To be designated to make offers of employment under the RNIP in Thunder Bay, an employer must:

• Be located within the Thunder Bay Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)
• Be a recognized business that has operated in Thunder Bay as defined by the Ministerial Instructions for at least two (2) years OR be a new company that has recently moved to Thunder Bay and set up operations, but has existed as a company elsewhere in Canada for a minimum of three (3) years
• Not be in violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act or Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
• Not be listed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as an ineligible company to participate in immigration programs, nor have been found to have been in material violation of any bylaw of the City of Thunder Bay, or any statute or regulation of Province of Ontario or the government of Canada;
• Offer full-time, permanent employment in a priority occupation as defined by Thunder Bay CEDC
• Demonstrate their efforts to recruit a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident prior to providing the job offer
• Attest that they did not receive any form of payment in exchange for the job offer

Approach to Supporting Newcomer Integration

In order to increase the likelihood of newcomers becoming economically established and settling permanently in Thunder Bay, eligible employers must demonstrate a commitment to a culturally-safe workplace and support for the newcomer’s community integration. Employers must commit to at least three (3) of the following activities:

• Assign a culturally sensitive on-the-job mentor, who is not their supervisor, to help the newcomer(s) understand company principles, norms, rules and culture; provide regular, detailed feedback to the newcomer(s) on their job performance; and to help with day-to-day questions;
• Support the newcomer employee(s) with finding and securing housing and/or providing the newcomer employee(s) with housing;
• Introduce newcomer employee(s) to opportunities to join groups, associations and/or community organizations;
• Provide financial assistance, where necessary, for newcomer employees’ language and/or skills development;
• Grant newcomer employee time away from work to attend CEDC or community-sponsored events for which the main objective is to facilitate community integration;
• Provide diversity training to staff that are in a supervisory role or work directly with a newcomer employee;
• Provide proof of the employer’s completion and/or attendance at educational seminars, conferences or information sessions related to supporting and/or retaining newcomers;
• Grant time to newcomer employees who require information or support with enrolling children in schools, applying for health cards, and obtaining a driver’s license and finding accommodations;
• Offer team-building activities within the workplace that promote cross-cultural understanding and awareness; and/or
• Make appropriate referrals for newcomers to access community resources and settlement services as the need arises.

To become an approved employer or find out if RNIP is right for your organization and hiring needs, contact Thunder Bay CEDC by completing this form.