Employment always seems to be an election issue. In this federal campaign, one job-related issue is key for industrial leaders: A shortage of skilled trades workers.
Jamieson Pouw, market development manager for The Bucket Shop in Timmins, said the shortage is hurting the industrial sector.
“It is absolutely severe, and I state that based on some hard numbers produced less than a year ago from the Far North East Training Board,” he said. “They did an exhaustive study overall for all of Northern Ontario and then they divided that into sectors.
“We now have proven evidence in the mining sector alone, as an example, they’ve forecast a shortfall of 3,000 people. That is absolutely critical. And as you extend that over the larger district, it is well over 20,000.”
There is more at play in the shortage than aging workers retiring.
“We also know the population is declining,” Pouw said. “Unfortunately, that’s due to two things. Our families are smaller than they used to be 20 years ago. Then there is youth outmigration where the younger people leave for university and they’re not returning.
“To say it is critical is an understatement.”
Industry has to be creative to deal with the situation. To help fill their shortage, The Bucket Shop is involved in a unique training program.
“With the support of secondary school and colleges, we can offer training programs specific to indigenous groups, and in our case it’s for a welding program,” he explained. “It’s been a tremendous success in adding people to the workforce, Indigenous women in our case.
“It’s a great approach to bring up some of the numbers on a temporary basis.”
He said one way the federal government can help the situation is by targeting skilled workers through immigration.
“We need more people in the system who are qualified,” Pouw said. “We talked to our colleagues in southern Ontario, and they are all feeling the same job crunch that we are. An immigration strategy is one way to add numbers to the pool.”
It is also vital for the feds to work with provincial governments.
“The federal government has started to articulate some great strategies,” he said. “Within skilled trades, the apprenticeship model has undergone a lot of scrutiny the last few years … It needed a bit of an overhaul.
“So, to the credit of the federal government, the Province of Ontario has a fantastic initiative to modernize the apprentice program.”
He also believes it is important to market trades nationally as a career choice to Canadian youth.
“We know, and we have real numbers for the Province of Ontario, 40 per cent of job opportunities right now are in skilled trades,” Pouw said. “And when they measured how many students are in the programs to fill them, there is only 26 per cent.
“So, it’s a misalignment there. Partly because (over the past 20 years) there’s been a huge encouragement of university programs … but the promotion of skilled trades often came with a stigma. That it is the other line of education instead of university. We’re asking for a bit of a marketing campaign to promote the skilled trade and what it offers.”
TimminsToday asked the five Timmins-James Bay candidates about the shortage. Here's what they have to say:
There is a growing shortage of trades workers in Northern Ontario. What measures should the federal government be taking to address the labour shortage in the north?
I meet regularly with businesses, colleges and organizations on the issue of the need to encourage skilled trades. The NDP is committed to expanding training programs for workers to get the skills employers are looking for. The NDP would make new investments in training Canadians to address the shortage of workers that are often barriers to many small business operators in rural areas: There would be boosts to support to train traditionally underemployed groups, to ensure that they can be made part of a reliable workforce – without having to go too far afield.
We must also improve education investments on reserve because the greatest opportunities we have in the north is a growing population of Indigenous youth.
One of the huge impediments to retraining is the growing cost of student debt. I hear from people across the north who are already burdened down with debt who are unable to move into training programs where they could be a contributing member of the economy because of debt. We will freeze the interest on student debt.
The NDP is committed to expanding the role of FedNor so that businesses can grow and offer training to workers on the job.
What role does the immigration of skilled workers play?
My family came to Timmins as immigrants to work in the mines. It created an incredible social solidarity which helped build a strong northern identity.
We have a huge opportunity to grow our economy and region through inviting immigrant families to the north. I have worked with Northern College and College Boreal on their excellent initiatives for inviting foreign students to the north. Our party is committed to the rural and northern immigration pilot and we'd like to make it permanent. This is about empowering cities like Timmins to make decisions about bringing workers in if they commit to living here. We must work to make our region welcoming and open. I have worked closely with the creation of the multicultural group in Kirkland Lake. This to me is a model for the whole north. The region is experiencing a massive boom and the energy of new immigrant families has been fueling a social renaissance.
Another important aspect is timely processing of immigration applications: In my office, my staff have dealt with hundreds (if not thousands) of Immigration applications that are stuck in what seems to be an ever slowing system. This is having a negative effect on the hiring of new immigrant workers in the north.
How do you plan to sell Timmins-James Bay at the federal level?
In my work in Parliament I have developed a national reputation as someone who gets things done. I am consistently recognized by national media as one of the most effective parliamentarians. Under Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau I had more success than any other politician in moving through initiatives across all party lines. I have been a champion for FedNor during periods when government members stood by as the program was undermined or staff were cut.
Our region has done extremely well under FedNor and other project funding. I will continue to advocate for strong investments in the north.
I have put the huge crisis facing Indigenous communities on the political map. The result has been schools being built, a national suicide prevention strategy being put in place and efforts to finally deal with the decades long problems of underfunded water plants and bad housing.
There is a growing shortage of trades workers in Northern Ontario. What measures should the federal government be taking to address the labour shortage in the north?
We need to continue investing in skills training and education here in the North. We know that when young people have the opportunity to develop the high quality skills needed for the labour market, not only do they stay but they thrive.
What role does the immigration of skilled workers play?
Timmins-James Bay was built by diverse communities coming together and forming the foundation of the mining and forestry industry in the North. We have a tradition of many cultures coming together, and I was proud to see that Timmins was selected to be part of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot to build on that. The successes of the program will not only benefit Timmins, but will resonate across the Region.
How do you plan to sell Timmins-James Bay at the federal level?
