals and young families • lack of affordable rental housing for young people • many recreational activities are within the school system and not available in the community outside of school hours • many recreational activities are geared to younger children or adults, creating a gap from ages 14 - 20 • young people who are interested in pursuing a more professional athletic career have no access to the services they need without leaving the community • few job opportunities, particularly in specialized careers • many local job opportunities are seasonal and/or low paying

Youth participants agreed that Cumberland County has a good quality of life, is safe and clean, and has a lower cost of living than urban areas. Many would like to return with their young families to the lifestyle they grew up with, where they are close to their families and are comfortable knowing their neighbours. Things like the new hospital, new schools, community centres, playgrounds, and cultural centres were all seen as positives; however, the youth strongly reiterated that even with all the positives, there would have to be employment opportunities.

There is a perception amongst young people that rural communities are being touted as retirement communities. While this is the focus in some areas, young people in Cumberland County were quite adamant in saying that attracting retirees should not be the aim of this area, wanting the County to experience business growth and the vibrancy young families can provide. The youth felt the Province should do a better job at projecting Nova Scotia as a good place to live for young people, and that rural areas could benefit from that effort.

When asked, school administrators throughout the County indicated they have no established database of former students. They lauded the effort in Colchester County to maintain a database (through the Colchester Regional Development Association) and contact former students with information packages throughout the year. They saw Colchester’s program as a definite positive to attracting young people back to the area but did not see it as a school responsibility to develop the database.

The smallest communities in the County, as can be expected in rural areas, appear to be the closest knit. Some students in the smallest schools had previously left larger schools in urban areas to get their high school education in a small local school. The choice to move away from

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 30 parents to live with grandparents or other relatives was justified by the fact that they felt teaching resources would be more one-on-one. While students in those schools indicated they preferred to get a post-secondary education, they also expressed fear about having to leave the community to go to a much larger university or college.

Resource communities focusing on sectors like the fishery or forestry tend to see more young men remain in the area, even while they recognize that these jobs are low paying and require a low education level.

Outside of established regional institutions (hospitals, schools, etc.) there are few services offered specifically for young people in rural Cumberland County (see Appendix B). There is a level of fear amongst young people in accessing some services, particularly related to mental and sexual health and addictions, because they often do not feel the service is confidential. As previously mentioned, sports activities take place largely within the schools, and except for Amherst and some in Oxford and Springhill, there is nothing offered elsewhere. Young people mentioned that often efforts to start youth activities locally are not followed through, because of lack of volunteers and/or resources.

Lack of knowledge of organizations already in Cumberland County seems to be an issue. Health and other services which exist were not well known by the young people participating in the focus groups, partly due to lack of communication. Young people did not appear to know how to access local job opportunities, and did not seem to make wide use of the internet except for personal entertainment. Participants felt social activities like theatre, sports, and dancing would be assets to help keep young people in the County and to attract young families.

In addition to social activities, shopping activities in the County are limited. Young people mentioned that they travel either to Amherst or to larger centres like Moncton or Halifax to find more selection. Parrsboro, Oxford, Springhill, and Pugwash have limited shopping areas outside of essentials, and with aging populations this is not likely to change. Some young people suggested that allowing Sunday shopping could be an additional draw for keeping them in the County.

While the youth participants agreed that attracting immigrants to the County was a good idea, they also felt that in many cases newcomers would not feel welcome. Oxford students in particular felt that because of past initiatives undertaken by the Town, newcomers would not feel comfortable settling there. Differences in religion and no availability of services dealing with cultural diversity issues were cited as being negatives in Cumberland County. Because of a lack of cultural awareness throughout the County, students felt immigrants would have a hard time adjusting. They suggested learning about different cultures should be started in elementary schools and in the communities as part of the lifelong learning process.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 31

6.0 Communities and Immigration

6.1 Cumberland County Community Input

Like the youth focus groups, community focus groups took place in the municipal areas of Cumberland County: Amherst, Oxford, Parrsboro, Springhill, and in Pugwash. Participants in these focus groups were of varying ages, occupations, backgrounds, and experiences.

The community focus groups were asked three broad questions: 1. What makes this community a good place to live in? 2. What is needed to help newcomers when they arrive in the community? 3. Are there specific groups/types of people you could be thinking of to attract to your community?

Focus group participants in the Parrsboro area recognized the value of immigration and were committed to fostering immigration in their community. However, participants across the remainder of the County saw the area as attracting retirees. They had given little thought to attracting immigrants because of (a) a real or perceived lack of jobs; or (b) a belief that there were no labour force issues, i.e. that the existing labour force is stable and that finding appropriate staff for their needs has not been an issue to date. Amherst in particular is fairly comfortable with its existing labour force and has to date had an adequate amount of workers to fill jobs. If a plant closes, a new one that opens is able to re-employ those who lost their jobs when the previous plant closed.

Although somewhat upset by it, many had resigned themselves to the fact that young people had left or were leaving their community, and that retirees were taking their place. They saw repatriation as an important issue and felt that programs to ‘bring (retired or semi-retired) people home’ should be pursued more than efforts to attract immigrants. This thinking was particularly prevalent in the Pugwash area; although the participants felt newcomers would be a positive thing, they saw immigration as an unlikely event while attracting retirees was already successful. When confronted with the issue of future employment needs in the area, they felt that having retirees provided opportunities for other kinds of employment such as in the health care field or for such occupations as contractors, electricians, carpenters, plumbers etc. to meet the housing and service needs of this group of people. Aside from repatriation, many focus group participants thought it more important to retain young people than to attract immigrants.

Across the County, participants saw their communities as quiet, safe and secure, and as good places to raise a family. They were happy with the lower cost of living and lower tax assessments, and enjoyed a good quality of life. Newcomers to the Parrsboro area chose their location because of its scenery and relaxed pace.

The County as a whole was seen as a good place to live because of its central location in the Maritimes, its location within Nova Scotia, and its proximity to major urban centres. This also provides good access to regional recreation opportunities and health care services.

Participants in both Springhill and Amherst questioned how much the community wanted to grow. While they want to maintain their businesses, they felt they do not want to see large population growth because they would like to retain their small town atmosphere. It was suggested that before communities got too involved with attracting large numbers of immigrants, they should discuss whether they wanted their population to grow and if so, by how much. They also saw growth as an additional strain on physical infrastructure which is already in need of investment.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 33 Community participants saw a need for more tradespeople in the coming years, and mentioned that there is a need for more local training in a Community College or other setting. They also said that they saw little opportunity for specialized careers or professionals requiring university degrees. To some degree, they expressed helplessness that they could not influence such decisions as hiring Doctors or specialized medical personnel.

Participants in Springhill suggested that communities could target business people who had left the local area and become successful elsewhere to either return and set up a business or establish a subsidiary of their business locally. It was felt this would not only create employment but attract newcomers to the area.

Newcomers to the Parrsboro area felt they had been welcomed by members of the community. They gave examples of assistance from real estate agents, bankers, health care staff, and neighbours who visited and brought food. There were similar examples of this in Amherst, but participants from the other communities saw a need to be more welcoming to newcomers. Everyone agreed that rural communities in general, and those throughout the County, are friendly but they also agreed that that did not mean they were welcoming. There were a number of suggestions that people felt would be good ways to become more welcoming: • involve any existing Welcome Wagons when newcomers arrive • involve other community organizations like churches • have organizations like the Lions Club, Municipal Council, Board of Trade etc. to take the lead role in creating welcoming committees and becoming mentors • use websites and radio stations to welcome newcomers • provide a resource kit to newcomers which would include extensive information about the community and contacts, as well as information about Provincial and Federal government resources, contacts, regional information etc. • establish Youth Town Councils and Town Ambassadors who would welcome newcomers and provide information • establish a central point of contact for newcomers in each community • provide a central drop-in location to network and meet others • provide affordable activities for all ages and abilities • support local businesses established by newcomers • provide customer service training in local stores so that staff would better be able to assist those who may not be familiar with products or services • appoint an Immigration Liaison person/Coordinator for committees in the communities who would help the committees become operational and provide resources • hold a welcoming reception in communities when newcomers arrive

Focus group participants reiterated that rural areas resist change and need to become more open- minded through education about different cultures and labour force/demographic trends. The fear that immigrants will take jobs away from local people still exists, and immigrants are seen as a threat. Participants agreed that being a welcoming community means you have the mechanisms in place to proact when newcomers arrive.

Although participants did not identify specific target groups to attract to the area, they did feel that wherever immigrants came from, there would be a language barrier since there is at present no available ESL training in the County. Skill sets were seen as more important to attract than specific countries. For example, people who are experienced in IT, healthcare, tradespeople, the scientific

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 34 community (for companies such as Fundy GeoThermal) were seen as primary needs. Participants also believed that those with an entrepreneurial spirit and those in the Arts community would be an asset to the County. It was suggested that communities work with their businesses to identify skill sets with an eye to identifying what types of immigrants would be best suited to the area. Many participants said the County should aim for more cultural diversity rather than target specific groups.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 35

7.0 Recommendations/Actions

There are some general observations about population change, demographics, immigration, and youth retention/attraction which apply to most rural communities. These lessons and challenges are not unique to Cumberland County or to Nova Scotia, but have been experienced in many other rural areas across the country.

7.1 General Observations about Immigration

Achieving a critical mass of immigrants increases the potential for sustained immigration flow and settlement. This critical mass doesn’t just happen, though; it requires planning and a strong local economy. Once an area has encouraged immigration and received newcomers, those numbers will have a spillover effect on surrounding areas.

Identifying and formalizing roles of the people responsible for immigration in a community and determining processes which assist in immigrant arrival, settlement and integration are crucial to the retention of newcomers in a rural area. Rural communities encounter challenges to providing appropriate services for immigrants due to issues of scale, resources and expertise. Often these services do not exist at all. Communities by and large are unaware immigrants are arriving in their area prior to their arrival and face challenges to appropriate service provision. Immigrants who cannot access services and information may not be willing to remain in the community and may move on to a more urban area where services such as contact people, available employment, credential recognition, and available housing may exist.

Both the communities of Steinbach, Manitoba and Revelstoke, British Columbia (See Appendix A) realized the value of bringing newcomers to their communities and the associated challenges. Steinbach’s immigrant search was largely driven by industry and its labour force needs and targeted to potential German immigrants since there was already an established group of Germans in place. The community learned that provision of services (language, health, education, etc.) was paramount and set up a separate agency to deal with those issues. They realized that immigrants bring complex and unpredictable needs and that the community needs strong leadership and cooperation to welcome newcomers. Steinbach worked toward more interaction between the settled community and immigrants to make their community more welcoming for everyone, boost their labour force and retain immigrants.

Labour force needs and population trends were also a driving force for Revelstoke to consider immigration. The community did not work from a core group of previously settled immigrants, but looked at ways of attracting immigrants and what was necessary in the community to retain them. They wanted to show their community as an attractive place to live, and realized that much time and willpower has to be expended in the community before immigrants arrive. This includes: getting the community on board; having the community assess its ability to provide for newcomers’ needs; provision of ESL services; and the need for a strong link with government and other agencies through whom the message of an attractive community and the need for immigrants gets out. Revelstoke learned that immigration is not a quick fix solution and takes a lot of preparation in the community to make it attractive and welcoming before newcomers arrive.

Immigration strategies should be planned with an eye to the long-term. Communities will be much more successful in attracting and retaining immigrants if they are proactive in determining what the

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 37 issues in settlement and integration are as well as immigrants’ needs prior to their arrival. Both immigrants and communities have expectations which need to be addressed.

Jobs are crucial to attracting and retaining immigrants. It is important to identify some of the challenges around employment for newcomers, like language barriers, credential recognition, availability of suitable employment, etc.

While the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a valuable tool for businesses, the wait between a signing offer and the immigrant’s arrival can be discouraging for some businesses (See Appendix C). Rural areas may want to take a closer look at the Community Identified stream as a means to assist local businesses.

Friends and family ties are still major drawing cards for immigrants. Contacts made with visits and information sessions by governments or consultants can increase the likelihood of immigration. Immigrants then identify with a person or group of people upon their arrival, making their settlement process a little easier. Connections with friends, family or such things as one’s own linguistic, cultural or religious community helps to retain immigrants.

7.2 General Observations about Youth Retention and Attraction

Young people leave rural communities for various reasons related to lifestyles: pursuance of education, search for better job opportunities, to “see the world,” experience new things, broaden their social experiences, and so on. In many cases, youth feel they only get negative attention in their rural communities. Negative adult attitudes influence negative youth attitudes; if youth are told there is no future for them locally, they look elsewhere. When young people see no opportunities for them in their communities, they leave to pursue other avenues.

