News from Niagara’s regional government
Posted September 6th, on Niagara At Large
Niagara Region headquarters in Thorold
Niagara, Ontario – Regional Chair Alan Caslin is pleased to announce that Niagara Region is the recipient of a $35,000 grant from Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and an additional $20,000 from the Local Immigration Partnership, a Federal program.
These grants will fund the strategic redevelopment of the Region’s online immigration portal, a key marketing tool that will be used to grow Niagara’s economy through the attraction of highly qualified immigrants.
The development of a strategy to bolster Niagara’s global attractiveness is one of Regional Council’s strategic priority projects for the 2015 – 2018 term and these grants directly supports that goal. Attracting “economic class” immigrants, which include highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs, will have a positive effect on Niagara’s economy by growing the population, increasing the tax base and enhancing the Region’s cultural experience.
Compared to the national average of 7.5 per cent, immigrants comprise only 4 per cent of Niagara’s current population. Competition for qualified workers is both global and intense and will continue to impact Niagara’s ability to develop and expand its existing businesses and attract new investment. Ensuring the Region can attract a larger share of the highly skilled immigrants that choose to come to Canada is critical to Niagara’s success in staying competitive on the world stage.
In addition to addressing Council’s aim to improve global attractiveness, the revamped portal will also align with the current immigration policies of the federal and provincial governments. The portal will focus on marketing the strengths and opportunities of moving to Niagara and opening a business here.
The portal will meet the needs of a number of audiences including international students who are considering staying in Niagara after their post-secondary education is over, potential immigrants considering a location for their new business, and newcomers that are looking to find information to better settle and make a home in Niagara.
NIAGARA AT LARGE encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this post in the space below the Bernie quote.
A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.
For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater binational Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .
Niagara At Large 