- RJ San Jose & Precious Gatpandan – Errands and Beyond
- Gaby Flores – Sparkling Hill/Baking Time
- Sukvhir Sran – Namaste Authentic Indian Cuisine
- Folu Oloyede – Maven Lane
- Nancy Mittathanickal – Interior Homecare Solutions
- Gerey Villaester – Predator Ridge
- Petro Stryiski – STR Okanagan Taping
- Luiz Fernando de Paula – Cory Petty Construction
- Jorel Aguiluz – SysGen Solutions
- Jess Chitty – Vernon Christian School
- Manpreet Singh Sidhu & Alexander Schoepp – City Furniture & Appliances
- Silver Star Mountain Resort Employer Video
- Interior Homecare Solutions Employer Video
- Kingfisher Boats Employer Video
'We were already big winners': Couple shares exciting business journey
What RJ San Jose and Precious Gatpandan dreamed of for their young children was the chance to grow up in a peaceful country with plenty of opportunity. That dream led them to Vernon – and, with help from not just one or two but three initiatives led by Community Futures North Okanagan – they’ve also had the chance to realize their dream of opening a business.
Getting to Vernon via RNIP 
First came the tremendous task of leaving the Philippines and finding work in Canada. San Jose, a mechanical engineer by trade, landed in the Lower Mainland in 2020. Soon, he heard about how the new Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) had launched in Vernon to help employers hire skilled workers and give those workers a faster path to permanent residency.
In 2021, San Jose’s RNIP nomination was approved and he began working for a local handyman business.
“Ward was so helpful in guiding me at that time,” says San Jose, of RNIP Coordinator Ward Mercer, who always made time to answer questions and make connections to local services.
Several months later, San Jose received permanent residency and began making plans to have Precious and their children join him in the North Okanagan.
“We wanted a better future for our kids,” says Gatpandan. “We love that Vernon is quieter and very scenic and in touch with nature.”
After landing in BC, she focused on taking care of their young children at home while San Jose carried on building his handyman skills, thriving on the feedback of his attention to detail with every task – from tiling and paint touch-ups to mounting TV’s and deck repairs.
“I really like this work,” says San Jose. “I think it’s so rewarding when the client is happy and I can take care of these things for them.”
The Great Beyond of Opening a Business
Gatpandan, who’d been a senior marketing executive back in the Philippines, began to imagine how she could best use her skills once her youngest child was attending school. Not one to shy away from hard work or ambitious goals, she began to consider entrepreneurship.
“Coming from a different country, though, when you aren’t aware of how business is done, it can be quite intimidating.”
When she heard about Community Futures’ Self Employment Program, she jumped at the chance to learn how to develop a business plan as well as get advice and workshop ideas with other emerging entrepreneurs.
“This program gave me a boost of confidence and made me realize I can open my own business here.”
Her business idea? Expand on taking care of people’s to-do lists with errands and handyman services, focusing on local seniors. After fulfilling a promise to be a part of his employer’s team for two years, San Jose also felt ready to embrace Gatpandan’s vision.
In September 2023, Errands and Beyond officially opened. With Gatpandan running the administrative and marketing side of the business and San Jose performing a wide range of handyman tasks like minor renovations and assembling furniture, they enjoyed a promising start.
“Whenever he finishes a job, his clients tell me what a great job he did and a lot of people refer us to their friends and family,” says Gatpandan. “Our primary market is seniors. We cater to anyone who needs an extra set of hands and try to do everything we can for others.”
Looking back on those exciting first weeks and the foundation the business had from all her hard work at Community Futures, she says: “If I did not do the self-employment program, my dream of opening a business would still be a dream.”
Enterprize Challenge
Back during her self-employment program days at Community Futures, Gatpandan saw and heard all about Enterprize Challenge. It’s an entrepreneurship competition that sees participants vie for $35,000 in prizes like marketing and banking services to support a successful business launch, and it’s open to businesses started within the last year and those about to open. As the 2024 competition opened, they decided to go for it.
After weeks of honing that business plan alongside a mentor, Gatpandan and San Jose became one of the seven finalists pitching their business to a panel of judges at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre May 9th. There they were, on the stage, talking about what a joy it was to brighten the days of seniors with their helping hands.
“At first we were very nervous, and then we heard the loud noise of applause from the crowd,” says San Jose.