Many communities have set up programs to try to retain more of their youth and to attract those who have left. In Haileybury, ON (See Appendix A), one solution was to use industry incentives such as scholarships and guaranteed employment to help maintain connections with students when they leave for post-secondary education and make returning to the community much easier. Western Prince Edward Island’s PERCÉ program (See Appendix A) aims to find 10 young people each year who are under 30; have completed or are in the process of completing post-secondary education; and are francophone and originally born in PEI. These young people are given a week of orientation, then placed in a business, organization, or government office in their field of study for a work placement lasting 10 - 12 weeks. The main objective of this internship is to give the trainees the opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge required in their chosen career. It is the hope that this internship will lead to the young people remaining in PEI for employment.

Youth attraction needs to be based within economic development, social service and education systems to have a widespread and lasting effect. It is good to encourage young people to go out and spread their wings, but also to make it possible for them to come home again when they are ready. There are several things which make coming home attractive to young people: the belief that the community cares and supports them; economic opportunity; and quality of life - good schools, health care, recreation. (Schroeder, 2004) Communities that can help address issues of how to start a family business or take over from an existing business will be attractive to young people. Even though there are opportunities elsewhere for young people, many will want to return to the community that was home to them if the social and economic climate is right.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 38 7.3 Recommendations and Actions for Cumberland County

Several issues emerged from the community and high school focus group meetings, and from other sources. Not surprisingly for rural areas, the most prominent areas which citizens saw as lacking when connected to immigration were: education; youth attraction; settlement services for immigrants; social supports; and infrastructure. In many cases, these issues are intertwined and will overlap when put into practice.

Cultural Awareness/Education For the purposes of this project, education can be broken down into three categories: • within the community • at the elementary/junior high school level • at the high school and post-secondary level

Within each community in Cumberland County, there is a lack of cultural diversity and general awareness of different cultures. The Cultural Assessment Overview table below illustrates some of the issues discussed in the various focus groups with respect to immigration.

Cultural Assessment Overview

Strengths Challenges/Gaps • communities in Cumberland County are • no multi-cultural organization or services generally friendly to newcomers • limited number of people from visible • youth in the County have the opportunity minorities; very uni-dimensional County to go on exchange trips • lack of diversity across the County and • exchange students from other countries within communities creates difficulties in spend time in Cumberland County developing open-minded views • small communities present the opportunity • race/cultural issues exist for people to get to know others more • no anti-racism program quickly than in urban areas • limited ethnic food choices • language and cultural differences • no ESL training available • some people view immigrants as a threat • minimal opportunity for immigrants to attend religious services in their faith

Recommended Actions

1. Establish a multi-cultural organization to serve Cumberland County. This organization would help to educate citizens on cultural awareness; host events to introduce citizens to diverse cultures; create a social space where immigrants would learn about other cultures; work with the school system to introduce issues and events around diverse cultures, etc.

2. Work through government and employment agencies as well as workplaces to alleviate the issue that immigrants are “taking jobs away from local people.” People need to see that because of the aging population and the falling birth rate, there are not as many available local workers as there previously have been and that newcomers are a good solution to these

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 39 issues. It is important to convey clear information about immigration processes, demographics, and to combat criticisms that “immigrants steal our jobs” or “immigrants drive up housing prices.”

Throughout the community and youth focus groups, there was a feeling that cultural education should begin with children. Examples from other communities show that children who are exposed to many different cultural experiences are more likely to be accepting and welcoming to newcomers. Further, when children learn about different cultures, their parents and families learn by extension. As Cumberland County experiences issues of an aging population and declining population, awareness of cultural issues learned as a child will help the County to become more open to having newcomers live and work there.

Recommended Actions

1. Work with the Nova Scotia Department of Education and the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board to introduce issues of cultural diversity to children in elementary and junior high schools.

2. Work with immigrants already in the area to be guests at area schools to expose children to cultural diversity.

3. Work to set up displays and hold events at local libraries (readings, crafts, etc.) and other public buildings so that both children and adults will have the opportunity to learn about other cultures.

4. Work with established immigrants to host community events during which children and adults can learn about foods, customs, etc. This may involve local Historical Societies, churches, etc. who could show how newcomers to the area have become an integral part of local society over the years. This kind of event could be built into existing festivals and community celebrations.

5. Work toward establishing ESL training throughout the County. It was suggested in some focus groups that ESL instructors could be, for example, retired teachers acting on a volunteer basis. A regional strategy may address this gap but the service must remain consistent at the community level, i.e. it must meet local needs. A regional strategy to provide ESL to Russian speaking immigrants would not meet local needs if local newcomers were Spanish speaking.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 40 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Cultural Awareness

Establish a multi-cultural Immediate An organization which CANSA CANSA, organization would be instrumental established in creating a immigrants in the welcoming County, MISA, atmosphere for CREDA, MANS newcomers and a link between communities. This group could promote cultural diversity and awareness

Combat “taking jobs away Ongoing Increased profile of CREDA Communities, NS from local people” thinking local businesses and Office of their needs into the Immigration, CIC, future, and how CREDA, Media, immigration might Chambers of benefit businesses Commerce and communities

Introduce cultural diversity Ongoing Increased positive Chignecto NS Dept. of learning to elementary & attitudes toward -Central Education, Youth, middle schools immigration and a School CANSA, more welcoming Board, Chignecto-Central com munity multi- School Board, cultural multi-cultural groups groups

Invite settled immigrants to Ongoing A cultural awareness Multi- NS Dept of become involved in school in young people as cultural Education, local programs part of tolerance and groups schools, Youth, acceptance CANSA, multi- cultural groups

Establish ESL training Long-term A core group of CREDA NS Office of throughout County teachers which would Immigration, expand with immigrant communities, NS needs Teachers’ Unions, NS Dept. of Education

Set up displays and host Ongoing Increased profile of Multi- Multi-cultural events about cultural immigrants and the cultural groups, diversity in local libraries benefits they bring to groups Communities, etc. communities Media, Libraries, Churches

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 41 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Cultural Awareness

Hold community events in Ongoing A welcoming Multi- Multi-cultural which citizens interact with community that cultural groups, settled immigrants to learn recognizes the groups Communities, about different cultures importance of Media, CANSA, immigrants’ Youth, Canadian contributions to the Heritage region’s economic and social growth

Youth Retention

The Education Services Overview table below outlines some of the strengths and challenges faced by high schools and post-secondary institutions. This table refers primarily to youth retention and attraction issues, although youth participants did feel that becoming educated about different cultures was important to them. Except for the Parrsboro area they did not, however, feel that immigrants would feel very welcome in Cumberland County. Students in both Amherst and Oxford in particular felt that immigrants would not feel welcome in their communities.

Educational Services Overview - High School/Post-secondary

Strengths Challenges/Gaps • very good, rounded education with small • resources are limited because of small class sizes size • opportunity for interaction with teachers • classes are focused on an “academic” and the community education with little opportunity to get • opportunities for exchange trips involved with the trades • opportunity to get to know students who • little opportunity for youth to interact with are from other cultures adults outside of school programs • minimal choices locally for post-secondary education • minimal contact with the community once young people have left

Recommended Actions

1. Encourage Guidance Counselors to interact more with students about career choices. Youth focus group participants indicated that while there is information in their Guidance Counselors’ offices about post-secondary choices (university calendars, etc.), they do not feel it is well communicated. Students also felt that more information should be provided on education in trade occupations.

2. Work with the Nova Scotia Community College system and other post-secondary institutions

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 42 to offer a wider variety of career choices locally. While the available choices offered at NSCC Springhill have become more diverse in recent years, and the opening of a business school satellite in Amherst is seen as a positive thing, both community and youth participants saw the need for more training of skilled workers in such trades as plumbing, electrical, and carpentry. Offering these locally would keep young people in the County as well as encourage them to apprentice and perhaps set up their own businesses in the area.

3. Show students how to access information on careers as well as job choices. While young people are proficient at using the internet for various purposes, they need to know how to access and navigate government websites, other job search sites, information to help them with career choices, etc. Providing local information would be helpful in showing young people what is available in the local area which they may not have been aware of. It also creates an opportunity for young people to learn about becoming entrepreneurs.

4. Expand career fairs which are held at local high schools. Students stated that there was little information about local companies able to offer employment and career choices during recently held career fairs. Including local companies would assist them to match their employment needs with youth as well as to provide youth with options which may allow them to stay at home to work.

5. Develop a program similar to that used in Colchester County in which a database of young people is maintained. It would then be possible to contact young people away from home via mail or email. In this way, young people would be kept aware of employment opportunities in Cumberland County as well as events taking place. This kind of communication makes young people more aware of their local area and they feel they are valued “at home.” This could be a co-operative action between CREDA and the schools. Resources and a staff person would need to be put in place.

6. Create other organizations in Cumberland County like Parrsboro’s Youth Town Council. The Youth Town Council’s objectives are: • to act as a voice for youth in Parrsboro - represent youth on various issues on town committees as well as through organized events and other opportunities where a youth perspective is needed • to be an active, visible organization - promote youth and the council, as well as effect change through positive actions and contributions to the community • to unite - bring together youth; creating an opportunity for the various groups to communicate to a greater degree and to be aware of one another. (Town of Parrsboro website - http://www.town.parrsboro.ns.ca/YTCojectives.htm) Municipalities may also choose to go a step farther by formalizing appointments of young people to committees of Council and to encourage youth to become involved in or start up sports organizations, social groups, or advisory committees.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 43 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Education

Encourage Guidance Ongoing Youth get a broader CREDA School Guidance Counselors to make picture of what career Counselors, Youth, choosing a career more choices are available communities, interactive and may link that to businesses, what is available in CREDA their community

Educate young people on Ongoing Youth have access to CREDA Schools, CAP how to access career and information and sites, CREDA job websites etc. resources that may help them to establish careers, become entrepreneurs, or find em ployment locally

Create Youth Town Councils Ongoing Increased involvement Municipal Municipal Councils, of youth in Councils CREDA, Chambers com munities with of Commerce, potential for sports and developing recreation groups, entrepreneurship and Youth planning for the future of local communities

Work with NSCC and others Ongoing Potential to retain CREDA NSCC, CREDA, to offer wider variety of more youth and communities, programs locally educate them for local Youth employment

Develop a youth database of Ongoing Communication with CREDA Communities, High those who have recently young people who Schools, CREDA, completed high school have left for education Regional School or other purposes to Board bring them back to the County for employment and to raise their families

Expand career fairs Ongoing Opportunity for local CREDA Chambers of businesses to show Commerce, local youth what is available businesses, local in the County for schools, CREDA employment and what the needs may be into the future

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 44 Youth Attraction

In an article released by the Heartland Center for Leadership Development (Fall 2003/Winter 2004), Craig Schroeder outlined a number of reasons for attracting youth and young families to rural areas. Many of these are relevant to Cumberland County.

1. Young families have children in school, which impacts public funding for education. As the young people throughout the County and their teachers reiterated, more students means a wider variety of subjects, experiences and resources, and a greater number of teachers.

2. Young people can have long-term business development and career goals. By and large, the young people who participated in the focus groups will seek further education upon graduation from high school. Rather than following jobs, they are looking to create careers which will last throughout their life time. Many youth participants said they would like to return to their home communities to raise their families.

3. Young families are establishing themselves and buy substantial retail goods. Young people will require housing, cars, furniture, and will purchase luxury goods.

4. Young people bring new energy, ideas, and leadership to the community. Unfortunately, adults in a community often see young people as a negative influence, i.e. adults only seem to talk about young people driving up and down Main Street or hanging out. Young people have many ideas that can help revitalize a community. The youth focus group participants expressed frustration that they did not seem welcome in adult forums and that their views were not taken seriously. Young people in Springhill particularly were very discouraged that there is a new Centre in the town with a designated area for youth but there had been little progress made toward making it usable by youth. If young people feel they have a voice in the community, they will stay.

5. Young people are likely IT savvy and can help transform the local economy. One of the comments that was mentioned in youth focus groups was that only parts of the County had access to high speed internet. Having this service or broadband available to all areas may help young people develop new businesses in the IT field.

6. By retaining youth a community also retains generational wealth. As the population ages, businesses will either close or be sold/passed on to others. Working with existing businesses to make them aware of succession planning is one way for rural communities to retain their young people. Businesses may also choose to become mentors or to take apprentices as a way to sell their businesses when they choose to retire.

7. Young people provide needed labour to current, expanding, and new businesses. There are some larger businesses in the Springhill area and others in the Amherst area that plan to expand over the next few years. Although young people indicated they did not favour working at low income jobs requiring minimal skill (like labourer positions at Oxford Frozen Foods), there will be opportunities for middle management positions as companies grow. In addition, locations like the Amherst Industrial Park continue to work toward attracting other businesses.

