March 2019

Halifax is a regional city that’s doing immigration differently. With a population of around 420,000 the harbour-side shipping hub located on the central part of the Canadian Atlantic has transformed itself into a thriving global city.

For a long time Halifax was struggling to keep young people and attract and retain newcomers. But this has all changed with 8400 new immigrants and refugees moving to the city in the last two years, the highest number ever.

The unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1976.

The municipality is now processing more building permits than ever before. In 2011, the city issued permits for 96 new residential units. In 2017, that number soared to 1,040 units.

Halifax’s tech talent pool has grown by 28% over the past five years, adding 2500 tech jobs.

Halifax seems to have found the sweet spot in making themselves attractive as an immigration destination and wrapping their arms around people when they arrive to keep them there.  

When you hear Mayor Mike Savage speak, it’s hard not to catch on to his infectious vision and can-do approach. Much of Halifax’s success as a city of new immigrants seems to be down to the leadership he has shown over his six years in office.

The large numbers of newcomers flocking to the town are not only now the norm, but something which the city holds up and celebrates. An integral part of Halifax’s identity.

Talent, location, cost and innovation.

This is the unique values proposition Halifax uses to set itself apart when attracting people from overseas and other parts of the country.

But if you ask me, it’s the smaller gestures that are equally, if not more significant to Halifax’s success.

Like the free public transport passes provided to all refugees.

Or the Mayor’s Welcome Party, a big annual reception to welcome new international students, help connect them to local organisations and build social connections.

Or the Connector Program which matches newcomers trying to enter the labor market with established business people and community leaders. The program has been scaled up across other parts of Canada and exported to Sweden and Switzerland.

In the words of Mayor Savage, “It all comes down to all orders of government, plus civil society and organisations working together, to not only bring people here but to really make them feel comfortable here, because we want them to stay”.

Halifax highlights the critical role that local government plays in shaping a positive narrative around diversity and mobilising local people to come together and make it happen.

In 2016, Halifax Regional Municipality passed a landmark motion to enable permanent residents to vote in municipal elections. The rationale – those who contribute to the life and economy of the city should have a say in local government. While Provincial approval is still being sought to enable this to happen, this move further reflects the incredible support for immigration in the town.

Today on my way to the airport, I asked my taxi driver – a born and bred Halifax local in his late 50s, for his honest opinion. I was trying to see if I could scratch beneath the glossy surface. I’d heard of a disapproving term used by some locals to refer to newcomers as “CFAs” (Come From Aways). He thought about it carefully.. “Oh no, we only use that for people that come from other parts of Canada. Immigrants and refugees are fine!”.