Destination Osoyoos is stepping up its major initiative to recruit skilled foreign workers and doctors to the rapidly growing South Okanagan town, and it has hired an Immigrate Recruitment Project Team Leader to oversee the effort.

Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of Destination Osoyoos – which promotes the area’s economic development – announced at the organization’s annual general meeting Wednesday that it recently hired Pru Zerny to head up its Immigrate Recruitment Project, and she has begun discussions with local businesses about the potential of hiring skilled employees from overseas.

“Our early joint effort with the Town of Oliver and Interior Health to recruit new doctors for our area is proving very successful, with three new doctors recently deciding to locate here and others actively looking at the possibility,” Zerny says.

But she notes the challenge of attracting skilled foreign workers for a number of other strategic occupations will require a concerted effort for a number of years. Zerny says until now most Osoyoos businesses have not considered hiring foreign workers or have thought government regulations may make it too difficult. She says the growth of construction, light industry, medical care facilities, and new enterprises planned for the Osoyoos airport means businesses may need to consider hiring skilled workers from outside of Canada.

“Other communities around British Columbia, including Kelowna, have begun the process of trying to match foreign workers with local labour needs – and we are now talking with Osoyoos businesses about the benefits that they and the whole community can achieve by recruiting skilled employees,” Zerny says.

She adds that there are several immigration programs which facilitate the immigration process for certain job categories, and the Destination Osoyoos AGM featured presentations by three officials of these programs – Provincial Nominee Program senior advisor Gordon Kennedy, Service Canada official Greg Anstruther, and Citizenship & Immigration Canada officer Margaux Kaczor.

The three told more than 40 members of the Osoyoos business community attending the AGM that their agencies are committed to helping companies meet their labour needs. And the manager of B.C.’s Provincial Nominee Program, Michael Chew, applauds the efforts of local governments and economic development organizations to help businesses recruit skilled foreign workers.

“The program is designed to benefit B.C. employers who have difficulty filling positions with local residents or Canadians. It expedites the process. But we can only make the program available to businesses throughout the province – the rest is up to them. And it’s up to local stakeholders to take the lead and say how this can help,” Chew says.

He says since its inception in 2000 the Provincial Nominee Program, jointly operated with Service Canada and Citizenship & Immigration Canada, has nominated about 1,820 skilled employees for immigration into B.C. – with the majority so far being health professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists and midwives. Besides health professionals, the program also provides help for bringing in other “strategic occupations” including: senior managers, accountants, architects, biologists, computer software developers, event planners, engineers, financial analysts, geologists, database analysts, occupational therapists, veterinarians, aircraft mechanics, construction estimators, industrial technologists, and mining technologists. Chew says his program “is here to stay”, helping B.C. businesses into the future.

Zerny notes the Osoyoos/Oliver effort to attract doctors met early success last year when a doctor couple from South Africa decided to relocate to the area this summer. Since then a Vancouver doctor announced she will move here and another doctor has visited and is actively considering the area.

Advertisements for Osoyoos/Oliver have been placed in leading medical journals and Zerny along with Oliver Councillor Pat Hampton and Dr. David Shaw had a recruitment booth at an April conference of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, in Halifax. Seven of the 14 current Osoyoos/Oliver doctors plan to retire within the next 18 months.

Zerny says the competition is strong for other skilled workers, and a long-term effort working closely with local businesses will be required. Destination Osoyoos CEO Glenn Mandziuk attended two major ‘Destination Canada’ job fairs in the United Kingdom last October. Zerny is now following up with those who expressed some interest in relocating, and with local businesses. But she says the difficulties are highlighted by one recent example: In March she hosted a visit from a British construction mega-project manager now working in Dubai. He received a job offer from an area company but was unable to convince his wife to move here.

Zerny says the further growth of Osoyoos business and industry in the next few years will open up more opportunities to attract skilled workers. At this point she says Destination Osoyoos is gearing up its efforts to explain the process to local businesses. She notes that Kelowna began its foreign worker recruitment program several years ago, and a major education effort was required with its local business community. Now its economic development staff attend a number of major ‘emigrate’ trade fairs overseas in countries such as the UK, Netherlands, Germany and France each year.

“In Osoyoos, we are still at the early stages of this long-term project,” Zerny says.

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For more Information, Contact:

Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, Destination Osoyoos
Tel: 250-495-3366 or 1-888-676-9667
Email: glenn@osoyoos.ca
Website: www.destinationosoyoos.com

The Destination Osoyoos Development Society is a non-profit grassroots organization committed to strengthening economic, physical, social and cultural conditions in the Osoyoos area. The goal of its Community Economic Development Strategy is to promote enhanced quality of life and a sustainable, diversified economy. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors representing diverse interests in the community.