8. Educated youths who move to a rural community potentially earn higher than average wages. Young people who have left the community for education return with experience as well as a more

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 45 focused method of doing their job. A work ethic has been instilled along with motivation to excel. Cumberland County businesses can build on the success of the Cumberland Regional Health Authority, who have offered grants to local students in return for work periods at local hospitals.

9. Young people who return to a rural community will often respect traditional rural values and fit well into the community. Although young people in Amherst did not, many of the youth in the focus groups indicated they would like to return to their home communities with their young families. They felt it had been a good experience growing up with family and people they knew, and want that close-knit atmosphere in which to raise their own families.

10. Young families use and support community institutions such as churches and libraries. In addition to respecting traditional values of rural communities, young families often participate in churches, sports activities, etc., helping to keep the community vibrant.

11. Young people who have experience outside the community often bring new skills, attitudes, resources and contacts to the community when they return. Young people returning to a community may instigate new programs such as sports activities, cultural activities, etc. They may choose to get involved in local municipal politics, School Boards, Health Boards, and so on.

Recommended Actions

1. Promote entrepreneurship and succession planning. Showing young people ways to start up a business or take over an existing one is a positive step to attracting them back to their home community.

2. Advertise local career opportunities on community and regional websites as well as email to young people who have moved away.

3. Build on experience gained by young people when they were outside the community. Specific skills or career choices may provide opportunities to expand an existing business or start up a new business. Instead of citizens or businesses having to go elsewhere for a service, for example, they may be able to get it at home.

4. Using the database previously referred to, survey youth who have moved away from Cumberland County to determine why they left and what their experience has been since doing so. The survey would also include youth who moved away and have since returned and would help determine what could be done locally to make the area more attractive to settle in as well as what job opportunities are possible.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 46 Action Timelines Expected Lead Potential Outcomes Partners/Funding Resources

Youth Attraction

Prom ote entrepreneurship Ongoing More varied types CREDA CREDA, Chambers and succession planning of businesses as of Commerce, well as continuation communities of existing businesses that provide value to the com munity

Advertise local career Ongoing An awareness of Job banks, Chambers of opportunities what exists locally, media Commerce, private particularly for business, job those who have banks, m edia gained post- secondary education

Build on experience gained Ongoing Opportunity for new Community Community by young people outside the social and cultural organizations organizations, com munity activities, political CREDA involvement, etc.

Develop a database of Ongoing A broader base to CREDA CREDA, area high young people who have draw from for schools, Chambers moved away and entered potential of Commerce, the workforce elsewhere repopulation as NSCC well as opportunities for local employers to attract qualified workers

Survey youth who have Ongoing A clearer picture of CREDA CREDA, Chambers moved away why youth leave of Commerce, High rural areas and schools, NSCC what may be done locally to bring them back

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 47 Settlement Services

Settlement services do not exist in Cumberland County in any formalized role. Even Welcome Wagon does not operate any longer throughout most of the County. If rural areas are to attract immigrants, there will have to be a concerted effort made to educate citizens on cultural issues and to create settlement teams in the various communities to assist newcomers when they arrive.

Immigrants arrive with complex and varied motivations, expectations, needs and ways of life. Many immigrant families move to rural areas out of concern for the safety and wellbeing of their children, but if there are no supports for these families, the social isolation may be detrimental to their wellbeing, increase their demand for certain services, and lessen the likelihood of retention. A community team knowledgeable in terms of educational, medical, social, recreational, and other needs and having clear and comprehensive information to provide would go a long way to attracting newcomers and having them remain in the community. These teams could also forge stronger links with both the federal and provincial governments to make known rural immigration needs and to develop a partnership to address those needs.

Recommended Actions

1. Establish settlement teams in each town/municipality, including the surrounding rural areas, which would play a key role in assisting immigrants upon their arrival. 2. Establish a single point of contact (each municipal office, for example) where immigrants could go to access the services of the settlement team.

3. Survey recently arrived immigrants within six months of their arrival to assess how their settling in process has been and what attracted them to the area in the first place.

4. Work with the media to get the message out about newcomers arriving in the area and to provide cultural background information.

5. Establish a partnership with the federal and provincial governments to work on showing the benefits and needs of rural areas for settlement.

6. Provide a package of information to government officials travelling outside of Canada to help with attracting immigrants to rural areas.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 48 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Settlement Services

Establish County-wide Short- Community CREDA CREDA, NS Office Settlement Teams term awareness and of Immigration, acceptance of communities, immigrants; a Facilitators welcoming community that recognizes the importance of immigrants to the com munity

Establish single point of Short- Ease of access to Settlement Settlement teams, contact term information and teams Municipal Councils, resources needed by NS Office of newcom ers to help Immigration reduce stress of moving to a new place and make them feel more welcome

Survey recently arrived Ongoing Knowledge of what Multi- Multi-cultural immigrants attracts immigrants to cultural groups, CREDA, the area as well as an groups Settlement teams, evaluation of service communities, NS delivery to newcomers Office of Immigration

W ork with the media Ongoing Articles of cultural Multi- Multi-cultural awareness and cultural groups, benefits of groups communities, immigration help to CREDA, CANSA support newcomers and make communities more accepting

Establish partnerships with Ongoing Encouragement of CREDA Multi-cultural provincial and federal potential groups, governm ents entrepreneurial communities, immigrants and CREDA, NB Office community-identified of Immigration, CIC, immigrants as well as Settlement teams education in the advantages and process of the Provincial Nominee Program

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 49 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Settlement Services

Provide package of Ongoing A printed resource Settlement Settlement teams, information package with teams CREDA, information about the communities County to hand out to immigrants who have just arrived or to those who may be considering immigrating to the area

Social Supports

Social supports go hand-in-hand with settlement services. Once newcomers have arrived in a community, they need to be able to access affordable and appropriate housing. For young professionals, this may be slightly upscale rental housing; for young families, it may be a single- family dwelling. While focus group participants felt there was housing available in their communities, they felt a lot of the housing was not suitable for newcomers. Much of the available housing is either large older homes or rental units which have become dilapidated and now serve as low-income housing.

Young families also require daycare services, which at present in the County are minimal. Given language barriers and cultural issues, this may be a challenge that settlement teams wish to address. Opportunities for parents to get together, like those offered at Maggie’s Place, may also prove beneficial to newcomers.

Recommended Actions

1. Work with municipalities and private developers to see what can be done to provide affordable and appropriate housing to young professionals and families. This may require preparing a housing needs study and a market demand study. A model similar to that used to complete a similar study in Oxford could be employed.

2. Work with provincial government and private enterprise to look at ways to provide more daycare services to newcomers, particularly in larger companies. Additional daycare spaces will benefit both immigrant families and families who already live in the County.

3. Work with federal and provincial governments to expand the network of family resource centres so that there will be a place where parents and children can go to meet others. This will also serve as a location to get information on all kinds of parents’ and children’s services. With the already established track record of Maggie’s Place, there is opportunity to establish ‘satellite offices’ in other parts of the County.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 50 Action Timelines Expected Lead Potential Outcomes Partners/Funding Resources

Social Supports

Develop plans for Ongoing Housing choices Municipal Municipal Councils, appropriate and affordable that meet the Councils Communities, housing needs of both CREDA immigrant families and young families/profession als returning to the area

Develop more daycare Ongoing Greater opportunity Communities Communities, NS services for children/parents & employers Dept of Health, to interact and Health Canada, immigrant families Employers, to be employed CREDA

Expand Family Resource Ongoing A welcoming Maggie’s Maggie’s Place, NS Centres atmosphere for Place Dept of Health, parents and Health Canada, children to access Cumberland information about Regional Health child development, Authority, CREDA, parenting etc. and communities to interact with other parents

Infrastructure

Many participants in both the community and youth focus groups noted that physical infrastructure in their communities needs attention. The entrances to Springhill and the LaPlanche St. entrance to Amherst in particular were mentioned as presenting a negative first impression to newcomers driving into town. Other concerns were that roads need to be upgraded and there needs to be better access to rural areas. These issues have also been identified in CREDA’s Business Plan.

Newcomers who participated in the focus groups said that part of the draw for them to move to areas like Parrsboro and other areas throughout the County was the scenery and the cleanliness. Often it is first impressions that are significant influences on the decision of where to settle.

With the advent of technology came dial-up internet, then high speed internet and broadband service. High speed internet is a tool many foreign nationals are seeking when looking at locations to settle in. In Cumberland County, high speed internet is generally available although dial-up service is still the mode of internet service outside of the municipal areas.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 51 Recommended Actions

1. Make a concerted effort to clean up or remove derelict properties, and to properly landscape the area once a building has been removed. Councils could deal with this issue in a timely manner by enforcement of unsightly premises by-laws.

2. Work with the provincial government and others to upgrade existing roads.

3. Continue working with high speed internet provider(s) to extend the service to all rural areas. Although service providers aim to establish this kind of service in more populated areas first, efforts should be made to lobby them to extend high speed to all areas. In return, the more sparsely populated areas may attract more population. Focus group participants indicated that while high speed availability is good to promote the area for business, even retirees make regular use of the internet.

4. Market the availability of high speed internet as part of a package that would be provided to government officials travelling outside of Canada to attract immigrants.

Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Infrastructure

Clean up/remove derelict Ongoing A physically Municipal Municipal Councils, properties welcoming place for Councils businesses, private newcomers to want citizens, community to settle and a place organizations where youth may wish to stay or return with their young families

Develop better access Long-term Attraction of more Communities, Communities, roads to rural areas immigrants to rural Municipal Municipal Councils, areas Councils NS Dept of Transportation, CREDA

Expand provision of high Ongoing Potential of CREDA High speed speed internet creating more providers, entrepreneurs or communities, expanding current CREDA businesses with the widespread availability of high speed

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 52 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources Market availability of Ongoing Attraction of CREDA Communities, high speed immigrant internet entrepreneurs who providers, Media, have used high CREDA speed in their country of origin or who wish to use it in a new business

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 53

8.0 Action Plan

Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources Cultural Awareness/Education:

Establish a multi-cultural organization Immediate An organization which would be CANSA CANSA, established instrumental in creating a immigrants in the County, welcoming atmosphere for MISA, CREDA, MANS newcomers and a link between communities. This group could promote cultural diversity and awareness

Establish ESL training throughout County Long-term A core group of teachers which CREDA NS Office of Immigration, would expand with immigrant communities, NS needs Teachers’ Unions, NS Dept. of Education

Combat “taking jobs away from local Ongoing Increased profile of local CREDA Communities, NS Office of people” thinking businesses and their needs into Immigration, CIC, CREDA, the future, and how immigration Media, Chambers of might benefit businesses and Commerce communities

Introduce cultural diversity learning to Ongoing Increased positive attitudes Chignecto- NS Dept. of Education, elementary & m iddle schools toward immigration and a more Central School Youth, CANSA, welcoming community Board, m ulti- Chignecto-Central School cultural groups Board, multi-cultural groups

Invite settled immigrants to become Ongoing A cultural awareness in young Multi-cultural NS Dept of Education, involved in school programs people as part of tolerance and groups local schools, Youth, acceptance CANSA, multi-cultural groups

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 55 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Set up displays and host events about Ongoing Increased profile of immigrants Multi-cultural Multi-cultural groups, cultural diversity in local libraries etc. and the benefits they bring to groups Communities, Media, communities Libraries, Churches

Hold community events in which citizens Ongoing A welcoming community that Multi-cultural Multi-cultural groups, interact with settled immigrants to learn recognizes the importance of groups Communities, Media, about different cultures immigrants’ contributions to the CANSA, Youth, Canadian region’s economic and social Heritage growth Education:

Encourage Guidance Counselors to make Ongoing Youth get a broader picture of CREDA School Guidance choosing a career more interactive what career choices are available Counselors, Youth, and may link that to what is communities, businesses, available in their community CREDA

Educate young people on how to access Ongoing Youth have access to information CREDA Schools, CAP sites, career and job websites etc. and resources that m ay help CREDA them to establish careers, become entrepreneurs, or find em ployment locally

Create Youth Town Councils Ongoing Increased involvem ent of youth in Municipal Municipal Councils, communities with potential for Councils CREDA, Chambers of developing entrepreneurship and Commerce, sports and planning for the future of local recreation groups, Youth communities

Work with NSCC and others to offer wider Ongoing Potential to retain more youth and CREDA NSCC, CREDA, variety of program s locally educate them for local com munities, Youth employment

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 56 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Develop a youth database Ongoing Communication with young CREDA Communities, High people who have left for Schools, CREDA education or other purposes to bring them back to the County for em ployment and to raise their families

Expand career fairs Ongoing Opportunity for local businesses CREDA Chambers of Commerce, to show youth what is available in local businesses, local the County for employment and schools, CREDA what the needs may be into the future

Youth Attraction:

Promote entrepreneurship and succession Ongoing More varied types of businesses CREDA CREDA, Chambers of planning as well as continuation of existing Commerce, communities businesses that provide value to the community

Advertise local career opportunities Ongoing An awareness of what exists Job banks, Chambers of Commerce, locally, particularly for those who media private business, job have gained post-secondary banks, m edia education

Build on experience gained by young Ongoing Opportunity for new social and Community Community organizations, people outside the community cultural activities, political organizations CREDA involvement, etc.

