Brandon Continues to Welcome New Immigrant Populations


January 8, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brandon, MB – Survey results released today by Economic Development Brandon reaffirm the reality that Brandon continues to be seen as a welcoming community for new Canadians from all corners of the world.

A survey question conducted in late 2015 by Winnipeg-based Probe Research Inc. on behalf of Economic Development Brandon asked a statistically representative sample of Brandon residents for their thoughts on how the arrival of immigrants to Brandon over the past number of years has impacted the City.

Of the respondents, nearly two-thirds (60%) felt that the City’s continued welcoming of immigrant population has had a positive effect, while a further one-quarter (25%) of respondents felt that the new arrivals have had no net effect on the community. The remaining 10% of respondents took the view that the new immigrants have had a negative effect on the community; however, this is a statistic which has held steady over several years of polling.

“These newcomers to our community can now be found in almost every sector of our local economy,” notes City of Brandon Director of Economic Development Sandy Trudel. “Since they began arriving in earnest several years ago, Brandon’s immigrant population has not only successfully integrated into jobs in the manufacturing, agriculture, retail, professional, and service industries, but they have also started their own businesses and are now truly our neighbours, our co-workers, and contributing members of our social community.”

Trudel adds that Westman Immigrant Services has been an integral community partner in Brandon’s efforts to assist in the settlement of newcomers.

“Westman Immigrant Services staff is very fortunate to have a strong cadre of community volunteers who provide hundreds of hours of their time to assist in successfully settling newcomers to Brandon,” says Westman Immigrant Services Executive Director Richard Bruce. “In addition, every year community members donate clothing, books, and household articles to assist newcomers in their new lives. The Brandon business community provides financial support for vital Westman Immigrant Services family and youth programming. A community approach to welcoming and settling newcomers has proven to be highly successful in Brandon.”

Provincial statistics from 2014 show that a total of 535 immigrants became permanent residents of Brandon that year, with nearly three-quarters (74%) arriving via the provincial nominee program. Over the past decade, Brandon has welcomed a total of approximately 6,500 immigrants to the community.