Northern municipalities facing workforce pressures
By Brad Aubin
The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) has released a new report examining the recruitment, retention and workforce development challenges facing municipalities across the region.
It was done in partnership with the four Northeastern Ontario Workforce Planning Boards, with a survey launched at the FONOM conference in Timmins earlier this year.
Officials say findings demonstrate workforce pressures affect municipalities of every size, with 94 per cent of respondents reporting difficulty attracting qualified candidates for a variety of roles.
Other difficulties identified include limited financial resources, smaller candidate pools, geographic isolation, and more.
“Municipal employees deliver the essential services that residents and businesses rely on every day. When a community cannot recruit a treasurer, public works employee, building official or senior administrator, the impacts are felt throughout the municipality,” says Dave Plourde, FONOM President. “Northern Ontario continues to be an economic engine for the province, but our communities need a strong and sustainable municipal workforce to support that growth.”
He adds they’re looking forward to working with the province and their workforce planning partners on practical solutions.
Brad Aubinhttp://www.mynorthbaynow.comBrad is Vista Radio's Senior News Director for Ontario. He was born in Sudbury, raised in Kapuskasing and has lived in the North Bay area for nearly 20 years. A Canadore College grad, he has worked for many newspapers across the north, and joined the broadcasting side of the business in 2020. The proud husband and father of two loves sharing important local and area news to listeners. If you have a news tip you'd like to share, e-mail baubin@vistaradio.ca
