During the 1990s, Winnipeg, Canada was rapidly losing population. As immigrants and natives fled for greener pastures, the city was suffering from a diminished tax base and skilled workforce. Then in 1999, Manitoba implemented a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which allows the province to recruit and admit immigrants based on local economic and community needs, unhampered by federal policy. Winnipeg has since quadrupled its immigrant population, bringing new life to its icy neighborhoods and strengthening local economies.
Canada’s province-based immigration policies have turned heads on the global stage and have some in the U.S. wondering, are such place-based visas a solution for shrinking cities like Baltimore, Detroit and Youngstown, Ohio?
Read more in this week’s Forefront story about Canada’s approach to immigration and the debate over bringing it down south.