Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, June 11, 2008

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife businesses supports the decision to consider bringing in an immigration policy similar to the Yukon's nominee program but the GNWT will have to help immigrants once they arrive, said the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce president.

"I'm for it," said Jim Eirikson.

The move would allow NWT businesses to nominate a candidate they feel would be a valuable addition to their workplace, which would be an improvement over the current, often lengthy process.

Currently, businesses must spend thousands of dollars to advertise jobs to other potential takers to prove the immigrant is needed, which can take six months or more.

Attracting more immigrants would help fight the chronic labour shortage facing Yellowknife, said Eirikson.

"Local businesses are having a hard time finding employees," he said.

But immigrants will face another problem once they get here, he added.

"If you're working for $15 an hour and you have to find housing on top of that, that's going to be quite a problem.

"Most two-bedroom apartments in this town go for $1,500," said Eirikson.

"I think that there should be something to safeguard them, to make sure that they ... have the ability to house themselves.

"If the GNWT is in the state of putting in a big program like that, I think that should be something it considers."

Turk Chan, a CBC technician who moved to the NWT as a student from Hong Kong in 1998 and later obtained a work permit to begin a job at Arctic Data, said bringing in more immigrants is the solution to Yellowknife's staffing problems.

"The NWT needs to do more to attract more immigrants," said Chan. "You hear all the time about the labour shortage, so why don't they attract more people here?"

Chan didn't deny immigrants face housing challenges in Yellowknife. He remembered - not-so-fondly - working for $10 an hour at Arctic Data and barely having enough money left over after rent.

But he said if immigrants really want to stick it out, they will.

"They work hard and they work long hours. And if they can make a living here to make a new life, I think they're willing to take the chance," he said.

"I'm an example. I worked my way up."

Chan added that one thing the GNWT could also consider is allowing international students in the NWT to work off-campus, something they're not currently allowed to do.

"If we have 50 people on that status, we have 50 more people who can work in the restaurants, for instance - businesses that need more people."