Develop a database of young people who Ongoing A broader base to draw from for CREDA CREDA, area high have moved away potential repopulation as well as schools, Regional School opportunities for local employers Board, Chambers of to attract qualified workers Commerce, NSCC

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 57 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Survey youth who have moved away Ongoing A clearer picture of why youth CREDA CREDA, Chambers of leave rural areas and what may Commerce, High schools, be done locally to bring them NSCC back Settlement Services:

Establish County-wide Settlement Teams Short-term Community awareness and CREDA CREDA, NS Office of acceptance of immigrants; a Immigration, communities, welcoming community that Facilitators recognizes the importance of immigrants to the community

Establish single point of contact Short-term Ease of access to information and Settlement Settlement teams, resources needed by newcomers teams Municipal Councils, NS to help reduce stress of m oving to Office of Immigration a new place and make them feel more welcome

Survey recently arrived immigrants Ongoing Knowledge of what attracts Multi-cultural Multi-cultural groups, immigrants to the area as well as groups CREDA, Settlement an evaluation of service delivery teams, communities, NS to newcomers Office of Immigration

W ork with the media Ongoing Articles of cultural awareness and Multi-cultural Multi-cultural groups, benefits of immigration help to groups communities, CREDA, support newcomers and make CANSA communities more accepting

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 58 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Establish partnerships with provincial and Ongoing Encouragement of potential CREDA Multi-cultural groups, federal governments entrepreneurial immigrants and communities, CREDA, NB com munity-identified immigrants Office of Immigration, CIC, as well as education in the Settlement teams advantages and process of the Provincial Nominee Program

Provide package of information Ongoing A printed resource package with Settlement Settlement teams, information about the County to teams CREDA, communities hand out to immigrants who have just arrived or to those who may be considering immigrating to the area

Social Supports:

Develop plans for appropriate and Ongoing Housing choices that meet the Municipal Municipal Councils, affordable housing needs of both immigrant families Councils Communities, CREDA and young families/professionals returning to the area

Develop more daycare services Ongoing Greater opportunity for Communities & Communities, NS Dept of children/parents to interact and employers Health, Health Canada, immigrant families to be Employers, CREDA employed

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 59 Action Timelines Expected Outcomes Lead Potential Partners/Funding Resources

Expand Family Resource Centres Ongoing A welcoming atmosphere for Maggie’s Place Maggie’s Place, NS Dept parents and children to access of Health, Health Canada, information about child Cumberland Regional development, parenting etc. and Health Authority, CREDA, to interact with other parents communities Infrastructure:

Clean up/remove derelict properties Ongoing A physically welcoming place for Municipal Municipal Councils, newcomers to want to settle and Councils businesses, private a place where youth may wish to citizens, community stay or return with their young organizations families

Develop better access roads to rural areas Long-term Attraction of more immigrants to Communities, Communities, Municipal rural areas Municipal Councils, NS Dept of Councils Transportation, CREDA

Expand provision of high speed internet Ongoing Potential of creating more CREDA High speed providers, entrepreneurs or expanding communities, CREDA current businesses with the widespread availability of high speed

Market availability of high speed Ongoing Attraction of immigrant CREDA Communities, internet entrepreneurs who have used providers, Media, CREDA high speed in their country of origin or who wish to use it in a new business

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 60 9.0 Appendices

Appendix A: Case Studies Youth Out-Migration in Haileybury and Region Dealing with Youth Out-Migration in Prince Edward Island Attracting Immigrants to Revelstoke, British Columbia Immigrant Settlement in Steinbach, Manitoba

Appendix B: Youth Services/Organizations Available in Cumberland County

Appendix C: Immigration Procedure

Appendix D: Community Focus Group Participants

Appendix E: Youth Focus Group Participants

Appendix F: Responding to a Sudden Large Need for Increased Labour Supply

Appendix G: References

Appendix H: Selected Immigration and Associated Websites

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 61

Appendix A: Youth Out-Migration in Haileybury and Region

Introduction

In March 2001, the Far Northeast Training Board (FNETB) released a report that detailed the declining youth demographic in Ontario’s northern regions. This report prompted a Steering Committee, which was made up of representatives from FNETB and community stakeholders from Kirkland Lake, to hold Youth Forums that could be used across the Northeast to address this problem. A local Steering Committee, made up of members from various community organizations was started in South Timiskaming to plan Haileybury’s forum. Haileybury’s Youth Forum gathered together youth aged 15-29 and other community stakeholders to consider the issues surrounding youth out-migration. The forum, held in November 2001, identified strategies that could help keep youth in the area and was used as the basis of the Opportunities at Home: Haileybury and Region report. Similar Youth Forums were held across northeast Ontario to identify common strategies for ensuring the economy security of the region. The resulting model created by the FNETB could serve as a useful tool for a community to meet its immigration needs because as the report stresses, having the community on your side is essential.

Haileybury and Region

Haileybury or Timiskaming Shores is located on Highway 11 in northeast Ontario close to the Quebec border. Haileybury was created through the amalgamation of New Liskeard, Haileybury, and the Township of Dymond and is on the shores of Lake Timiskaming. The population of the region is slightly over 10,000 and was recently granted city status. Timiskaming Shores sits between Kirkland Lake to the north and Temagami to the south and is approximately 225 kilometres south of Cochrane. The community is home to Northern College and Collège Boréal.

The Issue

As a means of trying to understand and solve the region’s problems of youth out-migration, Youth Forum participants identified eight areas that could be improved upon to increase youth retention as well as in-migration: employment; educational opportunities; youth activity centre; promoting Northern lifestyle; communication between industry and education; life skills learning; programs supporting work and study; and promoting gender equity in employment.

Revamping Employment

In the FNETB region, South Timiskaming was identified to have the highest out-migration in the 25-29 age group. Suspected employment related concerns for this region were thought to be misconceptions about the job market, limited choices and salary differentials. In the North, resource-based industries as a whole are becoming less labour intensive with the introduction of new technology: however, while labour intensive jobs are disappearing, youth are not aware of new job creation in the industry in part due to expected retirements. The structural change in the type of work being done requires that workers are highly skilled. This leads to much of the work being contract-based, which is viewed negatively because of its lack of job security. Haileybury is struggling to retain its youth as well due to a lack of occupations in the “new economy” as they tend to out-source much of their value-added manufacturing work. Salaries are a key area of concern for youth because entry-level salaries are high in the first ten years for males in the resource-based

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 63 industry, but this is not the case for other sectors. Additionally, in middle and later working years, these salaries do not keep pace. Women in the FNETB region have salaries below the Ontario averages from the start of their careers onward.

Some of the solutions offered to the issue of employment in Haileybury were to institute rewards innovative approaches and fresh ideas for doing business; focus on value-added processes to products of natural resource industries; and help provide a way for small employers to receive financial aid. The forum also identified that challenges such as a lack of money among local industries needed to diversify or try innovative approaches, lack of support for diversification, and attracting industry is a difficult, long term process. The community identified these concerns as their highest priority for retaining youth. The forum thought that diversifying into value-added industries would build a stronger economic base for communities and would help them attract or retain youth. Financial support from government would be a necessity to make this transition.

Another employment issue in the FNETB region is that while young women generally have higher education levels than young men, their labour force participation rate is lower. The male-dominated resource industry is said to be one of these reasons. This contributes to youth retention because job turnover rates tend to be lower when spouses can find meaningful work as well. In order to provide more work for men and women in their desired field of work, it may be necessary to start attracting females to non-traditional roles early in their education as well as at post-secondary institutions. Meeting this gender equity quota is necessary for young families in Northern communities.

Educational Opportunities

Haileybury has been a victim of funding cuts to education over the past decade or so. Secondary schools offer fewer course options and there are no longer any specialized schools. To help train a workforce that is able to subsist in the region, more partnerships between industry and education are required. The forum also indicated that more college, university, and other post-secondary educational opportunities are needed to help retain youth. Currently, there are a few college programs and no university programs, so when youth are searching for educational opportunities and job experience in their own community, the information often arrives to them too late, after the point when they have decided to leave the community.

In order to help address this issue, the South Timiskaming forum thought that more co-op programs would give youth job experience; job fairs would allow youth to see what sorts of employment is available to them; apprenticeships would give companies the chance to train youth to fit into their companies; the creation of a job website would help to promote Northern Ontario jobs and employers; and local businesses could send apprentices to local educational institutions. The challenges that are proving difficult currently include a lack of enrolment numbers for educational programs, the expense of relocation limits post-secondary choices, and businesses do not want to invest in an apprentice for fear of them leaving once trained. The report underscores the importance of community partnerships as they are essential to ensure that effective communication among youth, industry, and educators is taking place. This communication will better inform youth about the chances they have in the community, and as a result more youth will be retained. The Forum thought revamping educational programs would be the quickest and easiest action to keep youth in the North.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 64 The report also shows the importance of improving communication between industry and education. The north is suffering from a lack of information being giving to youth about the type of job opportunities that are available for them in their own community. The key thing they needed to address was to break the cycle of no experience, no job, no experience. The challenges this creates for the region are that employers are looking for experienced workers, which limits employment opportunities for the area’s youth. Because of the lack of training that youth receive, the shortage of skilled workers increases. The youth forum found that in order for industry to have a future supply of skilled workers it was necessary for industry and educational institutions to take responsibility for aggressively marketing jobs to youth.

In order to improve the dilemma of youth out-migration, the Haileybury report came up with the potential solution of using industry incentives such as scholarships and guaranteed employment to help maintain connections with students when they leave for post-secondary education and make returning to the North much easier.

Positive Social Environment for Youth

One of the major problems the North is facing is that there are no organized programs for teens and post-secondary youth, which causes youth to feel undervalued and unwanted by the community. To solve this problem, it was proposed that a club be opened that featured different theme nights and scheduled events for different ages. By promoting youth leaders, youth could be seen to have more ownership of the community, which would lead to them feeling more valued. The problems they predicted to face with this initiative were a lack of youth leaders and planners, a lack of enthusiasm, cost factors, and a lack of volunteer and staff time. The goal for the youth centre was thought to be reachable if a better public transit system could be established where there would be extra buses between towns with student passes available. The report identified that a youth centre run by youth would meet youth requirements and would help to reduce out-migration.

The concept of creating places for young people to socialize in a healthy manner also would allow youth leaders to inspire others to develop positive life skills that would help to build up the quality of life and would promote youth retention. Giving young people a location to go to would help to foster an entire youth movement that will feel more positive about living in the North.

Identifying Northern Lifestyle Strengths

Living in the southern communities of the FNETB means that youth are more vulnerable to feeling inferior in comparison to large communities such as North Bay. However, this report identifies that the many advantages that come with living in a small community often go unnoticed by youth. Northern lifestyle is often viewed negatively for reasons of climate, lack of job opportunities, and the rumour mill. The Haileybury report highlights that for a small community to retain youth it is important to promote the advantages of living in small communities.

Conclusion

The Haileybury Youth Forum was assigned the task of creating an action plan to help the South Timiskaming region deal with out-migration of youth and the solutions suggested in this summary are what they identified as areas that they are working to improve. The report showed that if all

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 65 levels of a community such as government, business, industry, education, volunteer groups, and individuals come together to work out solutions it is much more likely that the community will be able to create an environment that encourages youth to stay. Getting everyone on board should be one of the key focuses of any community hoping to come up with a solution for the problem that Haileybury and region have been facing. Retaining youth is essential if rural and small communities hope to build on their economic base for the future.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 66 Appendix A: Dealing with Youth Out-Migration in Prince Edward Island

Introduction

Canada’s smallest province has been dealing with the problem of out-migration for more than a century now. As perceived job opportunities change in the eyes of Islanders, people leave either temporarily or permanently in search of work elsewhere. In a place where birth rates keep declining and the population continues to age, youth out-migration is proving to be more and more fatal for the region. One of PEI’s youth programs in response to this growing concern is the PERCÉ program, which was devised partly from the Quebec program “Place aux jeunes.” The program was designed to give Acadian Islanders and Francophones who are studying outside the province the opportunity to return home and have a job and a mentorship experience in their field of interest. The program was started in 2004 by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency along with the Société de développement de la Baie Acadienne and RDÉE Prince Edward Island. Their program, PERCÉ (French acronym for Regional, Community, and Economic Entrepreneurship Program) has met with success in showing a select group of people on the island available opportunities. However, since it has targeted a very specific group of people on the island, it is not far-reaching for all youth on the island. It is the program’s hope that they will offer new areas of hope for youth to become integral parts of the PEI community for years to come.