I am a proud Northerner, and I know that the greatest strength of our Region is the resilience of the people. We have strong, hard working communities who deserve their fair share of investments and economic development, and I intend to fight for them.
There is a growing shortage of trades workers in Northern Ontario. What measures should the federal government be taking to address the labour shortage in the north?
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A Conservative government will work immediately to restore the fairness, order and compassion of our immigration system.
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We will:
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Safeguard and emphasize economic immigration.
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Stand up for families and ensure that spouses and children can be reunited.
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Improve language training to ensure greater proficiency in English and French and newcomers’ ability to succeed economically and socially.
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Improve credential recognition and make it easier for new Canadians who have existing skills that meet our standards to work here. We all lose out when doctors and engineers are not able to practice their profession.
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Ensure that our system prioritizes people facing true persecution – focus government sponsorship on the victims of the four atrocity crimes – and restore integrity to our system by supporting the consistent application of fair rules.
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Work to reunite survivors of genocide who have already resettled in Canada more expeditiously.
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Do more to promote private sponsorships of refugees.
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End to illegal border crossings crisis by closing the loophole in the Safe-Third Country Agreement that allows some people to skip the line and avoid the queue.
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With baby boomers retiring, we will need the world’s best and brightest to choose Canada. Immigration, done right, is good for the economy, good for jobs, and good for the people who have chosen to come to Canada.
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Andrew Scheer has committed to setting immigration levels consistent with what is in Canada’s best interests. That number may change every year to reflect what Canada needs, and who needs Canada.
What role does the immigration of skilled workers play?
Qualified, competent, skilled workers are vastly important. Timmins-James Bay, according to the Far Northeast Training Board, is facing a shortfall of 30,000 skilled workers in the next few years. This has all happened under the watch of the incumbent MP who has barely lifted a finger to assist the riding's businesses to address this important issue. If elected, I will work diligently with all stakeholders to make certain that training opportunities are pursued as aggressively as possible so families who have invested and live in the north are able to stay.
How do you plan to sell Timmins-James Bay at the federal level?
I have a two-part approach. The first is to get elected along with an Andrew Scheer majority government, that way, I will have a seat on the government side of parliament. Second, it is my intention to initiate a 20-year growth plan for the north that involves all stakeholders across the riding.
There is a shortage of trades workers in Northern Ontario that is expected to grow. What measures should the federal government be taking to address the labour shortage in the north?
The federal government needs to promote training and apprenticeship programs for the trades tying funding to the development of such programs in regions and skills that are most needed. The Green Party will invest $10 billion in post secondary and trade school supports. Additionally tuition to these programs will be free. Combined with a Guaranteed Livable Income which students will be eligible for, this will vastly increase accessibility to the training to fill the North's labour shortage long term.
What role does the immigration of skilled workers play?
In the short term immigrants represent a source of incredible skills potential to meet current labour shortages. To attract immigrants our system has to be fair, not place undue barriers such as the more than 400 per cent increase in citizenship fees seen in 2014-15 and work with immigrants to ensure their skills/accreditation are recognized by creating a robust system for evaluating their education and training. The Green Party will also allocate increased funding for training in Canada's official languages to remove that barrier to employment. Working with municipalities in the North I will support the multicultural integration of these new Canadians into our communities. I see these actions, ensuring immigrants are supported in achieving their hopes and ambitions, playing a significant role in meeting needed skills challenges.
How do you plan to sell Timmins-James Bay at the federal level?
Promoting Timmins-James Bay at the federal level will begin with our long established resource base, low cost of living and incredible life opportunities represented by our wilderness playground. To realize this we must do several things. Firstly, bring First Nations to the table as fair partners so developments are not held up interminably. This is simple justice. The Green platform clearly outlines our commitment to the fundamental principle of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. This will not be talk but action! Secondly development of infrastructure such as renewing and upgrading rail transit, which is another plank in the Green Platform, will be needed to foster regional opportunities. Furthermore it is imperative the region not simply be a source of materials. I will work to promote investment strategies which develop value added processes locally that are in accord with the looming climate emergency which needs to be of primary concern. Programs such as building energy retrofits and requiring new construction to meet net-zero emission standards will create tremendous opportunity for transforming our resources into the products and services to meet these needs. Transforming the energy sector, including a truly national energy grid, will require appropriate development of mineral wealth of the region in accordance with environmental principles. I will champion these developments to Ottawa. These will solidify regional opportunities thereby offering our youth reason to remain here as well as attract newcomers to our region.
There is a growing shortage of trades workers in Northern Ontario. What measures should the federal government be taking to address the labour shortage in the north?
There should be good and constant communication between the federal government and businesses, companies and even municipalities to continuously assess the needs now and in the years to come. The government can serve as a facilitator in promoting the north and providing incentives which would make the move from the south more appealing. Through effective marketing tools, the different trades should be presented and sold in high schools in order to raise higher interest among future college students.
Inter-provincial trade barriers need to come down so that that we may attract worker from other provinces as well. For example, trade certification needs to be recognized universally all across Canada.
The next question also directs us to some good and practical solutions.
What role does the immigration of skilled workers play?
I believe that immigration of skilled workers play a very important and significant role. When I lived in Romania, I met many people there who immigrated to Canada. I understood at that time that qualifying for permanent residency in Canada was evaluated by a points system. For example, speaking one of our official languages fluently gave the applicant so many points, having a post-secondary education would be more points, etc. Our immigration department should be actively scouting for the people with the specific needs we have. When we find such tradesmen/women, points could be given to applicants willing to come and live in our region. Besides this, there is also what is being done already through the student visa program where young people interested in the trades are granted to come and study in Canada and possibly even sponsored by companies willing to invest in their future workforce.
Election day is Oct. 21. More local election coverage is available here.
