Saskatchewan is hungry for grads. This week, its premier, Brad Wall, heads to Toronto this week to promote his province’s offer: up to $20,000 to move to Saskatchewan and stay there for seven years. Wall will hit the National Job Fair and the Grab-a-Grad fair on Tuesday and Wednesday, in his second recruitment drive in seven months.
Saskatchewan’s Graduate Retention Program offers tuition rebates to students from approved universities and programs in the form of tax credits.
“This is a serious situation when our best and brightest could be lost to us forever,” Conservative leader Bob Runciman told the Canadian Press. He added that workers were already leaving Ontario because they could not find jobs. Without government incentives to keep them here, the brain drain would only worsen, Runciman said.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty begged to differ. CP reports that McGuinty said 100,000 jobs in Ontario remain unfilled, despite the loss of 160,000 jobs since October and a higher unemployment rate.
“My competition is not the rest of Canada,” McGuinty said, pointing to states like New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, and California.
Wall will attend the job fairs with his delegation, which includes Regina and Saskatoon mayors.
The National Job Fair takes place March 31 and April 1 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Grab-a-Grad Fair takes place April 1 at Ryerson, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
More information about the Graduate Retention Program can be found at http://www.aeel.gov.sk.ca/grp