The Province of Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is Canada’s smallest province with a population of approximately 137,800. It is an island just off the coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that is accessible by land through the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick. Its largest concentration of the population among both men and females lies between the ages of 39 to 54. There is a concern that with such a high concentration of the population continuing to age new workers will not be able to meet the previous demand that the baby boomers were able to quell. The dependency ratio (percentage of children and elderly to the total working age population 15-64) for PEI is expected to go from 45.3% in 2006 to 60.6% by 2026. Between the period 1996-2001 PEI had a net loss of 1110 people aged 15-29. The PERCÉ program is an example of one government initiative to meet this growing concern.

The Issue

Prince Edward Island has been struggling to retain its population of Acadians since the conclusion of the First World War. Acadians have made their way to the New England States to find jobs in the forestry industry or in factories. In the 1960s and 70s Toronto drew large numbers of work-seeking Islanders, and recently Western Canadian cities have been attracting PEI’s young men and women. The problem had never seemed such a significant issue to PEI policy makers until recently since local manpower was still plentiful and the provincial economy was able to cover these losses. However, as a result of the aging population, declining birth rates, the province is starting to feel the pull. It is projected that unless something is done to stop the current trend, within five years, PEI will have lost one-third of all its youth aged 20 years or less. Similar to other youth out-migration reports, the PERCÉ program discovered that youth simply are not aware of the numerous career opportunities that are available for them in their area of interest at home. The problem seems to point in the direction of the community not living up to its responsibility of informing youth of these possibilities before they leave the island. The PERCÉ program is one

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 67 such program to try and work against the brain-drain effect currently affecting Canadian rural areas.

Creating the PERCÉ Program

The PERCÉ program was designed as a way to offer incentives to students who leave the island to pursue educational opportunities to return to the island either while completing their degree or upon completion of it, to have a chance to gain experience in their field of study. The program was funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency as well as through various other departments. The involvement of the government in facilitating this program shows that in order to find results in dealing with youth out-migration, policy makers have to take a keen interest.

Program Logistics

The program aims to select 10 young participants each year who are less than 30 years old, have acquired or are in the process of acquiring a college or university diploma, and are Acadian or francophone and originally born in Prince Edward Island. Following a week of orientation, the program places participants in a business, an organization or a governmental department in their field of study for a work placement of around 10 to 12 weeks. The program normally provides for half of the trainee’s salary while the employer covers the remainder. In certain cases, the program has paid a higher portion or has found other sources for employers to help pay their portion. The objective of the internship is to provide the trainees the chance to acquire new skills and knowledge that will be required of them in their specific career. Employers provide hands-on opportunities for trainees to experience what work normally would be like for them in this field and they also establish contacts for the trainees in their industry. The PERCÉ program also provides five general days of learning for all participants where they learn things such as the faces of the Acadian and francophone regions of PEI, entrepreneurship, employment in rural regions of PEI, what PEI can offer, setting up a business, and the advantages and inconveniences of living and working in PEI. During this time students get the chance to meet a number of entrepreneurs, potential employers, and other resources that allow them to see into the PEI labour market.

Desired Outcomes

The program was designed first and foremost as a means of retaining PEI youth in the province after they have gone away to study. The general objectives outlined by the program include: to make PEI’s Acadian and francophone youth aware of their region’s assets as well as its economic and cultural possibilities; to offer youth an opportunity to obtain work experience in their field of studies; to make youth aware about the various programs available to help them develop their interests, knowledge, and skills through a communication and promotion strategy; and to establish a communication and promotion strategy alongside economic development officers who together could make them aware and assist them in all of the stages of establishing a business.

Success Stories

The program’s report details a number of success stories of the participants in the PERCÉ program during the summers of 2004 and 2005. Gabriel Arsenault who studied kinesiology at University of Moncton was unsure of what to do with his training upon graduation and thought about going into physiotherapy. However, through the program he was able to try his hand working with prosthetics

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 68 and other orthopedic devices at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. His experience in the program as he puts it “opened lots of doors for me and made my studies easier and more worthwhile.” He also noted that “the work I did this summer really helped reinforce the fact that this is indeed the field I want to work in.” Through his experience at the hospital he learned of a program in his field of choice at George Brown University in Toronto and has since been accepted to the program. He mentions that his work over the summer of 2005 has really made him believe that while he may want to travel and possibly work in other provinces or countries, he is certain that he wants to come back to PEI to work. Gabriel’s story is exemplary example of how creating ties to the community among young people is a great asset to retaining those individuals later on.

Estelle Arsenault expressed another interesting perspective of her experience with the PERCÉ program. A fourth-year psychology student at UPEI interested in pursuing a career in speech therapy, Estelle had the chance to work in her field through the PERCÉ program, which was a huge asset into getting into a speech therapy program in Canada as there are only seven schools that offer programs in it. The PERCÉ program as she saw it gave her experiences that she would never have had without PERCÉ. She noted that “it makes me work harder to try to attain my goal since this goal is very clear now.” Estelle also indicated that she would like to return to PEI to have a career in speech therapy given the opportunity. Estelle is an example of how on top of showing students the opportunities that are present in certain communities and regions, it also gets them excited about continuing their education in their given field.

Conclusion

The PERCÉ program shows that given an interest by policy makers and individuals in the community to be available as resources for young people who are unsure of what their home has to offer them upon graduation, much can be done to show youth all the opportunities that are already present in their home community. A continued theme in the issue of youth out-migration is that youth are not well-informed enough to realize that desirable employment opportunities are available for them back at home and communicating that to youth is critical in retaining them after they graduate. While the PERCÉ program is rather limited in its population scope as it focuses on a portion of youth leaving the island, it provides an interesting case that if programs are designed to target specific groups, they tend to produce desirable results. Following the PERCÉ program model, many communities across Canada could establish similar community relationships and cohesiveness to communicate to their youth that they are wanted for the skills they have. This program also targeted youth who were already attending post-secondary institutions, so another area to address would be those youth who do not go on to these institutions, but instead go on to work.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 69

Appendix A: Attracting Immigrants to Revelstoke, British Columbia

Introduction

British Columbia has established itself as one of the key destinations for immigrants coming to Canada. In 2003, a total of 35,170 immigrants came to BC, representing around 15% of the total number arriving in Canada. However, between 1996 and 2001, 90% of the immigrants coming to BC settled in the Greater Vancouver Region. The large portion of immigrants settling in these areas tend to be over represented in low income employment, they struggle with housing issues, and are living in population stressed neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, much of rural BC is facing declining populations due to economic challenges. The report on developing Revelstoke, British Columbia as a target immigration community for new Canadians came out of an effort by the federal department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and provincial Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services (MCAWS) to renew the British Columbia Cooperation on Immigration agreement in April 2004. Revelstoke was one of eight rural communities chosen to study and develop an immigration strategy. Revelstoke has identified population growth as an important goal for the community.

The study was performed by a private consultant and was conducted in partnership with the City of Revelstoke. The Immigration Services Society of BC provided the expertise for the consultant. The project was developed around a three pronged approach that involved informing and engaging the community, building community welcoming capacity, and attracting new immigrants. The project first ran a public information campaign that included presentations to properly inform the community how immigration matched their community needs and desires. It then evaluated community services as they pertain to new immigrants. This was done through research in current immigration literature, and interviews with immigrants. Community forums were held to evaluate strengths, gaps, and opportunities in the community’s current immigration situation.

The City of Revelstoke

The mountain community of Revelstoke is located on the Trans-Canada highway 565 kilometres east of Vancouver and 410 kilometres west of Calgary. Revelstoke has a population of about 8,523 with 35% of its population between the ages of 35 - 54, while 19.3% of the community are between 18 - 34. The major employers in Revelstoke are in Forestry and Transportation, however, tourism is also a large economic activity in the region. Health and education are other major suppliers of employment. The community’s opportunities to develop its eco-tourism market as well as its healthy lifestyle appeal give it an edge in attracting immigrants away from the increasingly congested Vancouver core.

The Issue

Revelstoke has faced similar problems to many rural and small towns across Canada throughout the past few decades. During the period 1996 - 2001, Revelstoke’s population declined by almost 8%. When population became a rising concern, policy makers began actively seeking solutions to help make Revelstoke an attractive place to live, especially for new Canadians. Recent shortages in skilled tradespeople within the community has delayed many community projects and increased costs. As well, one of its major employers, Downie Timber, has shortages in several trade areas that they are not able to meet locally. It was predicted that within five years the

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 71 community could lose 50% of its skilled trades workers. The Revelstoke immigration report was developed to see if immigration could fill these gaps in employment and how the community would have to organize itself to attract newcomers.

The community has had a long history with immigration dating back to the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Over the years, Revelstoke has attracted European, American, and Eastern European (especially from the Ukraine) immigrants. Although Revelstoke’s history of immigration is rich, more than two-thirds of the community’s total estimated immigrants of about 740 individuals in 2001 came before 1981. The report identified that Revelstoke has an opportunity to attract more Asian immigrants than they currently do as only 18% of all immigrants to Revelstoke come from countries in Asia. While Revelstoke is attracting over four times the number of business immigrants, it has attracted far fewer skilled workers, the group they need most. Revelstoke had to improve its attraction methods if it hoped to fill the increasing gaps in their major industries.

Proposed Revelstoke Immigration Strategies

Community Development Priority

The report on Revelstoke immigration identified that in order to foster an environment to effectively attract immigrants it is necessary to show the community how immigration falls in line with its objectives. The continued skilled worker shortages that are preventing major infrastructure projects from starting up could be met by immigration in the event that the local community would likely not be able to train all of its youth to fill these positions. Other benefits that were presented to the community were that through immigration more jobs would be created as entrepreneur and investor immigrants would create job opportunities, as well as enhancing business innovation, and increasing the population.

Creating a Welcoming Community

Some of the strengths that were already present in Revelstoke prior to the suggestions of the study fell into economic, social, and environmental strengths. The strong, diverse economy with the existing tourism sector and tourism focus of community plans were vital magnets for those immigrants looking to establish a business in the tourism industry. The community’s location between Vancouver and Calgary was also mentioned by a number of immigrants who were interviewed. The welcoming people of the community generally and the supportive community leaders were mentioned by all immigrants who chose to settle in Revelstoke. Additionally, people mentioned that the affordability of housing, English language fluency and the opportunity for outdoor recreation were all positive draw factors. In terms of the environmental strengths of the region, its spectacular setting was viewed favourably by many immigrants. Immigrants identified some areas that could help make the transition of new Canadians in Revelstoke: to establish a directory of community services on the community website and in print: expand ESL training, including a broader range of hours; expand fee-for-service English language training; provide information about living with wildlife; provide French immersion schooling; access to drivers license testing in non-English languages; and Canadian business training. The characteristics needed for community that is conducive to welcoming in new immigrants were outlined as: accessible information about community services; respect and building on diversity; employment opportunities; accessible range of education; healthy and safe neighbourhoods; and faith and spirituality acknowledged.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 72 Accessible Information

The report detailed that in order for Revelstoke to be more accessible to new immigrants, there needed to be steps taken to address holes in information in areas such as health care service information, shopping, financial, legal, insurance services, living in the wilderness, and public school enrollment information. This missing information compiled with information on other services and facilities in the city should be available in print and web-based at key community locations such as City Hall. The report also recommended setting up a mentoring program that would train volunteers to assist new immigrants settle in the community and help them better understand Canadian life and culture. This program would help to increase the effectiveness of English language training provided by Okanagan College and would also establish links between the community and immigrants helping it to be more cohesive and supportive of new arrivals.

Diversity

In a community that is ethnically very homogenous it is important to note that as immigrants come from new and different places their ideas, culture and way of life may conflict with the limited perspectives residents of Revelstoke have. In order to address this issue, the most effective strategy outlined by the report was the creation of a mentor, or HOST, or Community bridging program. Other opportunities for building diversity in the community would be to institute more culturally diverse celebrations by incorporating newcomers’ cultures into food offerings, parades, and demonstrations of ethnic dances and sports. Community-wide recognition of Anti-Racism Day on March 21 and posting of anti-racism campaigns in key community locations are also viable means for opening up the community to newcomers.