“I was teary-eyed during that time already because it was a sign to me that our message came across and was well accepted,” says Gatpandan, adding, “Regardless of the outcome, we felt like we were already big winners.”
Soon, the second place Enterprize Challenge winner was announced: Errands and Beyond.
The couple believes the brand awareness and flow of community support has been invaluable. Plus, they now have an even stronger business plan.
“For anyone trying to dream (of a business) don’t get intimidated,” says Gatpandan. “Reach out to Community Futures.”
Learn all about how Community Futures North Okanagan supports entrepreneurs at every stage of business: www.futuresbc.com
'I'm proud of who I am now': Enterprize Winner reflects on her journey in Vernon and with Community Futures
Gaby Flores grew up making mud pies for uncles and baking Christmas cookies with her aunt and grandma in her native Costa Rica. It was no surprise that she grew up to own a successful pastry business, supplying cafes like Starbucks with bagels and cookies.
“Latinos love to eat and we love to cook,” says Flores. “I love to travel and eat.”
When an itch for adventure struck, she followed her heart and accepted a position as pastry chef at Sparkling Hill Resort near Vernon, BC.
“I came here with my whole life in one suitcase,” says Flores. “I wanted to grow as a person and I wanted to practice my English, learn new techniques, learn about a new culture.”
At the time, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) had just launched – bringing skilled workers to communities like the North Okanagan – and Flores was keen to pursue the opportunity to gain a path to permanent residency.
“The RNIP staff were really helpful,” she says. She appreciated the resources and connections shared through RNIP, including the chance to join English classes and make other friendships through Vernon and District Immigrant & Community Services Society (VDICSS).
So, she worked on her English, she worked on her pastry skills. She even got her driver’s license and a car. Later, she challenged the Red Seal pastry chef certification and became heady pastry chef leading a team of eight. It was about that time that she also gained permanent residency – one of the first in Vernon through the new RNIP program.
Of course, she had time to fill. There was a pandemic. There was not much need for the grand wedding cakes she loved more than anything to bake.
“It was three years without seeing my family, but I love what I do.” When there was an event and the head chef wandered her way to request custom desserts for those with allergies, she jumped at the chance to help those guests experience the joy of sweet, delicious goodness. “I like helping people. I think I can bring happiness.”
As she noticed a growing need for allergy-friendly desserts, Flores began to wonder if a business opportunity was presenting itself.
Time for a baking business?
Once pandemic travel restrictions eased, Flores had returned to Costa Rica to visit family and return to the ingredients she grew up with.
“We eat so much fresh fruit there. The fruit tastes different here and more people have allergies. I thought about what I could do to help people enjoy these flavours.”
Never one to waste her free time, Flores applied to the Community Futures North Okanagan self-employment (SE) program to gain business skills for operating in Canada and determine the viability of a baking business focused on accommodating dietary needs.
Back in Canada, Flores began attending the SE workshops and developing her business plan. Then, last spring, tragedy struck. Flores was in a serious car accident.
“My car flipped over,” she recalls. As emergency crews arrived, she says “I just grabbed my business plan. Later, I thought, I think that was a sign I have to do my business.”
But, in recovery, working on her business became challenging and she was also considering returning home.
“Margo [her SE advisor] was so great. She just said, ‘Whatever you need, Gaby.'”
While Flores focused on regaining her strength and some much-needed family time in Costa Rica, she watched as some of her fellow SE participants entered the Enterprize Challenge, a CF-hosted competition that sees seven finalists compete for $35,000 in prizes to help launch their business.
“I told Margo, ‘I need to see my family and when I come back, I will apply.'”
Baking Time and Enterprize Challenge
When Flores stood on stage as one of the Enterprize Challenge finalists selected by judges from the 21 original entrants, she asked a question: “Does anyone here have a food allergy?”
In the audience that May 9th evening at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre, dozens of people raised their hands. In her seven-minute presentation, she went on to talk about how she would use fresh, organic local produce when possible, including the edible flowers and lavender of local farms to bake things like lavender truffles.
“My goal is that we can all grow together.”
Baking Time would offer a range of goods, including vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Even as she spoke, even though she knew how passionate she was and delicious her pastries are, she felt unsure.
“I was so scared. English is not my first language.”
In the lobby after presentations, Flores ran into her English teacher from VDICSS.
“She said, ‘Oh, I’m so proud of you!'”
