With jobs but no workers, Manitoba community recruits through provincial immigration program

One of Canada's 1st experiments to match foreign workers with specific jobs began 20 years ago.

Karen Pauls, Brett Purdy · CBC News · Posted: Sep 02, 2018 3:00 AM CT

S.athiyaseela (Sheela) Ramesh and her family looked for years for a way to leave India and immigrate to Canada — and they finally found it through a strategic recruitment program run by a small community in south-central Manitoba.

"It's not so easy to come to Canada without a connection like a friend or relative or a job offer," Ramesh said during a break from inspecting jackets at Deasil Custom Sewing in Morden.

"Once we came here on an exploratory visit, I got a job offer ... and then Manitoba nominated me to get permanent residence status in Canada."

At a time when Canada's refugee and immigration policy is being hotly debated, the small community of Morden has seen its population nearly double in the last decade. Much of that can be attributed to foreign workers recruited to Manitoba under the provincial nominee program. 

"I believe that it's changed the community for the better," said Shelly Voth, immigration coordinator for the City of Morden.

"You look in the school system, and my friends and my sons have friends from different cultures. It's a great way to integrate those families. I think our community is friendly and open and has been enjoying the diversity."

In 2015, Morden had a population of 8,668, an increase of 11 percent from the 2011 census. The most recent estimates put the population of the city southwest of Winnipeg at about 9,000 people.

"Probably in the last 10 years, it's close to having doubled," Voth said. "A lot of that would be attributed to immigration."

That diversity is obvious at Deasil Custom Sewing, where workers are making coats and vests for a well-known international clothing brand.

More than 90 percent of Ron Funk's employees are newcomers, and most of them came through Manitoba's provincial nominee program.

"We don't have any trouble finding work, we have trouble finding enough people," said Funk.

"Having the immigrants coming to our facility and taking the training and having them help us is essentially determining our growth."

Sewing machine operator Gurpreet Munday, her husband, and two children came from their home in India to visit Morden two years ago. They fell in love with the city. 

"It's good for kids to grow here. Zero crime. They love the school," she said during a break from her hemming. 

"We like having good jobs, so we have a good place to live here. We love the place," she said. "Everybody dreams of coming here to Canada, so we had a good fortune that we are here."

For more information, please the article at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-provincial-nominee-program-immigration-1.4802186