Employment Opportunities

The general availability of workers in many sectors, affordable real estate, and transportation networks are all strengths in Revelstoke’s business and employment support services. However, the awareness and advertising of available personnel who provide information to business immigrants is not widely known. There are limited opportunities for women, limited English language training as currently there are no night-time classes, and no support for immigrants to learn job specific English. The Revelstoke study suggested that to help address these areas the community could improve the availability and willingness of city officials to advocate on behalf of immigrants who would otherwise be turned down by the immigration process. It was recommended that a community business group be available to review the business plans of Regional Business applicants to the Provincial Nominee Program. This group could advocate this application to the PNP if required. Other areas that could be improved upon included the need for immigrants to be informed of business advisory services, which could be solved by including a brochure of available services in new city business licenses. Additionally, conducting a new labour market study outlining the current labour force and identifying labour force shortages into the future would allow for better information being provided to new immigrants to help them understand where they could fit in more effectively.

Education and Language

The current lack of ESL staff and programs in Revelstoke is one area that needs to be improved upon if the community hopes to retain and attract more immigrants. Currently, there is a lack of

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 73 services available to both adults and children; a lack of funding means that the need tends to be dispersed over various regions and schools. To make Revelstoke a more accessible community for new arrivals, this report proposed creating a language bank where volunteer interpreters and translators would be available in situations that require vital information in regard to health and other areas to help officials treat immigrants who struggle with English more effectively. With increasing immigration, ESL services will need to be more readily available to new arrivals. More funding would have to be appropriated to ESL services to allow for classes that are more flexible to immigrants’ schedules. Information about public school enrollment procedures, improved access to multi-lingual materials at the library, and fee-for-service ESL services are also other ways that Revelstoke can make itself more accessible to new Canadians.

Health and Safety Services

In the area of health and safety services, language again turned up as an area of concern for providing for a projected influx of new Canadians that may not have the English proficiency that is required to receive effective essential services. Currently, Revelstoke has limited services available for immigrants who are experiencing difficulties creating bonds and friendships. Additionally, there are no culture shock support mechanisms in the community for newcomers. The other major concern is limited multi-lingual health services, for example patients from highway accidents do not always speak English. The report did recognize some positives in the Revelstoke community include its Provincial Nurse Hotline which is multi-lingual, exceptional success attracting health professionals, sophisticated hospital for population, local RCMP and Victim Services staff are multi-culturally aware. The ways in which the study identified the community could improve this area of its welcoming community were to create a pamphlet and website describing health services in the community and also by providing information about living in the wilderness. The reason for this is that some immigrants may not be aware of the dangers that are present from wild animals that venture close to the community. This along with health information could be provided within a community directory that would make immigrants more aware of their surroundings. Breaking down language barriers makes the community much more attractive for new immigrants who often go to larger centres where these services are available.

Social and Faith Opportunities

The apparent lack of diversity in non-Christian and non-organized religions or faith communities is a large area of concern for new immigrants who are often very skeptical about going into a community where faith opportunities are not present. Suggested strategies for dealing with social and faith concerns were identified as introducing events such as cultural art exchanges, which would open people up to new cultures and allow newcomers to feel welcome to practice their faith. Opening community activities such as sports and events to immigrants might spark their interest and assist them in their transition to life in Revelstoke. Creating a women’s drop-in centre or community kitchen would be a way to bring isolated mothers out of their homes and allow them opportunities to meet people in the community and socialize with other newcomers.

Attracting Immigrants

Strategies for attracting immigrants that were outlined in the report included suggestions such as encouraging the Union of BC Municipalities to advocate for improvements to the federal immigration application processing system to gain increased immigration of skilled tradespeople.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 74 It was also identified that international marketing was a key to branding the Revelstoke community outside of the region by publishing their community job board website to immigrant services organizations in BC and Calgary, and the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants. The city can also work on attracting immigrants by partnering with the English Language school to market Revelstoke during international trips to attract students. Other suggested initiatives were to hold a community forum addressing the findings of the suggested labour market study, then to publicize those results among immigrant services to show the sorts of opportunities available to immigrants in Revelstoke. In order to meet these initiatives, it was recommended that the City seek funding from the provincial government to help them cover the services required to have immigrants settle in rural areas.

Conclusion

The incredible depth and detail of the Revelstoke immigration study provides a compelling example of how through evaluating key needs, necessary improvements, and ways of attracting immigrants, rural communities can help themselves beat a devastating trend of depopulation that is creating shortages in the labour force. The report also shows that while international immigration is unlikely to completely turn around economic repression in rural communities on its own, if used in coalition with initiatives to support local citizens, it is a potent strategy to ensure any community is able to meet its objectives. When looking to extrapolate lessons learned in the study of Revelstoke’s unique situation it is important to realize that before any community moves straight into recruiting new Canadians, it is crucial to assess its ability to provide for the new arrivals. Bringing the community on board with immigration targets was yet again shown to be a necessary step for ensuring that immigrants are not viewed as second class citizens and destructive to the local economy before they arrive. If one lesson can be learned from the Revelstoke study, it is that immigration is not a tool that should be seen as a quick-fix solution because establishing a community where those immigrants can be successful contributors takes a great amount of time and willpower long before the targeted group of immigrants begins to arrive. However, if evaluated correctly, immigration can provide for the gaps in a region that cannot be filled because of lag-time in enticing and training youth or impossibility due to sheer numbers.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 75

Appendix A: Immigrant Settlement in Steinbach, Manitoba

Introduction

Steinbach, Manitoba has been the fastest growing area for immigration in the province even prior to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Steinbach was chosen as a region of study by Manitoba Labour and Immigration for its immigration initiatives and response to a large flow of immigrants. The study was conducted by questioning people who were directly involved in immigration processes and seeking out their impressions of the town’s policies. The study also arranged to do several interviews with local immigrants; however, a limited number of immigrants were successfully contacted and when possible a focus group was used. Interviews were done to get an immigrant perspective on the immigration experience.

The Community of Steinbach

Steinbach is located approximately sixty kilometres south-east of Winnipeg, Manitoba close to the U.S. border. As a result of immigration policies, Steinbach has experienced steady growth over the past decade. In the 2001 census its population was estimated to be at around 9,227. Its population demographic is currently balanced having the highest percentage of persons aged 25 - 34 and 35 - 44; however, similar to the trend across the rest of Canada, the greatest population change is in the ages 45 and up category. Steinbach’s industry is centered on agricultural and retail services supply for south-eastern Manitoba. It also has a Biovail manufacturing plant as well as the Loewen Windows factory. The community’s economic growth lies in its low realty tax rates relative to other Manitoba urban centers.

The Issue

Steinbach immigration came out of a need for employment among larger businesses. Employers turned to the government to discuss how their employment needs could be met, which led to consultants beginning extensive recruitment in Germany. Steinbach’s target immigration group was German arrivals who had previously emigrated from Russia. Steinbach’s decision to try to attract German speaking immigrants dates back to the community’s history that saw it being settled by a group of German Mennonites in the 1800s. Although the Russian-Germans are the primary group immigrating to Steinbach, its stable economy is helping to draw immigrants of more diverse backgrounds.

Religious institutions are an important crux for many immigrants and the presence of them in communities like Steinbach acts as a draw for the community. However, there are dangers in such institutions as they may prevent further integration into the community at large especially with other Canadians and even other German immigrants.

Steinbach’s immigration policy has had to adapt as the flows into the area have increased over the years. The community has had to become more accessible and welcoming to new families who often are not entirely able to make the transition alone.

Strategies

The issues that have become concerns for Steinbach’s immigration program are language, education, health, and employment.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 77 Language

Since Steinbach has a considerably high number of people who can speak High and Low German, many new arrivals have the expectation that German can be spoken throughout the workplace. However, in many cases the Foreman or Floor Manager does not speak German and language requirements become an issue for new arrivals trying to integrate into the workplace. Basic knowledge of English remains a necessity to function in the community at large and this has been an area of concern for Steinbach policy.

Education

Hanover School Division has faced some issues regarding the unpredictability of new arrival ESL students and the immediate costs that must be born in order to accommodate the influx of students.

The Hanover School Division has helped cope with the influx of over 1200 ESL students since 1999 by setting up new classrooms and hiring an interpreter/translator to do educational bookwork. Social workers have helped establish a close connection with the immigrant population.

Health

The health sector has also experienced growing pains as a result of Steinbach’s immigration. Surpassing all other regional health authorities in the province, South Eastman Health has experienced an inability to deliver necessary services and the language barrier has proved difficult for providing quality and safety of care. Another challenge with healthcare is that in terms of delivering services there is a shortage of German staff, which creates problems in collecting as well as conveying necessary medical information. An increased demand for mental health services is also a concern for South Eastman. The Public Health sector has improved its services by offering a German Midwifery service to a large group of immigrants who prefer those services over a physician.

Employment

The prospects of employment are indicated to be the most important factor in determining whether an immigrant can successfully subsist in a rural community and also whether he or she will settle in the first place. The jobs that tend to be available to immigrants in Steinbach are industrial based blue-collar work, but whether these jobs meet expectations of immigrants is not clear. The PNP program has caused a lot of concern in trying to attract immigrants to settle in Steinbach because there is a great deal of uncertainty if the immigrants that are supposed to be coming will actually show up. This has led to many businesses backing out of the program altogether. The other problem originating from the PNP system is that there is no guarantee from when job offers are signed until when the immigrant arrives that the human resources need will still be present.

One area tried to respond to the dilemma of unmet expectations due to credentials recognition is the Trucking Pilot Program. This program had the intent of providing an opportunity for unemployed and underemployed immigrants with a minimum of two years experience to be in a truck in twelve-fourteen weeks by assessing the participants’ strengths and shortcomings in language and requirements by the industry. It is hoped that a similar project will be able to be used

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 78 across other communities as well.

Skilled immigrants coming to Steinbach have also helped aid the employment situation by opening up businesses of their own, which makes information availability a key concern.

Initiatives and Outcomes

The provision of service for immigrants in Steinbach has evolved to deal with challenges which arose. In 1999, the Chamber of Commerce became the centre for managing the settlement program because it was felt that a non-profit organization was needed for management and delivery. This marked the creation of the Steinbach and District Immigrant Settlement Program (SISP), which provides the most needed services to immigrants. SISP representatives generally have contact with fifty percent of immigrants who settle. The services they work to provide are: information on immigration and the Steinbach area; reception and orientation services; translation and interpretation services; employment related services; programming for youth; and initiatives for women. The SISP also works on collecting and recording information to better understand the support and services that are needed in the community.

Some initiatives that the community has taken to deal with issues in immigration include starting the South Eastman English and Literary Services (SEELS), which is now affiliated with SISP. It helps facilitate and run language training for new arrivals. Flexibility is a key concern in accommodating immigrants’ language needs. Geographic and funding challenges have prompted the program to offer ESL classes right after work so some of the cost is shared by the business as well as making it very convenient for workers. The SEELS program has helped address the language concern in the workplace with the hope that this will lead to better work scenarios for immigrants.

From the immigrants’ perspective, some of the key things they see positively in the community are the quality and structure of the education system. Many cited specifically that teacher-student relationships are much stronger than they had experienced in Germany. New arrivals also liked the idea of the “less people and more land” principle that they did not experience when they lived in Germany. The presence of relatives and friends in the community was also a strong pull factor for immigrants citing that the concentration of the German language made it easier to come to Steinbach. The largest areas immigrants have viewed negatively are the issues surrounding employment, especially credentials recognition as well as affordable and appropriate housing and high property taxes.

