8 December 2025
Honourable David Piccini
Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development
Dear Minister Piccini:
REBUILDING THE ONTARIO IMMIGRANT NOMINEE PROGRAM TO BETTER ALIGN WITH RURAL AND NORTHERN LABOUR MARKET NEEDS
We are writing today to applaud your decision to review and revise the skilled worker stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. At a time when immigration is unfairly under attack it is critical to ensure that Ontarians can have the highest possible faith in the integrity of the province’s immigration system. This review must move forward rapidly, with every effort made to minimize the negative impacts on affected employers and potential workers.
The recent decision by the federal government to backtrack on the incredibly damaging cuts made to the provincial nominee programs in 2025 offers the province of Ontario an opportunity for real, and rapid, change. We request that you immediately expand the Rural Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot to include 400 spots each for the Districts of Kenora and Rainy River and an additional 200 spots for the District of Thunder Bay. Such a change would build on your earlier decision to expand REDI in Northwestern Ontario to include not just the City of Thunder Bay but the surrounding rural district as well.
Labour shortages are being felt across the province, but particularly in Northern and Rural areas where population growth is limited. Northern Ontario specifically is experiencing a population decline that is fueled by natural aging, low fertility rates, a rising life expectancy, and an increase of out-migration. Population and migration trends to 2021, suggest that Northern Ontario needs 100,000 newcomers by 2041 to sustain current population levels.
Newcomers represent potential growth and innovation for Northern and Rural communities, however, the vast majority of newcomers to Ontario continue to settle in the Greater Toronto Area. The federal Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program (RNIP) has proven highly successful in attracting over 4,000 immigrants to Northern Ontario to date. The federal government is moving to make it a permanent program and an integral part of Canada’s overall immigration strategy. We believe Ontario can learn from and build on this success.
For example, we would encourage OINP officials to incorporate local economic development agencies and their experienced, on-the-ground business development experts to assist in vetting local employers. We also believe that the province should look closely at the Australian model that allows for what could be described as “geographically closed work permits”. These require individuals to reside in a region for at least three years before applying for permanent residence (PR) and five years before being awarded PR. Such a stipulation can easily be combined with the requirement for a job offer as a condition of entry into the REDI (or any other OINP) stream. What it avoids is tying a worker to an employer relationship that may not, in the end, be ideal for either party. A geographic limit would simultaneously ensure a newcomer must demonstrate some level of commitment to the community which they have chosen as their new home.
I would welcome the opportunity to facilitate a meeting between you and some of our partners here in Northwestern Ontario to discuss this request. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Charla Robinson, President Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce
Mayor Rick Dumas, Town of Marathon / President, Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association
Mayor Melanie Pilon, Municipality of Wawa
Mayor Fred Mota, Municipality of Red Lake
Mayor Doug Lawrance, Municipality of Sioux Lookout
Mayor Kimberley Baigrie, Township of Ignace
Mayor Andrew Poirier, City of Kenora
Mayor Jack Harrison, City of Dryden
Mayor James (Jamie) McPherson, Municipality of Greenstone
Michelle Salo, President, Confederation College
Dr. Gillian Siddall, President & Vice Chancellor, Lakehead University
Garry McKinnon, Executive Director, Atikokan Economic Development Corporation
Bianca Garofalo, Owner, Bight Restaurant / Giorg Ristorante
Jamie Crozier, President, Thunder Bay Hydraulics
Richard Togman, Chair of the Board, Rent Panda
Hart Togman, CEO, Grove Rental Management
Heather Johnson, Executive Director, Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce
Rene Gallant, CEO, Synergy North
Charmon MacDonald, Executive Director, Northwest Training and Adjustment Board
Jason Nesbitt, President, Aguasabon Chamber of Commerce
Dale Fortes, Owner, Boston Pizza (Fort Frances)
Sarah Noonan, Owner, La Place Rendezvous
Jamie Taylor, CEO, Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission
Gary Christian, Executive Director, North Superior Workforce Planning Board
Rob Frenette, P. Eng, Managing Director, TBT Engineering Limited
Brad Beyak, Employment Councilor, Atikokan Employment Centre
Angela Halverson, Executive Director, Rainy River Future Development Corporation
Élodie Grunerud, Directrice générale, Association des francophones du Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario
Norm Eady, Executive Director, Dryden District Chamber of Commerce
Ryan Reynard, Executive Director, Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corp.