Grey Bruce and other parts of rural Ontario are missing the boat when it comes to attracting new Canadians to move and live in their communities.
That is the finding of a just released study from Ryerson University Professor John Shields who suggests rural communities and small towns are slowing dying as immigrants choose to live in larger diverse cities.
Shields says these communities already have an aging population and when you factor in young workers leaving home for better job opportunities, this creates enormous problems in trying to encourage economic growth.
He says if these smaller communities want to attract workers and other professionals from the thousands of immigrants that move to Ontario annually, they officials will have to make their towns more culturally diverse.
Shields says while marketing and advertising campaigns may lure a new Canadian to a community, the real challenge is retention.
He says smaller towns should be addressing diversity in schools, the workplace and churches to encourage local citizens to learn more about the cultural backgrounds of their newest members of the community.