Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - January 2010
A new study has awarded top marks to six Canadian communities in terms of their ability to attract immigrants.
The top six rated communities in the study were Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Waterloo, St. John�s and Richmond Hill (which is just outside of Toronto). Each of these 6 communities received an �A� grade.
The study, conducted by the Conference Board of Canada, looked at 50 communities across Canada, and ranked them in terms of education, health, economy, housing, environment, society and innovation. A total of 14 communities, including Toronto, Edmonton, and Victoria, received �B� grades.
The Saskatchewan communities of Regina and Saskatoon, which got ranked with a �B� and a �C� grade respectively, were surprised to have scored so low, as many efforts have been made recently to attract more immigrants to the province.
�I think this report gives us both [cities] something to think about,� said Larry Hiles, who is CEO of the Regina Regional Opportunities Commission.
Mario Lefebvre, who works with the Conference Board of Canada, said that one major challenge facing the province is the current lack of immigrants in the area, and, accordingly, the resettlement infrastructure that has already been established in many other provinces.
Lefebvre also said that the shortage of doctors in Saskatchewan brought down the ratings in the health category.
However, both Hiles and Lefebvre argue that Saskatchewan�s overall results are encouraging and the ability to attract newcomers is something that communities across Canada should be focusing on.
�Cities that fail to attract new people will struggle to stay prosperous and vigorous,� said Lefebvre.
Source: Regina Leader-Post
