To the Editor:
At the final meeting of the Yorkton Chamber’s 2014 Board of Directors, the Directors indicated it was pleased to learn that the number of nominees allowed into the province under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) has been increased to 5,500.
The Yorkton Chamber appreciates the efforts of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce over the past 3 years lobbying for more spaces in the program. “The work the Sask Chamber has done on this file over the years certainly helped to ensure those extra spaces in the SINP,” said Don Rae, President of the Yorkton Chamber. “The need for these extra spaces became critical when the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program were announced in early 2014.”
An aspect of SINP that the Yorkton Chamber particularly likes is that SINP allows a nominee’s spouse and children to join him/her. “We think that as families settle in Yorkton, we will see many of them choose to become permanent residents. And that’s a good thing for the community”, said Rae.
The Yorkton Chamber is concerned however, that the SINP program will not do enough to alleviate the labour shortage in Yorkton and area. “We are concerned that without the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, many of the unskilled labour jobs will remain vacant which will have an adverse effect on our small businesses”, said Rae.
Don Rae, President Yorkton Chamber of Commerce
