Martin Harder isn’t messing around with the worker shortage in Winkler.
The mayor of the Manitoba’s sixth-largest city needs 200 people immediately to fill a variety of jobs, most of which are in the manufacturing sector.
Martin joining a Manitoba delegation to a job fair in Ireland this month and is hoping to convince as many people as possible to immigrate to Winkler.
A recent change to immigration laws in Manitoba requires that newcomers have a good grasp of the English language. In the last few years, many immigrants to Winkler and other southern Manitoba communities have come from Russia and Ukraine.
“We’re struggling a little bit. We know of lots of Mexicans who would like to come here, they’re excellent workers, but they really struggle with the language. So, we have to look at different countries,” he said.
Harder said that the pending arrival of a Chinese company, Grand Foods, which is setting up a honey processing facility in Winkler, is a sign that the labour shortage is not going to ease.
