Saint John is revamping its immigration strategy to take a more regional approach and to incorporate new data and information.
Succeed and Stay was launched in 2022 with a goal of attracting and retaining 12,000 newcomers to the city over the next 10 years.
Kathryn Melvin, who manages the Saint John Local Immigration Partnership at Envision Saint John, said a lot has changed since then.
“A lot of the data that was used to develop that strategy was actually from 2019, before we had the pandemic, population, immigration changes,” said Melvin.
“There have also been significant changes in immigration policy, particularly over the last couple of years. We’ve seen some growing anti-immigrant challenges in the community.”
Pathways to Belonging
Melvin presented the proposed new plan — Pathways to Belonging — to members of Saint John council’s growth committee during a recent meeting.
It will expand to include the communities of Grand Bay-Westfield, Rothesay, Quispamsis, Hampton and Fundy-St. Martins, as well as the Fundy Rural District.
The proposed plan has three pillars: coordinated support and advocacy, welcoming and inclusive communities, and economic and educational opportunities for all.
“These new lenses have allowed us to build a robust plan that responds to current needs. It’s a data-driven, region-wide roadmap built to attract, integrate and retain newcomers, but also fosters systemic change that will help us achieve sustainable community growth,” said Melvin.
Seven key themes were identified that the plan will address, she said, which include dealing with “persistent” racism and discrimination, and addressing gaps in youth and family retention.
Racism a ‘pervasive’ issue in Saint John region
Andrew Beckett, CEO of Envision Saint John, said the issue of racism was loud and clear during consultation with newcomers and service providers, describing it as a “pervasive” problem.
“The examples that were given were startling. We’re a friendly community, but we’re not necessarily a welcoming community,” Beckett told committee members.
“Immigrants aren’t taking something away from our residents. Far from it. They’re not taking jobs away from the existing people who are here. They’re bringing new wealth to the community, new ideas, adding a huge amount of value in a lot of ways.”
Beckett said the proposed plan also places a heavier focus on newcomer retention, which he said is “nowhere near what we need to strive for.”
Growth committee members endorsed the regional strategy and directed staff to report back with a transition plan from the current strategy.
In the meantime, the Saint John Local Immigration Partnership will establish an operational plan, which will include a measurement framework, review the working groups with the regional strategy and co-create action plans.
