COLD LAKE – City of Cold Lake council has revisited its decision to send a letter of concern to MLA Scott Cyr regarding the impact of recent federal changes on the Rural Renewal Stream under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP).
Initially, at the Oct. 15 Corporate Priorities Meeting, council agreed to send the letter to express concern over how the changes could affect the local labour market, but recent discussions with AAIP staff clarified that no provincial adjustments to the program were planned.
At council's Oct. 22 regular meeting, council agreed to defer sending the letter, opting to wait for a response from AAIP staff before taking further action.
“Since council's last meeting, the administration has been able to meet with the AAIP staff to see how the recent changes to the immigration programs impact the rural renewal stream,” said Andrew Serba, Cold Lake's Strategic Initiatives Manager, during the most recent council meeting on Nov. 12.
Serba clarified that the discussed changes were being done at a federal level, and not specific to the AAIP or the Rural Renewal Stream.
Federal changes include reduced immigration targets, which may reduce the available quota for the Rural Renewal Stream.
Serba noted, “How these changes will impact the number of people who are able to access the Rural Renewal Stream is not fully understood, but since Canada is significantly reducing its immigration targets, it is safe to assume that the quota available for the program will also be reduced significantly in the months to come.”
Additionally, Serba outlined changes that Cold Lake has implemented locally in response to both provincial and federal adjustments. The local program now limits each business to 10 applications per calendar year and only allows applications if less than 20 per cent of the business’ workforce is Temporary Foreign Workers.
“These changes, we hope, will ensure that businesses are incentivized to consider their applications carefully, to ensure that a wide cross-section of businesses in Cold Lake can see applicants through the program before provincial quotas are reached, and to limit the number of applications that . . . our municipal staff has to process to a number more in line with the program's quotas,” said Serba.
With these adjustments, Cold Lake’s Rural Renewal Stream is structured to balance local economic needs and align with federal and provincial immigration program quotas. The changes also prioritize higher-demand job categories in sectors such as healthcare, trades, agriculture, and hospitality, according to information from the City of Cold Lake.
Mayor Craig Copeland shared positive feedback he received from individuals who successfully navigated the program. “I got a couple of great emails from some people that this worked out really well for in the last couple of weeks,” said the mayor.
Serba confirmed that successful applicants are finding their way through the program.
“Yes, we have been hearing from newcomers to the community who have successfully navigated the program and have received their permanent residency.” He estimated that “about 25 to 30 applicants have successfully [received] their permanent residency.”
With the information provided, council agreed to accept administration's recommendation to receive the report as information and not proceed with sending the letter to MLA Scott Cyr.
