ST. PAUL – The STEP (St. Paul/Elk Point) Economic Development Alliance has paused the Rural Renewal Stream (RRS) program until March 2025.
The program is part of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) and is designed to help rural Alberta communities address labour needs and skill shortages.
Approved employers in RRS-designated municipalities could hire foreign nationals, without the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
In late November, the STEP Alliance released a statement, saying the pause will allow the group to conduct a “thorough evaluation of ongoing changes” being made with the AAIP, and consider how these changes could potentially impact the STEP Alliance’s operations and goals with the RRS.
The STEP Alliance is composed of the County of St. Paul. Town of St. Paul, Town of Elk Point, and Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay.
Some of the changes in the AAIP involve the Expression of Interest (EOI) system which was launched in September.
According to information from the Government of Alberta, candidates must submit an EOI if they want to receive an invite to apply to an AAIP stream.
The EOI allows individuals to self-declare information about their skills and qualifications, which is then scored and ranked based on a points grid. Candidates who successfully submit an EOI are placed in a “worker stream pool” for consideration in future draws.
The provincial government will periodically select candidates from the pool based on EOI rankings, provincial labour market needs, and available AAIP nominations. Invitations to apply will be sent by email to selected candidates.
“During this pause, STEP will review and assess the evolving landscape of AAIP immigration policies and procedures to ensure that the Rural Renewal Program remains effective, efficient, and aligned with the needs of our communities,” reads the STEP Alliance’s announcement.
The STEP Alliance joins other rural municipalities that are also pausing their Rural Renewal Program, including the Town of Westlock and the Town of Fox Creek.
“The federal government has signaled intentions to reduce the number of immigrants entering Canada over the coming years, which may impact the availability of qualified applicants for rural-focused programs such as Rural Renewal Stream,” reads a Nov. 4 Town of Fox Creek press release.
“The Town of Westlock has paused its participation in Alberta's Rural Renewal Stream and will not be issuing new Endorsement Letters until further notice,” reads information from the Town of Westlock. No new endorsement letter requests were accepted as of Oct. 18.
“Increased processing times” and “affordability and housing availability” were noted as two of the reasons for the pause in Westlock.
