Concerns arise over Rural Renewal Stream recent changes

At the recent Corporate Priorities Meeting held on June 18, City of Cold Lake councillors and administration delved into updates regarding the Alberta Advanced Immigration Program (AAIP) and its impact on the Cold Lake Rural Renewal Stream.

Andrew Serba, Strategic Initiatives Manager for the City of Cold Lake, provided council with information about the changes made by the province to the Rural Renewal Stream guidelines.

“This is an update on the Cold Lake Rural Renewal Stream and some changes that the province has made to the program Alberta-wide. The Cold Lake program has been running smoothly. It has been well received by both the business community and prospective applicants.”

According to the government of Alberta website the Rural Renewal Stream facilitates the attraction and retention of newcomers to rural Alberta through community-driven initiatives that address local economic development needs, fostering community growth. It enables rural communities to actively recruit and retain foreign nationals, encouraging them to live, work, and settle within these areas.

He elaborated on the program's success, stating “A total of 75 businesses have been admitted to the program with a total of 431 job postings to date.”

However, Serba highlighted the provincial government's decision to cap the total number of applications accepted.

“The Government of Alberta, however, has noted that the demand for access to this program has been unprecedented on a provincial scale, and with federal caps and quotas in place, is moving to restrict the total number of applications that can be made through the rural renewal stream.”

A backlog in processing applications was also brought up.

“The AIP is currently processing applications that were made last October and November, so there's a bit of a backlog that they're working through at the moment,” Serba added.

Coun. Vicki Lefebvre raised questions regarding the prioritization of crucial jobs.

“I just have a question in regard to the crucial priorities being prioritized. Would it be the ones crucial to us here in our region or are they thinking crucial to the province somewhere else?”

Serba said the decisions are made at the provincial level and so whichever jobs the province deems most crucial will be prioritized.

Deputy Mayor Bob Mattice expressed concerns about the cap affecting the City's growth.

“With the cap, my concern was with the growth of our City and the success of being one of the early adopters,” said Mattice.

Serba echoed these concerns, stating, “Speaking with some businesses as well, businesses have been really liking the program; we’ve received very positive comments in terms of the City facilitating the program.”

The discussion concluded with reflections on the program's potential extension beyond the three-year pilot period and if it will be extended.

Council did not make any motions following discussions.

Linda Sallstrom, economic development officer for the St. Paul/Elk Point Economic Development Alliance (STEP), shared insights on her area’s experience with the AAIP, noting challenges and impacts on rural communities.

"We were accepted into the program as the designated community, covering all our communities—County St. Paul, Town of St. Paul, Elk Point, and Summer Village—in March of 2023. Since then, we've implemented a program and made numerous adjustments, largely due to the lack of specific government guidance," she said.

Sallstrom pointed out concerns over recent changes impacting program intake. “Previously the intake was open, and a newcomer could make an application with their letter of endorsement to the Alberta Advanced Immigration Program at any time. They were developing a backlog, so now they have closed that to an intake one day a month, which unfortunately is not going to clear up the backlog on their end, but it's going to create a backlog with workers and employers, and a certain level of uncertainty as well.”

Regarding the impact on St. Paul, Sallstrom added, "Is this going to impede them? I don't think in St. Paul it will, it'll slow things down, but I don't think it'll impede it."

She also noted potential greater impacts in other areas, stating, "There are other areas that are greater, I know Bonnyville or Cold Lake may be a little bit more impacted."

Despite these challenges, Sallstrom acknowledged positive outcomes for local employers: “The program has benefited a lot of our employers. There are employers that have said that last year they would not have made it through the summer without the program, without the ability to get workers.”

She expressed uncertainty about the program's future effectiveness.

Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week