Conclusion

Steinbach is a rich model of rural immigration that has been very successful at attracting a specific body of immigrants. Some of the things that can be learned from this model are that immigrants bring complex and unpredictable needs with them and strong leadership and co-operation in the community are required in order to deal with them. Exploratory visits and personal linkages were a key factor in bringing immigration to Steinbach. In order to create a better atmosphere, it was also emphasized that more interaction was important between the immigrant community and the non-immigrant community because interaction is crucial to developing a successful community.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 79

Appendix B: Youth Services/Organizations Available in Cumberland County

Abuse / Family Issues Al-Anon/Al-Ateen Cumberland County Transition Phone: 1-888-4AL-ANON House Association - Autumn House P.O. Box 1141 Unemployment / Economic Issues Amherst, NS B4H 4L2 Community Services/Employment Support Services Phone: 902-667-1200 (Collect calls accepted) Division (ESS) 26-28 Prince Arthur Street New Directions P.O. Box 299 P.O. Box 1141 Amherst, NS B4H 3Z5 Amherst, NS B4H 4L2 Phone: 902-667-4065/902-667-3336 Phone: 902-667-4500 (24 Hour) Fax: 902-667-1594

Family and Children's Services Salvation Army 26-28 Prince Arthur Street 7 Acadia Street P.O. Box 399 Amherst, NS B4H 3Z5 Amherst, NS B4H 3Z5 Phone: 902-667-2244 Phone: 902-667-3336 Fax: 902-667-1594 Salvation Army Springhill 93 Main Street Amherst Police Departm ent Springhill, NS B0M 1X0 45 East Victoria Street Phone: 902-597-3954 Amherst, NS B4H 1X4 Phone: 902-667-8600 Amherst Food Bank/Amherst Food Assistance Fax: 902-667-0268 Network 5 King Street Legal Aid Amherst, NS P.O. Box 262 Contact: Charlotte Ross 55 Church Street B4H 3Z2 Phone: 902-667-2415 Phone: 902-667-7544 Human Resources Development Canada RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Amherst 26-28 Prince Arthur Street 217 Victoria Street E Amherst, NS B4H 1V6 Amherst, NS B4H 1Y8 Phone: 902-661-6618 Phone: 902-667-3859 Student Employment Office Phone: 902-661-6639 RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Oxford Fax: 902-661-6637 P.O. Box 8 Web-site: www.ns.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca Oxford, NS B0M 1P0 Phone: 902-447-2525 Career Resource Center 35 Church Street RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Parrsboro P.O. Box 546 P.O. Box 399 Amherst, NS B4H 3A7 Parrsboro, NS B0M 1S0 Phone: 902-667-3638 Phone: 902-254-2424 Fax: 902-667-2270 E-mail: [email protected] RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Pugwash P.O. Box 40 Pugwash, NS B0K 1L0 Phone: 902-243-2181

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 81 Pregnancy / Sexual Health CCRSB/ Am herst Adult High School Teen Health Center (Amherst Reg High School) Phone: 902-661-2482 190 Willow Street Fax: 902-661-2480 Amherst, NS Web-site: www.ccrsb.ednet.ns.ca P.O. Box 728 B4H 3W5 Phone: 902-661-2383 Cumberland Adult Network for Upgrading (CAN-U) 141 Victoria Street, Unit L Public Health Services Amherst, NS B4H 1X9 18 South Albion Street Phone: 902-661-0153 Amherst, NS B4H 2W3 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 902-667-3319 Fax: 902-667-2273 Career Resource Center 35 Church Street Cumberland Mental Health Services P.O. Box 546 33 Havelock Street Amherst, NS B4H 3A7 Amherst, NS B4H 4W1 Phone: 902-667-3638 Phone: 902-667-3879 Fax: 902-667-2270 Fax: 902-667-5959 E-mail: [email protected]

Maggie's Place Community Services/Employment Support Services 12 Laplanche Street Division (ESS) Amherst, NS B4H 3Z2 26-28 Prince Arthur Street Phone: 902-667-7250 P.O. Box 299 Fax: 902-667-0585 Amherst, NS B4H 3Z5 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 902-667-4065 Fax: 902-667-1594 Cumberland County Family Planning-Sexuality Resource Center Human Resources Development Canada 12 Laplanche Street 26-28 Prince Arthur Street P.O. Box 661 Amherst, NS B4H 1V6 Amherst, NS B4H 4B8 Phone: 902-661-6618 Phone: 902-667-7500 Fax: 902-667-0585 Student Employment Office E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 902-661-6639 Web-site: www.ppfc.ca Fax: 902-661-6637 Web-site: www.ns.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca Family and Children's Services 26-28 Prince Arthur Street Crime P.O. Box 399 Amherst Police Departm ent Amherst, NS B4H 3Z5 45 East Victoria Street Phone: 667-3336 Amherst, NS B4H 1X4 Fax: 902-667-1594 Phone: 902-667-8600 Fax: 902-667-0268 Lack of Education / Opportunity Cumberland NSCC Legal Aid 1 Main Street P.O. Box 262 P.O. Box 550 55 Church Street B4H 3Z2 Springhill, NS B0M 1X0 Phone: 902-667-7544 Phone: 902-597-3737 Web-site: www.nscc.ns.ca RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Amherst 217 Victoria Street E Amherst, NS B4H 1Y8 Phone: 902-667-3859

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 82 RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Oxford Amherst Chapter of PFLAG (Parents, families, and P.O. Box 8 friends of lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgendered Oxford, NS B0M 1P0 persons) Phone: 902-447-2525 35 Union Street Sackville, NB E4L 4M6 RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Parrsboro E-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 399 Parrsboro, NS B0M 1S0 Eating Disorders Resource Center Phone: 902-254-2424 Phone: 902-443-9944

RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Pugwash Addictions P.O. Box 40 Addiction Services Amherst Pugwash, NS B0K 1L0 Community Based Services / Outpatient Services Phone: 902-243-2181 Northern Region 4,5,6 (Northern Regional Health Board) Cum berland County Alternative Society 18 South Albion Street 54 Victoria Street Amherst, NS B4H 2W3 P.O. Box 843 Phone: 902-667-7094 Amherst, NS B4H 4B9 Fax: 902-667-6271 Phone: 902-667-4414 Fax: 902-667-4486 Addiction Services Springhill E-mail: [email protected] 10 Princess Street Springhill, NS B0M 1X0 Mental Health / Health Phone: 902-597-8647 Cumberland YMCA Fax: 902-597-3955 92 Church Street P.O. Box 552 Alcoholics Anonymous Amherst, NS B4H 4A1 Phone: 902-667-7098 Phone: 902-667-9112 E-mail: [email protected] Gambling Help Line Web-site: www.ymcaofcumberland.com Phone: 1-888-347-8888

Maggie's Place Al-Anon/Al-Ateen 12 Laplanche Street Phone: 1-888-4AL-ANON Amherst, NS B4H 3Z2 Phone: 902-667-7250 Rebellion / Removal from Home Fax: 902-667-0585 Salvation Army E-mail: [email protected] 7 Acadia Street Amherst, NS B4H 3Z5 Cumberland Mental Health Services Phone: 902-667-2244 33 Havelock Street Amherst, NS Salvation Army Springhill Phone: 902-667-3879 93 Main Street Fax: 902-667-5959 Springhill, NS B0M 1X0 Phone: 902-597-3954 Teen Health Center (Amherst Reg High School) 190 Willow Street Amherst Food Bank/Amherst Food Assistance P.O. Box 728 Network Amherst, NS B4H 3W5 5 King Street Phone: 902-661-2383 Amherst, NS Contact: Charlotte Ross, Phone: 902-667-2415

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 83 Community Services/Employment Support Services Cumberland African Nova Scotian Association Division (ESS) (CANSA) 26-28 Prince Arthur Street 24 Crescent Avenue P.O. Box 299 Amherst, NS B4H 1V1 Amherst, NS B4H 3Z5 Phone: 902-661-1509 Phone: 902-667-4065 Fax: 902-661-4062 Fax: 902-667-1594 E-mail: [email protected]

Cumberland County Transition House Association- Self-Esteem / Peer Issues Autumn House Cumberland YMCA P.O. Box 1141 92 Church Street, P.O. Box 552 Amherst, NS B4H 4L2 Amherst, NS B4H 4A1 Phone: 902-667-1200 Phone: 902-667-9112 E-mail: [email protected] Amherst Police Departm ent Web-site: www.ymcaofcumberland.com 45 East Victoria Street Amherst, NS B4H 1X4 Maggie's Place Phone: 902-667-8600 12 Laplanche Street Fax: 902-667-0268 Amherst, NS B4H 3Z2 Phone: 902-667-7250 RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Amherst Fax: 902-667-0585 217 Victoria Street E. E-mail: [email protected] Amherst, NS B4H 1Y8 Phone: 902-667-3859 Teen Health Center (Amherst Reg High School) 190 Willow Street RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Oxford Amherst, NS P.O. Box 8 P.O. Box 728 B4H 3W5 Oxford, NS B0M 1P0 Phone: 902-661-2383 Phone: 902-447-2525 Cumberland Mental Health Services RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Parrsboro 33 Havelock Street P.O. Box 399 Amherst, NS Parrsboro, NS B0M 1S0 Phone: 902-667-3879 Phone: 902-254-2424 Fax: 902-667-5959

RCMP Cumberland Detachment-Pugwash Amherst Chapter of PFLAG (Parents, families, and P.O. Box 40 friends of lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgendered Pugwash, NS B0K 1L0 persons) Phone: 902-243-2181 35 Union Street Sackville, NB E4L 4M6 Prince Arthur Boarding House E-mail: [email protected] 4 Prince Arthur Street Amherst, NS B4H 1V4 Low Income Clothing Stores Phone: 902-667-3538 Guy's Frenchy's 300 Laplanche Street Visible Minorities Amherst, NS Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Phone: 902-667-5556 Regional Office 40 Havelock Street, P.O. Box 160 Salvation Army Thrift Store Amherst, NS B4H 3Z3 141 Victoria Street E Phone: 902-661-6200 Amherst, NS B4H 1X9 Fax: 902-661-6237 Phone: 902-667-5882 E-mail: [email protected] Web-site: www.inac.gc.ca

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 84 Appendix C: Immigration Procedure

Nova Scotia Nominee Program:

• Mandated through the Immigration Refugee and Protection Act < under Federal Economic class < provides greater flexibility and accelerated processing

• Agreement between Government of Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia, 2002 < allows NS to nominate potential nominees to CIC that meet economic and labour market needs

Nova Scotia Nominee Program Categories:

1. Economic 2. Skilled worker 3. Community identified

Economic Category:

• experienced managers/business owners • net worth requirement (minimum $300,000) • age 25 - 60 • sufficient language to be employable • demonstrated intention to settle and live in Nova Scotia • legal immigration status • nominee-funded employment contract < mentorship and Canadian work experience provided by the approved business • 70% of immigrants fall within this category • immigrants are matched with a business in NS for 6 months • every applicant is interviewed

Skilled Worker Category:

• Employer driven to meet labour market needs • employer of record must make a permanent, full-time job offer • standard wages and working conditions • legal working age • legal immigration status • related education and experience • minimum grade 12 (13 years of schooling) • sufficient language to be employable • demonstrated intention to settle in and live in Nova Scotia • sufficient settlement resources and supports • 15% of immigrants fall within this category

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 85 Community Identified Category (criteria under review):

• meet established NS Office of Immigration (OOI) criteria and have been identified by mandated community partner • legal immigration status • meet local economic or labour market needs • established connections in the community • demonstrated intention to settle in and live in Nova Scotia • sufficient settlement resources and supports • sufficient language to be employable • 15% of immigrants fall within this category

Applying to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program

Step 1: Applying to NSNP

• Ensure that the applicant meets the criteria and select the appropriate category • Obtain a NSNP application through the NSNP file preparer, Cornwallis Financial Corp. at www.cornwallis.com • Submit completed NSNP application < attach copies of federal application documents to NSNP applicaton < include fee payment (fees held in trust) • Cornwallis forwards completed file to NS Office of Immigration • interviews scheduled, if applicable • Office of Immigration < reviews the application < conducts interviews, if applicable < makes a determination < if positive, the OOI advises Cornwallis < economic applicant has 90 days to transfer the remainder of the fees < upon receipt, OOI issues a certificate to the appropriate federal visa post

Step 2: Applying to CIC Visa Office

• upon written notification of approval under NSNP, applicant submits NSNP and federal immigration application package directly to the appropriate visa office of CIC within 90 days of the nominee certificate issuance • applicant will be notified by the visa office to submit medical, security and criminality checks • applicant will be advised by CIC visa office of the decision to grant permanent residence status • upon landing, applicant provides contact info to NSNP

Fees:

• Nova Scotia nominee: < Community identified: $0 < Skilled worker $5000 < Economic $30000 (plus $100000 business mentor contribution) • also federal processing fees and right of landing fees found on the CIC website

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 86 Processing Time:

• on average 9 - 12 months to complete entire process • varies depending on the applicant’s circumstances; process can take up to 2 years for economic category • typically much shorter than through the federal immigration categories

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 87

Appendix D: Community Focus Group Participants

Tom Agemian Rose MacAloney Irene Albertson Mary Dee MacPherson David & Marsha Allen Roger MacIsaac Leonard Allen Dave March Adrien Baillargeon Laurie Mosher Stan Banks Walid Mouhammad Ian & Cheryl Black Chris & Belle Mullaley Bill Casey Shannon Oickle Liz Cooke-Sumbu Nancy Pelley Gary Copeland Dave Roberts Rev. Karen Cross Judy Roberts Kerwin Davison Ross Robinson Doug Dobson Terry Shaw Cathy Fisher Amy Smith David & Sylvia Forshner Lloyd Smith Robert Gilroy Lois Smith Lynda & David Giovamett Robert Spence Jerry Hallee Trish Stewart Frank Hartman Peter Swan Paul Hopper Shirley Symes Lloyd Jenkins Donald Tabor Rhonda Kelly Ron Urquhart Gerry Lisi Darrell White Lyle Yorke

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 89

Appendix E: Youth Focus Group Participants

Advocate District School: Principal Barry Allen and his History class

Amherst Regional High School: Guidance Counselor Charlotte Fawthrop and Peer Counselors

Cumberland Campus Nova Scotia Community College: Tanya Tuttle-Comeau (Faculty), John Cole (Project Staff) and Human Services class

Oxford Regional High School: Grade 12 French Immersion students

Parrsboro Regional High School: Principal Pamela Hoar and selected students

Pugwash District High School: Vice-Principal Chad MacPherson and his multi-level class

River Hebert District High School: Grade 12 Math class

Springhill Jr/Sr High School: Student Administrative Council

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 91 Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 92 Appendix F: Responding to a Sudden Large Need for Increased Labour Supply

From time to time, new businesses will announce that they wish to establish in a community or an already established business will announce a major expansion. While this is good news, it also provides major challenges for, among other things, physical infrastructure and labour force needs for the community and the surrounding area.

