Labour Minister Trevor Holder speaks to reporters after the unveiling of a new population growth plan.
The provincial government has released a new five year plan aimed at growing the population in New Brunswick.
‘New Beginnings’ will focus on enticing newcomers and immigrants to move here, and stay here.
The plan aims to attract skilled workers, recruit entrepreneurs, and create vibrant communities where newcomers and their families can thrive.
Labour Minister Trevor Holder says he hopes the plan will support community projects, and build neighbourhoods people want to live in.
“What’s going to be different about this strategy versus all the others that we’ve had in the past is that there’s going to be a greater focus on the vibrancy of the community and creating that exciting, dynamic environment where people are going to want to come to that community, and live,” he said.
Holder says a key aspect will be for each community and municipality in the province to develop a growth strategy.
“Communities around this province have to demonstrate how we’re going to attract new Canadians if we’re going to invest in infrastructure and other funding in those communities going forward. Otherwise, we’re not going to have enough people living here to support the services that we need in New Brunswick,” he said.
The plan aims to attract skilled workers, recruit entrepreneurs, and create vibrant communities where newcomers and their families can thrive.
“This is about making sure that we have a competitive economic environment that allows people to come here, but also want to stay here going forward. We’ve got to get serious about tax competitiveness and making sure that we are competitive from an energy perspective as well,” he said.
There are three target the report hopes to meet in the next five years: welcome up to 7.500 newcomers annually, increase the one-year retention rate to 85 per cent, and see a two per cent annual increase in French-speaking immigrants.
To achieve the targets, 60 actions items have been developed, focusing on areas like building and investing in community supports and newcomer programs, increasing jobs and employment opportunities, and improving the quality of life in community.
Holder says Saint John, where the announcement was held Tuesday morning, is a great example of a community that’s already hitting those marks. He also notes there are a number of small communities in New Brunswick already rising to the challenge as well, including Chipman.
The ‘New Beginnings’ Plan will be a five year plan, with the chance to renew if there is success after five years.
Holder says in the Department of Post Secondary Education, Training and Labour, the budget to support the plan is $8.3 million, with $2 million going towards “new initiatives.”
“Any good plan starts on a five year basis with a renewal in five years. We’ve got to measure our success when that five years is up, and our Premier is very much committed to making sure that we’re measuring along the way as well. If we’re not hitting some of these targets, I’ve got a Premier that’s going to be asking me why,” he said.
“I think new Canadians, when they see that, when they see the political leadership engaged in a responsive jurisdiction, they understand that that’s a warm welcoming environment and somewhere where they want to live and build a live,”
The strategy and action plan are available online.
