RSC seeking city's support for immigration funding request

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Miramichi city council could soon be endorsing a request from the Greater Miramichi Regional Service Commission for $200,000 in federal funding for a regional immigration partnership to support newcomers.

Council will vote at a future meeting on a request from Krista Chase, the commission’s regional economic development director, for a letter of support from the city for her plans to seek funding from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada for initiatives being handled by members of the Growing Miramichi committee.

Mayor Adam Lordon said the RSC is applying for funding for a zone immigration partnership, which involves two or more communities working to integrate newcomers in the region.

“Our intention is to write a letter of support, unless council wishes to debate it further,” he said.

Lordon said the Miramichi Regional Multicultural Association applied for funding in 2019 for Growing Miramichi, a local immigration partnership focused on Miramichi that included the municipality and other local organizations. He said that partnership received “hundreds of thousands of federal dollars” to support immigration retention and recruitment efforts.

“That funding was for five years and is now expiring, and the program has changed to be more regional in scope,” said Lordon. “The service commission has sent letters to all of its member communities asking for letters of support so they can effectively reapply for the federal funding, although it’s now under a new stream.”

In a memo presented to council, Chase said the last population growth strategy completed in the region was done under the previous Growing Miramichi partnership. She said the group received a five-year funding commitment in 2019 and hired a co-ordinator who didn’t work out, and the activities planned couldn’t take place during the pandemic.

“That partnership was formally wrapped up, and final reports were submitted to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada to close off its obligations,” Chase said in the memo.

Chase said population growth and co-ordinating newcomer support was added to RSCs in 2023 as part of the municipal reforms imposed by the province. She said Growing Miramichi committee member still meet under the RSC’s community onboarding co-ordinator and are working on updating the population growth plan.

To make the new partnership official, Chase said, signatures are required from local service providers, and a letter of support from municipalities is needed.

“The federal funds would allow more work to be done in achieving the objectives already adopted in the regional strategy regarding population growth,” she said. “Up to 100 per cent of (the partnership’s) costs are eligible for funding, with no contribution requirement from the RSC. There is no additional cost to communities.”

When asked by Coun. Tara Ross-Robinson why the application wasn’t first approved by the RSC board before being sent to local councils, Lordon said board members received it in an email and were asked to bring it to their councils for a vote, as the application deadline is Jan. 31. The next board meeting is Jan. 24.

“I think we should wait until it’s been approved by the RSC board before we vote to write a letter,” she said, before voting to refer the letter of support to a future council meeting.