The Rural Renewal Stream (RRS) program is likely to conclude by November.
BARRHEAD - The county, along with the Town of Barrhead, was one of what was then a handful of designated communities in 2022. The designation is good for three years.
And although the designation can be renewed county manager Debbie Oyarzun said at the Aug. 19 council meeting, it is unlikely that the municipalities will do so.
"The economic development committee did make a recommendation that council will see in a future Request For Decision (RFD)to let the program expire," she said.
The RRS enables rural communities with fewer than 100,000 people to attract and retain immigrants by collaborating with local employers and settlement-providing organizations to offer employment and support services, including housing, language training, healthcare, and education. The stream requires that communities apply for designation through the provincial government.
Barrhead (town and county) has been an RRS community since November 2022. The county is the unit of authority and administers the program on behalf of the municipalities.
The program is part of the province's Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), which helps employers recruit foreign nationals to apply for jobs. The AAIP is part of the province's effort to combat its labour shortage.
To be eligible to receive workers under the program, a business needs to have at least one permanent, full-time position, not including seasonal jobs, of a minimum of 30 hours a week.
Development and communications coordinator Adam Vanderwekken said there are pros and cons.
"We need to ensure employers can fill the positions long-term. That has always been our priority with the program," he said.
Vanderwekken added that it is becoming more difficult as a result of the province introducing the "expression of interest" requirement, where prospective candidates submit an application expressing their desire to be included in the program.
The province then enters the would-be applicants into a selection pool and then ranks them.
In other RRS presentations, Vanderwekken has stated that introducing the process created another delay in what was already a lengthy process.
"On top of that, the federal government is decreasing the amount of immigration. Every year, each province is allotted several provincial nominations allocations of permanent residency, and this year it is 50 per cent of what it was in 2024."
Oyarzun said that, as the RRS designation was a joint initiative with the Town of Barrhead, they have informed their municipal partner of their intention to let the program wind down.
She noted that they have informed the town's administration of their recommendation and will bring it to their councillors for discussion.
"Once we hear back from them, we will be bringing back an RFD to this council," Oyarzun said.
Vanderwekken said the program had seemed to plateau some time ago, noting that the number of interested employers in the program has been on the decline, with only one new business expressing interest, with no new employers enrolling.
From Nov. 7, 2022, to July 31, 2025, 60 area employers expressed interest in the program, 42 subsequently enrolling. Of those 42 employers, 15 have open job vacancies. Vanderwekken said currently, there were 38 open job positions.
In July, five candidates expressed interest in joining the RRS program, bringing the total number to 222.
However, Vanderwekken and Oyarzun noted that they don't necessarily know the actual numbers, as those only include candidates who reached out to the county.
Oyarzun added that prospective employees are encouraged to contact the employers directly.
Of the 222 candidates that expressed interest, 175 have been endorsed.
Vanderwekken said that of those 135 were temporary foreign workers already working and living in the community, and 40 were international applicants.
"That brings the total number of [RRS applicants] working in the community to about 123, with 52 still pending arrival," he said.
Since its inception, the county has modified the RRS program — the first change occurred in September 2023, when it was endorsed only for candidates already in
Canada on temporary work permits, along with requiring a candidate's Canadian work permit to be valid for at least eight months from the date of request to be considered for municipal endorsement. Council made the change due to the increasing time lag between a candidate submitting their application and receiving endorsement, as many candidates' work permits had expired in the meantime. The other change, in Dec. 2024, was to increase the minimum wage employers had to pay RRS workers to $20.
Coun. Walter Preugschas asked of the posted job openings under the RRS program, how many had already been filled through the temporary foreign worker program.
Vanderwekken did not have the exact stats offhand, but said the vast majority.
"Especially, lately, the vast majority of application and endorsement letters were from employers that have these temporary foreign workers working for them. multiple years, and they are trying to make them permanent."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
