The Executive Director of the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus says a strategic plan will be critical in meeting employment challenges in rural Ontario in the future.

Kate Burns Gallagher says there are four pillars to that plan, Work Force Retention and Attraction, Leveraging the Existing Population, Attainable Housing and Employer Recruitment and Retention.

“In our rural fifteen counties, by 2041, we’re going to need 173 more housing units because by 2030, so in the next eight years, we’re going to need 214,000 more people to fill jobs that are going to be vacant, or created,” explained Burns Gallagher.

The Western Ontario Wardens Caucus represents fifteen rural communities in Ontario, including Huron, Bruce, Grey, Perth and Wellington.

“So, for those jobs that are going unfilled in our restaurants and our tourism sector and manufacturing, those entry-level positions, other people in our community that just may have a barrier to employment and how can we address that barrier to get them into those entry-level positions,” added Burns Gallagher.

The WOWC is also concerned about a ‘K-shaped’ recovery from COVID. That indicates one ar of people doing well going up, but just as many are on the opposite end and going down.

And officials say that has to be even out for a balanced recovery.