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Since its launch, Vernon has received 180 applications, 18 of which visited the community to learn if their proposed business would be a good fit here. Of those applicants, his 15 were referred to the state for the next step, but only one of his companies, his SATOCA Bike, opened through this program.
There are several steps to a successful application, including applying to the community and then to the province, having your business plan evaluated and approved, immigrating to Canada, and undergoing a provincial business assessment before applying. you need to step on it. To reside in the federal government.
Perrault said these measures, taken together, could mean it could take three to six years for someone to start a business in B.C., and four to seven years to obtain residency.
After receiving the report, Mayor Victor Cumming expressed concern about the value of the program.
“I’m a big supporter of economic development and economic development opportunities, but this seems a little weak. This seems like a lot of work, but the chances of it being affected are very low,” Cumming said. he said.
“If you look at the 175 applications we looked at[from2019to2023]we ended up with one business over a period of five or four-and-a-half years.”
The mayor added that this appears to be a very time-consuming undertaking, with Perrault saying the program takes about eight to 12 hours a month, including reviewing applications and committee discussions. He said that
He said the ratio of 1 successful applicant to 180 applicants appears to be a difficult number, but he expects this to change as application rates in 2022 and 2023 have increased from the previous year. Expect.
“I think on top of the impact of COVID-19 and travel restrictions, there was some uncertainty over the next two years of the pilot.” [an additional ] “The three-year pilot project reduced some of the intake, especially in the first few years,” Perrault told the council.
“Broadly speaking, I think this is an important effort by international entrepreneurial immigrants who have come to this community to immigrate their families.”
Perrault added that he hopes some of the community visits will still yield Vernon “innovative business ideas.”
Cumming noted that this success rate is much lower than the regional and northern immigration pilot programs being implemented in the North Okanagan, which aim to bring immigrants to the region to work and earn residency. However, he said, “I understand that this is always the case when I go fishing.” That’s a good idea,” he said, but he was still interested in the entrepreneurship program and “the number of fish.” [it had brought into] boat. “
City Councilor Kari Gareth disagreed with the mayor, saying the program would allow Vernon to explore opportunities for economic growth.
“Remember, there were 15 people. [referrals] We gave to the state and we received from them,” Gareth said.
“So it may seem like we received 180 applications and the success rate is 1 in 180, but we vetted 180 applications and went through that process to Introducing, “That’s a little better than 180 to 1.”
Terry Burton, director of planning and community services for the City of Vernon, told the City Council that the program is continually being evaluated to determine its value, but that the city “continues to fish and evaluate how the program works.” “We should wait and see if it evolves,” he added, adding that if the results are good. If there are no improvements in the future, the City may consider discontinuing the program or reallocating currently allocated resources.
The pilot is expected to end on March 31, 2024, and become a full state program at a later date.
Vernon City Council received the report for information and voted to apply to the state’s Candidate Program Entrepreneurial Immigration once the program is complete.
Cumming said he would like to see an update on the program within a year to determine whether it should continue from that point.
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