Welcoming Communities Project – NL Workforce Innovation Centre

Communities across Newfoundland and Labrador are working to address the growing challenge of attracting and retaining newcomers, particularly in rural regions. While immigration plays a critical role in strengthening our local workforce, many communities continue to face barriers that affect long-term newcomer settlement.

These challenges are reflected in national data. A 2024 Statistics Canada report shows that Newfoundland and Labrador experienced a 14.1 percentage point decrease in newcomer retention, the lowest rate in Canada, for immigrants who were admitted between 2020 and 2021. This data points to the need for practical, sustainable and community-based solutions that can support successful newcomer integration in our province.

Project Overview

The Welcoming Communities – Burin Project is a research initiative based out of the CNA Burin Campus, and designed to address these very challenges faced by the Burin Peninsula. This project is led by the NL Workforce Innovation Centre (NLWIC), in collaboration with the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce (LNCC). The LNCC has experienced significant success in recruiting and retaining newcomers and is serving in an advisory role. The Welcoming Communities Project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program. The project aims to develop a sustainable newcomer integration model for the Burin region that will help attract, retain and integrate newcomer talent across communities on the Burin Peninsula. This will enable them to contribute meaningfully to the local labour force and their quality of life and that of the Peninsula’s communities.

Across Newfoundland and Labrador, Atlantic Canada, and the broader Canadian context, this project will explore both past and current welcoming communities’ initiatives. The research will examine a range of approaches at the community, regional and provincial levels to identify best practices and emerging trends that support positive newcomer experience. We will also create a community of practice with other Welcoming Communities initiatives to share learnings and best practices during and after the completion of this Project.

Findings from this review will inform the development of a Welcoming Communities newcomer integration model for the Burin Peninsula region.

NLWIC will work closely with communities across the Burin Peninsula to better understand local experiences, needs and opportunities related to newcomer retention. This will include engaging directly with community members, employers, newcomers and immigrants through focus groups, stories, in-person and virtual events. By drawing on best practices from successful Welcoming Communities initiatives, this project will develop evidence-informed strategies and recommendations for financial and organizational sustainability, resulting in a Final Playbook which will be instrumental in helping others who are interested in developing their own welcoming communities projects.

The Project Team

Joanne Kendrick – Project Lead, Research & Innovation Project Coordinator, NLWIC

George Sheppard – Policy, Planning and Research Analyst, NLWIC

Ariyana Gomes – Public Relations Specialist, FSC Special Projects, NLWIC

Loes Chafe – Administrative Officer, NLWIC

Oyewole Oladapo – Policy, Planning and Research Analyst, NLWIC

Julianne Griffin – CEO, LNCC (Collaborator/Project Advisor)

Michael Chubbs – Community Navigator, LNCC (Collaborator/Project Advisor)

For more information on Welcoming Communities Project, please contact Ariyana Gomes, email: ariyana.gomes@nlwic.ca

Our Funders and Collaborators

The Welcoming Communities Project is a Future Skills Centre (FSC) funded, NLWIC-led initiative, in collaboration with the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce (LNCC) as project advisors, and the Department of Jobs, Growth and Rural Development (JGRD), formerly the Department of Jobs, Immigration and Growth at Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (IPGS).