TORONTO – After years of watching graduates leave for greener pastures, politicians from Saskatchewan are making no apologies for swooping into southern Ontario to woo recent grads to the Prairie province.
A delegation from Saskatchewan was in Toronto on Tuesday hoping to lure sharp young minds west, where the provincial government recently revamped a program for tuition rebates to offer up to $20,000 for university and college graduates from around the world.
The members of the delegation insisted they are not “poaching” Ontario’s best and brightest to live and work in a place that until just a few years ago was losing residents faster than any other province.
“When we went through tough economic times, people had to outmigrate,” said Saskatoon Mayor Donald Atchison.
“Now that other areas of the country are in tough economic times, we’re here to welcome other Canadians to our province and our cities.
“It bothers us when people say we’re here poaching.”
Advanced Education Minister Rob Norris pointed out that delegates from the province have also tried recruiting workers in Alberta and Manitoba.
The government wants to show it’s serious about finding workers because Saskatchewan has more than 6,200 unfilled jobs, Norris said.
Saskatchewan has managed to escape the worst effects of the recession and is among the few provinces expected to see growth this year.
BMO Capital Markets has Saskatchewan leading the country in real GDP growth for 2009, Norris said, noting the bank also predicts positive job growth this year.
“This is an opportunity for us,” Norris said. “We’re not apologizing for it.”
It’s the second time in six months that politicians from Saskatchewan have brought their pitch to southern Ontario.
In September, Premier Brad Wall targeted workers in Ontario’s battered manufacturing sector.
Wall is expected to attend a job fair Wednesday in Toronto.
New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham was also in the city Tuesday with a speech to a corporate crowd designed to woo business to what he said is becoming “the most cost-competitive business environment in the country.”
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty downplayed concerns from opposition critics that his province’s economic woes will be worsened by losing valuable workers to other provinces.
“We have a reputation as a population that is well-educated and innovative, so I consider it a compliment that others are seeking out Ontarians,” McGuinty said.
“I’m happy that Canadians can travel from one part of the country to another to make it stronger.”
Saskatchewan is not the only Prairie province to offer cash to recent grads. Manitoba started offering a tuition rebate to college and university graduates in 2007.
“Manitoba, like other provinces, wants to keep its young people, its vibrant people, well-educated people in the province,” Advanced Education Minister Diane McGifford said in an interview Tuesday.
After the program was unveiled, Manitoba ran an ad campaign in the Greater Toronto Area, McGifford said, adding it’s something the government plans to revive in the coming months.
