Canadian Immigrant Agency Receives $1.9 million

An Ottawa organization has received a CAD$1.9 million provincial grant that will assist it in expending its services to Canadian employers. The organization works with local employers in order to assist them in removing barriers to hiring and retaining skilled workers who immigrate to Canada. Part of the near-term plan of the organization is to create a new working group which concentrates on the biotechnology sector; current programs currently focus on health-care, IT, finance, and public sectors.

The agency presently predicts that local labour requirements will exceed the supply of workers by 2014. It predicts that Canadian immigration will be responsible for all labour market growth in the region by the year 2011.

The Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration states that "Programs like United Way Ottawa's Hire Immigrants Ottawa have proven effective in getting newcomers jobs that match their skills, expertise and qualifications."