Overview:

• Introduction and test your knowledge

• What is Human Capital

• CIRRO Program

• Community Attractiveness Indicators

• Resources Available

First the context…

• Census results: Change in Population between 2006-2011

a)My community was growing in population

b) My community had no change in population

c) My community saw a drop in population

Legend

Less than -10 %

to -5 percent

to 0

up to 5 percent

to 10 percent

over 10 percent

Percent Change in Population 2006 to 2011Census Subdivisions

Population growth in Eastern Ontario, 2006-2011

Ontario’s population grew by 5.7% between 2006 to 2011.

Question 2: My community is at the stage that:

a) Newcomer attraction and retention isn’t even on the radar

b) Stakeholders in our community are concerned about it but there’s no plan or coordinated action

c) We are developing a strategy or plan for newcomer attraction and retention

d) We are implementing a strategy for newcomer attraction and retention

What Is Human Capital?

Human capital refers to the attributes of a person from productivity

perspectives in an economic context. It is the knowledge, skills and abilities that allow the people working in your community to be productive.

Human Capital includes:

-Hard skills

-Soft skills

Components for Human Capital Strategy

Human Capital Attraction

and RetentionStrategy

Youth RetentionSkill Development

TrainingEducation

Encourage people to stay longer in job

before retirement

NewcomersAttraction

and Retention

During the past decade, three key factors have shaped Canada’s workforce:

Human Capital in Small Cities and Rural Areas

• These shortages in human capital could hamper the economic growth or even the viability of some communities.

• There may not be the people and the know-how to retain and grow existing businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses that have a limited staff.

The CIRRO Guidebook

• Raises awareness about changing demographics and its effect on local economy

• Offers strategies and methodology on newcomer attraction and retention

• Presents an integrated approach to newcomer attraction and retention

• Provides examples and illustrates recommended practices for newcomer attraction and retention for small communities

Key Characteristics of attractive Community

Employment Opportunities

Affordable and Suitable Housing

Positive Attitudes toward Immigrants, Cultural Diversity, and the Presence of Newcomers

Presence of Newcomer-Serving Agencies

Educational Opportunities

Accessible and Suitable Health Care

Available and Accessible Public Transit

Presence of Diverse Religious Organizations

Social Engagement Opportunities

Safety

Opportunities for Use of Public Space and Recreation Facilities

Favourable Media Coverage

Project Origin

• Conference Board of Canada City Magnets: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of Canada’s Cities

• looked at the application of attractiveness measures in a rural context

Project Partners

•

Purpose

• Generate a tool utilizing indicators based on national and provincial statistics in a number of socioeconomic categories

• Enable communities of all sizes to measureand assess their attractiveness to newcomers, benchmarked against comparable communities

Functionalities

• It provides more realistic measures for small communities

• It allows comparisons with peers communities

• It includes all Census Subdivisions (e.g. township) and Census Divisions (e.g. Districts) in Ontario

CSDs by Population size and Metro Influence Zones (MIZ) - 18 different groups

•

•••

•••

•• ••

• •

• •

• •••

• • •

•• •

•

••

••

••

•••

•

• •

• •••

••

7 Theme Areas and 44 Indicators

Theme Averages

• The theme are sets or groups of indicators that measure different aspects of a community’s attractiveness.

• The theme averages are based on a composite index, where the top ranked community is given a value of 1 and the lowest rankedcommunity receives a value of 0.

• In the theme average each indicator was given equal weighting.

• For every community two theme averages were created

– “Average (Group)” is the theme average compared to the other CSDs within the group

– “Average (Province)” is the theme average compared against

all CSDs in the province (432)

Quintiles

• Quintiles is a statistical term where a group is divided into fifths.

• Quintiles were used to assist in benchmarking communities against its peers.

Quintiles

HBM (Example)

HBM (Example)

HBM (Example)

Important note about the Data

Municipality APop 10,000

Municipality BPop 10,000

Number of general practitioners per 100,000 population

Data is based on municipal boundaries

Distance 10 km

Residents will know that regionally there is a good supply of MDs. As it is a short commute for medical services in a neighbour community. However, indicator may show low value. Local knowledge is important in interpretation.

1 MD

5 MDs

Interpretation

Start by looking at the theme areas (Group Average)

• Generate a radar or bar chart to display this information.

• What are the theme areas that the community has the greatest strengths and weaknesses?

• Examine the Indicators in those theme areas first. Trying to identify how the community can we build on their strengths, or mitigate weaknesses?

Interpretation

What

So What

Now What

Discussion at the community level regarding the data

The Theme and Indicators values

Action Planning - to improve

Resources

How to access the Tool

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/edr/cirro/index.html

The tool is available free of charge to any not-for-profit organization in Ontario.

Potential users are asked to complete and submit the “Letter of Agreement”, which is the usage agreement for the tool.

Data Won’t Tell You What to Do Data Will Help Start A Conversation

• Important to understand where our communities stand – relative strengths and weaknesses

• Using facts to build community capacity and sustainability

• Newcomer integration requires a holistic approach & a strategy

We are here to help

Questions & More Information:

Stephen Morris M.A.E.S, Ec.D.

Economic Development Specialist

Regional Economic Development Branch

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and

Rural Affairs

1Stone Rd. West, 3rd SW

Guelph, ON

N1G 4Y2

Phone: (519) 826-3954

Fax: (519) 826-4328

Stephen.morris@ontario.ca

www.omafra.gov.ca/rural