Labour force issues like an aging population, declining birth rate, and youth out-migration all have short- to long-term effects on an area. In addition to those longer term issues, Cumberland County faces more immediate labour force issues, which include: 1. Difficulty finding additional labour to meet its already existing needs. A call centre in Amherst which had initially hoped to hire 400 people has had to phase in its hiring and will probably be able to hire 200 at most. Retail and service sectors are in a continual state of hiring, not being able to find enough people to maintain a full workforce. 2. The pull of the west. Many people, especially youth, believe that they will be able to make higher wages going to Alberta or other points west. What they do not take into account is that the cost of living is much higher there than it is in Cumberland County or other parts of the Maritimes. 3. The opening of businesses in neighbouring regions. For example, many professionals and technical people who may be working or considering work in Cumberland County may leave the area to work at the new Research in Motion (RIM) facility in Dartmouth. This makes it difficult for local businesses to compete in the province-wide labour pool. 4. A shortage of tradespeople, especially outside of Amherst itself.

In addition to the items listed in this report’s Action Plan, the following potential actions should be considered by CREDA and others working toward maintaining an appropriate workforce in Cumberland County: 1. Invest now in setting up the high school/youth database of area residents (last 10 years of graduates) and get ready to contact them through email newsletters with invitations to return to take jobs locally. 2. Make arrangements to get into the high schools now with presentations to grades 11 and 12. Work with Guidance Counsellors to make sure they provide all options to students as they make post-secondary education and career choices. 3. Consider holding job recruitment fairs in other locations such as Cape Breton, Annapolis Valley, South Shore, northern New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador. 4. Push for public policy changes to Social Assistance and EI benefits so that when people are hired at near to or minimum wage jobs, they do not lose their “benefits,” especially those that employers do not offer (medical coverage, transportation, etc.) If these changes do not happen, there will not be enough people to fill entry level positions vacated by those already in the workforce as they move on to other jobs. 5. Work with existing companies to develop Human Resources plans which would include such things as: marketing; lean manufacturing; succession planning. 6. Work with existing companies to find ways for them to offer benefits like additional job training opportunities; on-site daycare; opportunities for advancement etc.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 93 Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 94 Appendix G: References

Abbotsford Community Services and Community CBDC Cumberland. April 2005. Cumberland’s Futures Development Corporation of South Fraser. Youth Retention Project. Youth Employment July 15, 2005. Abbotsford Immigration Action Retention Strategy. Amherst NS: CBDC Plan. Final Report. A Strategy for Creating Cumberland. Abbotsford - A Welcoming Community for New Immigrants. Abbotsford, BC. Citizenship and Immigration Canada. 2005. You Asked About...Immigration and Citizenship 2005. Akbari, Ather and Dar, Atul. No date. Analyses of Ottawa: Communications Branch, Citizenship and Socioeconomic and Demographic Profiles of Immigration Canada. Immigrants in Nova Scotia. Halifax NS: Atlantic Metropolis Centre. Citizenship and Immigration Canada. November 2003. Strategic Framework to Foster Immigration Allan, Don and Wegner, Linda. No date. Innovative to Francophone Minority Communities. Ottawa: Approaches to Facilitate Attraction and Retention Citizenship and Immigration Canada. of Immigrants in the Powell River Region. Powell River BC: Powell River Economic Development Citizenship and Immigration Canada. No date. Society. Attracting & Retaining Immigrants: A Tool Box of Ideas. Ottawa: Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Annis, Robert and Silvius, Ray. 2005. Issues in Rural Immigration: Lessons, Challenges and CORDA. No date. Destination:::colchester, nova Responses. Manitoba Rural Immigration scotia. Truro NS: Colchester Regional Development Community Case Studies. RDI Working Paper Agency. #2005-9. Brandon: Rural Development Institute. Corporate Research Associates Inc. January 2004. Atlantic CED Institute. May 2002. Community 2003 Nova Scotia Northern Zone Skills Inventory Asset Mapping - Report. Community Development - Cumberland County. Summary Report. Halifax Trends. Amherst NS: Cumberland African Nova NS: Corporate Research Associates Inc. Scotian Association. Corporate Research Associates. 2001. Study of Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. Winter 2006. Entrepreneurship Among Young Atlantic The Rise of Cities in Atlantic Canada. Halifax NS: Canadians Aged 15 - 29. Corporate Research Atlantic Provinces Econom ic Council. Associates.

Azmier, Jason. March 2005. Improving CREDA. May 2006. Source Data Collection - Immigration: A Policy Approach for Western Essential and Targeted Skills for Future Canada. Canada West Foundation. Development. Human Resources Skills Development Plan and Action Steps. Cumberland Bruce, David and Lister, Gwen. March 16, 2005. Regional Economic Development Association. Rural Repopulation in Atlantic Canada: A Discussion Paper. Sackville NB: Rural and Sm all CREDA. October 2004. Tourism Labour Market Town Program me, Mount Allison University. Assessment for the Fundy Shore, NS. Final Report. Amherst NS: Cumberland Regional Canadian Issues. Spring 2005. Immigration and Economic Development Association. the Intersections of Diversity. Sherbrooke QC: Association for Canadian Studies. Desjardins, Pierre-Marcel. 2005. A Socio- Economic Profile of Atlantic Canada: CANSA. August 2004. Cumberland County Asset Characteristics of Rural and Urban Regions, with Mapping: Community Development Final Report. Implications for Public Policy. The Canadian Amherst NS: Cumberland African Nova Scotian Institute for Research on Regional Development. Association.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 95 Dupuy, Richard, Mayer, Francine, and Morissette, Metropolis Project Team. February 21, 2003. René. March 31, 2000. Rural Youth: Stayers, Regionalization of Immigration. Metropolis Leavers and Return Migrants. Ottawa: Business Conversation Series 9. Ottawa ON: Metropolis and Labour Market Analysis Division, Statistics Project Team. Canada. Ministry of Com munity, Aboriginal and W om en’s FINALY! No date. FINALY! Futures in Services. March 31, 2005. Regional Immigration Newfoundland and Labrador’s Youth! St. John’s, NL. Initiative: Memorandum of Understanding between CIC and BC Concerning Regional Fisher, Andrew. 2003. Town of Amherst Socio- Immigration Strategies. Final Report. Victoria BC: Economic Report 2003. Amherst NS: Town of Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and W om en’s Amherst. Services.

FNETB. November 2001. Action Plan. Youth Oxford Community Enhancement Committee. No Forum. Opportunities @ Home: Haileybury and date. Town of Oxford Strategic Action Plan: A Region. Ontario: Far Northeast Training Board. Strategic Approach to the Long Term Development of the Town of Oxford. Amherst NS: Gardner Pinfold Consulting Economists Limited. Cumberland Regional Economic Development March 2004. Labour Market Attachment Needs of Association. Immigrants in Nova Scotia. Halifax NS: Gardner Pinfold Consulting Economists Limited. Pearce, Cindy. July 2005. Attracting and Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Welcoming Immigrants to Revelstoke BC - September 2004. Expatriate Newfoundlanders Scanning the Opportunities. Final Contract and Labradorians Speak Out. An Initiative of the Report. Mountain Labyrinths Inc. Revelstoke BC. Cormack - Grenfell Steering Committee. St. John’s NL: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. RDÉE Île-du-Prince-Édouard. No date. PERCÉ: Youth Thriving in P.E.I. Workplace. Regional, Government of Nova Scotia. January 2005. Nova Community and Economic Entrepreneurship Scotia’s Immigration Strategy. Halifax NS: Program. Wellington, PE: La Société de Communications Nova Scotia. développement de la Baie acadienne.

Immigration Policy and Planning. June 2005. An Redden, Andrew W. October 2005. Engaging Rural Immigration Strategy for Newfoundland and Youth: Establishing a Youth Council. Municipal Labrador: Opportunity for Growth. Discussion World. October 2005. Paper. St. John’s NL: Immigration Policy and Planning, Department of Human Resources, Labour Schroeder, Craig. Fall 2003/Winter 2004. Youth and Employment. Attraction as a Rural Community Goal. Lincoln, Nebraska: Heartland Center for Leadership Malatest, R.A. and Associates Ltd. March 2002. Development. Rural Youth Study, Phase II. Rural Youth Migration: Exploring the Reality behind the Schroeder, Craig. Fall 2003/Winter 2004. 13 Myths. A Rural Youth Discussion Paper. Ottawa: Reasons for Attracting Youth and Young Families. Rural Research and Analysis Unit. Rural Secretariat, Lincoln, Nebraska: Heartland Center for Leadership Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Development.

McKay, Gwen. September 2005. A Community- Siegbahn, Catherine. No date. Youth Making a Based Immigration Strategem for Greater Difference: A Brief Guide. Halifax NS: Nova Scotia Moncton. Phase I: Regional Capacity Department of Education and HeartWood. Analysis/Executive Summary. Fredericton NB: Amulet.

Cumberland County Repopulation Strategy 96 Silvius, Ray. June 2005. Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) and Rural Development Institute (RDI) National Rural Think Tank 2005 - Immigration and Rural Canada: Research and Practice. Final Report. April 28, 2005. Brandon MB: Rural Development Institute, Brandon University.

Walker, Kim. July 2005. Local Labour Market Development: Targetting Skilled Immigrants as a Potential Labour Source in Prince George. Final Report. Part I: Strengthening and Diversifying the Prince George Labour Market. Prince George BC: Kim Walker Community and Environm ent Strategic Management Consulting and Community Futures Development Corporation of Fraser Fort George Initiatives Prince George.

Vernon and District Im migrant Services Society. June 2005. Attracting and Retaining Entrepreneurial Immigrants to Rural BC Communites: A Resource Manual.

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Appendix H: Selected Immigration and Associated Websites

Atlantic Metropolis Centre - http://www.atlantic.metropolis.net

Canadian Rural Partnership Models for Rural Development and Community Capacity Building - http://www.rural.gc.ca/programs/carrefour_e.phtml

Centre for Diverse Visible Cultures - http://www.immigrants.ca/cdvc

Citizenship and Immigration Canada - http://www.cic.gc.ca

Family Friendly Community Checklist - http://familyimpactseminars.org/ffccheck.pdf

FINALY! Futures in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Youth! - http://www.finaly.nf.ca

Halifax Immigrant Learning Centre - http://www.hilc.ns.ca

Heartland Center for Leadership Development - http://www.heartlandcenter.info

HeartWood Centre for Community Youth Development - http://www.heartwood.ns.ca

Nova Scotia: Come to Life - http://www.novascotialife.com

Nova Scotia Immigration - http://www.novascotiaimmigration.com

Nova Scotia Nominee Program - http://www.gov.ns.ca/econ/nsnp

Nova Scotia Regional Development Association - http://www.nsarda.ca

Nova Scotia School Board Association - http://www.nssba.ednet.ns.ca

Prince Edward Island Population Strategy - http://www.gov.pe.ca/population/index.php3

Southwest Youth Community Learning Network - http://swycln.cimnet.ca/cim/72C350_542T2240s.dhtm

The Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association (MISA) - http://www.misa.ns.ca

The Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia - http://www.mans.ns.ca

Workplace Partners Panel - http://www.wppdialogue.ca/Default.aspx?DN=32,Documents

YMCA in Nova Scotia - http://www.ymca.ca/eng_findy_ns.htm

YMCA Newcomer Service - http://www.ymcahrm.ns.ca/newcome.html

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