Miramichi talks immigration

The Miramichi Multicultural Association had a public event last night where the discussion centered around the need for immigration, and some local success stories.

Last night the Miramichi Multicultural Association (MMA) put on an information session and a round-table discussion at the Rodd Miramichi to talk about the need for more immigration to New Brunswick in general, but also to Miramichi specifically.

David Campbell, a New Brunswick Economist, spoke for about 20 minutes about the New Brunswick labour force and the effect an aging population has had on it. You can listen to his complete presentation below:

In 1971 the average age of a person in NB was 23.9 years old. In 2017 the average age is 45.3. What does this mean for the labour market? The labour market is the number of people working plus the number of people looking for work. This number had seen a steady incline since the time it had first been tracked until 2003 - 2004 when it seemed to peak, and it has been in decline since 2008.

Also impacting the number of people available to work is the seasonal nature of the provincial economy where each year in February about â…“ of the labour force are drawing Employment Insurance and waiting to return to their seasonal job.

Economists conservatively estimate there will be 30,000 fewer people in the workforce in the next 15 years. That’s a bad thing because that number represents fewer taxpayers to pay for services.

Also a bad trend in NB and Miramichi is the population. From 2011 to 2016 the City of Miramichi lost 1.5% of its population and now has an average age of 47.8. Upper Miramichi region lost 6.5% and it has an average of 52.5 years old. Neguac increased its population by 0.4% and is an average of 50.4 years old.

In 2016 the region had 5900 workers who were over 55 years old, while 40% of entrepreneurs were also older than 55.

Considering these factors, Campbell said immigration is imperative. He mentioned that PEI had a big immigration push for a few years, and that even though 60% of the immigrants PEI attracted eventually left the province, the remaining have been a big benefit to the labour force. Even though the benefits are clear, Campbell said there are still many myths about immigration that persist, including:

Wages in NB are not high enough to attract immigrants -- not true when adjusting for cost of living (transportation and food manufacturing wages are similar across the country)
Governments subsidize immigrant wages -- not true, but in some cases refugees fall under temporary government programs
Immigrants are paid less than local workers -- not true, they are paid the same
Immigration lowers local wages -- Manitoba has had highest rate of immigration and wages have grown faster there than any other province.
Immigrants take the jobs of NBers -- not true, they can’t come here unless a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is completed which included posting job openings to local residents.
Not all immigrants want to live in Toronto and pay $750,000 for a house. The challenge is to get them to consider regions like Miramichi, and colleges like NBCC play an important role in introducing immigrants to small communities, giving them a chance to ‘kick the tires”.

Campbell also stated that 70% of the economy comes from household spending, and the more households there are, the stronger the economy is.

Read Campbell’s blog about last night’s meeting: LINK

Immigrants and Employers make presentations

The session also included presentations from people who have hired immigrants, and from immigrants themselves that have made Miramichi their new homes.

Nelson Stewart runs the Goodie Shop Restaurant and has several long-term employees. But 5 years ago he realized he was heading for a shortage in cooks and kitchen staff and began to look for solutions. That lead him to the MMA and their experience at aiding employers and immigrants navigate the complicated path to mutual benefit.

Stewart and other Miramichi employers spoke about the need and benefits of immigrant workers, and there were three people who immigrated to Miramichi who also spoke about the journey to get here, and their appreciation for the their new employers and for the MMA who helped them in their transition.

“The Miramichi Multicultural Association was a great help,” Stewart said. “At that time I would have to apply for an LMIA number,” he explained, and said that the process was complicated and at times costly, and that the MMA was huge help in wading through the red tape with success.

“I was very fortunate to have a family come here. Juliette came here, left her family, and spent 18 months here before her husband and sons came here too. They are members of the Goodie Shop team, and we are very proud to have them. By them arriving and working with the staff, it enabled us to save the 12 jobs of others who work there.” Stewart explained that they were expecting another family member to come to canada and join their team in a few weeks.

“It’s been a long journey, but it has paid off. I have staff that have been with me for over 20 years that have stood by me, and they have really welcomed out new workers and are very proud they are there.”

Some of the newest members of Stewart’s staff took the podium and explained how grateful they are to be in Miramichi, how friendly they find the community. Some them had been working on cruise ships where they were away from home for 11 months of the year, and decided to explore opportunities in Canada that lead them to Miramichi.

Pictured below are Nelson Stewart, Christian Lagman, Arthur Lagman, Julietta Lagman and Madge Lagman.