Is Wellington County a welcoming and inclusive place for newcomers? That’s the question the county wants to explore with a new survey.
Newcomers, residents, businesses and organizations are being encouraged to complete the online questionnaire. Results will be used to shape current and future programs and initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining skilled workers and addressing labour shortages.
Aaron Francois, economic development coordinator with Wellington County, says current population trends mean immigrants are needed to sustain economic growth across Canada. While the country is “aggressive” about attracting newcomers, most of those people tend to settle in bigger cities like Toronto, he continued.
“So it’s very important that Wellington County market itself and be a very welcoming environment to attract some of these newcomers to compete,” Francois said.
The survey is expected to stay up until Aug. 6 and Francois encouraged broad public participation.
“So that we can get a good sense of what are some of the actions that we can take to help the community become a more welcoming one,” he explained.
