Grey celebrating newcomers on Feb. 14
Submitted by rhatten on Mon, 2018-02-05 11:46Learn about the experiences of newcomers at the New to Grey kickoff event at Grey Roots.
Newcomers are an important part of our communities in Grey County. Coming from outside of the country or from other areas of Canada, newcomers bring culture, skills and knowledge to our communities and workplaces.
New to Grey is a 15-month initiative funded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration aimed at attracting and retaining newcomers in Grey County.
Grey County is laying the foundation for our region to better retain newcomers.
Step 1 – Environmental scan of the County and local businesses.
Step 2 – Celebrating the diversity that already exists.
Step 3 – Stakeholder engagement, community workshops and tours.
Step 4 – Attraction and retention toolkits and other resources for communities, employers and newcomers.
Forming Partnerships
Grey County can’t create welcoming communities and attract newcomers alone. Throughout New to Grey, we will engage with our local municipalities, businesses and community groups and organizations. and other stakeholders. Partners and projects include:
Newcomer Centre of Peel
Grey County is working with the Rural Employment Initiative arm of the newcomer Centre of Peel, in Mississauga. This provincially-funded project is responding to the demand of newcomers living in the Peel Region and looking to build lives in rural communities.
On February 28, Grey County hosted more than 30 newcomers on a community tour of Grey County. The group attended a workshop at Blue Mountain and then made their way to the 2018 Regional Job Fair in Owen Sound.
“Making Grey Bruce Home” pilot project
Grey County is partnering with the United Way Bruce Grey and the Welcoming Communities Committee on their project “Making Grey Bruce Home.” Funded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, this project’s goal is to develop a model of providing support services for refugees and vulnerable newcomers.
Grey County offers rewarding career opportunities and a quality of life unlike any other area in Ontario. Some reasons newcomers are choosing Grey County include:
Year after year, research such as the EmployerOne Survey shows a growing gap in the availability of skilled workers in our region. Employers can’t find enough workers with the skills they need for their business. Attracting new skilled workers to the area will help Grey County as a whole prosper.
Grey County is positioned well for attracting newcomers. Housing prices in urban areas are rising and working families are looking for affordable communities to make home. Additionally, our local Georgian College campus in Owen Sound has seen a dramatic increase in International students in their programs in recent years. Attracting newcomers is only step one. New to Grey will also help us keep newcomers in our community by connecting them with the supports they need to plant their roots in Grey County.
Explore this page to learn more what makes an intelligent community. Read about key projects happening throughout our region and stay up to date on the latest news.
The Alpha Street housing community in Owen Sound is one of Grey County’s largest affordable housing properties. Originally built in the 1969, the homes were showing their age.
The rural transportation pilot project ended in December 2018, but we are continuing to explore more opporunities for rural transportation in Grey County. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
We want Grey County to be inclusive and welcoming to people of all ages and abilities. We recently partnered with students from the University of Guelph to look at policies that better support youth and older adults.
Grey County recently completed a Natural Heritage Study we called Green in Grey. The study identified key natural areas and linkages and recommended policies related to these features.
Grey County has built a better service environment to meet the current and future needs of residents and visitors.
From 2015-2017, Grey County paramedics embarked on a two-year clinical trial to study the effectiveness of community paramedicine in reducing emergency room visits by chronic disease patients.
Recolour Grey is the name of Grey County’s update of the County Official Plan. After three years of public engagement, drafts, revisions and reviews, Recolour Grey was approved by the Province on June 6, 2019.
Grey County is developing a Local Food Strategic Plan to identify ways of supporting local food projects. Our goal is to understand how food businesses operate with each other, to develop resources and encourage co-operation and partnerships in the sector.