North Bay, Ontario Sees A Surge In Immigration

17 Sep 2013

North Bay is one of the province’s only three cities to see a rise in its immigration growth.

North Bay and District Multicultural Centre’s manager, Don Curry, said that from April to August, there were 210 new Permanent Residents, International students and Canadian Citizens who arrived in the city. A clear rise compared to 148 for all of 2012.

Curry said that as immigrants move west, except in North Bay, Peel and York, numbers are dropping everywhere else in the province.

There are a variety of reasons for immigrants to arrive in North Bay

Curry said some of the most popular attractions of North Bay are employment in the skilled trades and mining industry. He also said that foreign doctors and other health care professionals are in demand, along with employment opportunities at Canadore College and Nipissing University.

Curry said that Permanent Residents are also buying corner stores and restaurants.

CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) recently released numbers regarding permanent residents arriving in settlement areas and Curry said a motion was to go before city council asking the city to give permanent residents the right to vote for school board trustees and in municipal elections. Currently, immigrants are required to have their Canadian citizenship status to vote.

Curry said that if the motion is passed, North Bay would be the second city in the province behind Toronto to do so, and it is really significant and demonstrates North Bay as a welcoming community.

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