Joint Statement from MP Powlowski and Mayor Hallikas - Provincial Decision on Temporary Foreign Workers
On July 7, 2026 Member of Parliament Dr. Marcus Powlowski and Fort Frances Mayor Andrew Hallikas released a joint statement to the media in response to the Ontario Government's decision regarding temporary foreign workers.
You can read the full statement pdf here.
Mayor Hallikas has been passionately following this issue during his time as Mayor of Fort Frances and he also provided the following quote to accompany his statement with Dr. Powlowski:
“Northwestern Ontario communities and in particular the Town of Fort Frances rely heavily on Immigrant workers to sustain their economies. These Immigrant workers are welcome additions to our communities, especially those such as Fort Frances and the Rainy River District that are suffering from declining population.
I have heard repeatedly from business owners and organization managers how essential these immigrant workers are to their operations and how much they value their contributions. Northwestern Ontario has a labour shortage and as a result many local small businesses cannot operate profitably due to lack of staff. Recently the Federal Government responded with legislative changes tailored to the needs of underserved rural communities, such as ours, that would allow small businesses the option of hiring some additional immigrant workers if needed. Unfortunately, the Province of Ontario chose not to opt in to these legislative changes.”
- Mayor Andrew Hallikas
The media contact for the joint statement:
Lindsay Fron
Office of Dr. Marcus Powlowski
Member of Parliament, Thunder Bay–Rainy River
(807) 625-1160
© 2025 The Town of Fort Frances