Entering and moving through Enterprize Challenge is no small feat. With several workshops, a pitch and business plan to shape with help from a mentor, it takes dedication and a lot of time throughout 12 weeks. Flores did it all while continuing to work full-time in her head pastry chef role.
“There were times when I though, I can’t do it. I’m going to give up. I don’t think I can do this.”
But she had a supportive mentor (Hal, a CF business advisor), and she had the words of her mother, a professor-turned-lawyer who dedicates her time to supporting women.
“She told me, ‘Whatever you do, wherever you go, work hard and do your best because you’re opening doors for other people from Costa Rica to come to Canada. I think that’s why I’ve grown so much,” says Flores. “Honestly, I’m proud of who I am now.”
All the hard work paid off. Flores’s business, Baking Time, won third place at Enterprize Challenge. Now, with the prizes like marketing and advertising services at the ready, Flores is looking for a kitchen and taking baby steps toward her pastry business dream.
Just days after the finale event, Flores got her first order: a gluten-free cake for a member of the Community Futures staff team. Flores baked a chocolate cake topped with fresh fruit and delivered to the office downtown, where she was met with many of the smiling faces she’d met along her journey.
“Everyone there is so nice. They all came over to see the cake.”
‘I love the people here’: Restauranteur invests in Vernon
When Sukvhir Sran came to visit her daughter in Vernon, she had no plans to stay. She had a good life in India. She owned and managed a private polytechnic college and hostel in the Punjab region with her husband, and their young son was still in school at home.
Then, she breathed the fresh mountain air.
Wrapped in a cosy pink sweater inside Namaste Authentic Indian Cuisine, the restaurant she owns and manages, Sukhvir says she is exactly where she’s meant to be.
“There was a time when my husband was talking about moving to Edmonton or Winnipeg to be with family, but I had to be honest. Vernon is the community that gave me permanent residency. As long as I’m alive, I will never move from this community. We’re winding up our lives in India and we want to invest in this community,” Sukhvir smiles. “We’re very happy here.”
And it all happened thanks to a chance meeting arranged by her daughter, Taran. While studying business at Okanagan College, Taran waited tables at Namaste. She knew the owner was looking for a competent manager to run the Vernon location and thought her mother was the perfect fit.
“Taran told me, ‘Mom, there is someone you can see for a manager job. What if you try and we can think about it? I don’t want to go back to India after completing my studies.’ I said OK, and she arranged a meeting with the owner,” Sukhvir says.
She knew instantly it was a perfect match. Only, as a visitor, she first needed the right paperwork to be able to work in Canada. She knew it would be possible, but with multiple programs and consultants, she just didn’t know the best way to make her newfound dream of staying a reality. And then she heard about the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program.
Launched as a pilot in 2020, RNIP helps communities and businesses benefit from the immigration of skilled workers by creating a path to permanent residency. The North Okanagan was selected as one of two communities in B.C., and one of 11 in Canada, to participate. The RNIP program later expanded to the Shuswap and was extended until 2024.
Thrilled by her discovery, Sukhvir reached out to Community Futures North Okanagan and met the RNIP coordinator, Ward Mercer.
“He’s such a nice person. He helped me understand how the program works and made it easy for me. I called the owner at Namaste, told him about RNIP, and asked him to support me in this program,” Sukhvir says.
After a quick trip to the border to sort out her work permit, Sukhvir got straight to work. Within a few short months, she became a permanent resident, and her family was reunited in Canada.
As the manager at the helm of the Namaste location in Vernon, Sukhvir was directly involved in the success of the restaurant. In September of 2022, when the owner decided to sell and focus his efforts on the Salmon Arm location, Sukhvir quickly put her hand up and bought the restaurant.
“Cooking is my passion, right from the beginning when I was a child. I knew the recipes, and within a couple of days, I was comfortable with the paperwork. Because I was running it, I knew the numbers and knew how it was going,” says Sukhvir. “I thought that we could grow this business and the community around it. If we maintain our quality, I know we will do good in this business.”
Today, more than a year after purchasing Namaste, Sukhvir says she’s settled into the role and the community. Meanwhile, Taran is finishing her bachelor’s degree and their son has started high school in Vernon.
And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The community has supported me a lot. Every time people come and eat here, they say thank you for cooking and serving them, but I should be thanking them for helping me out,” Sukhvir says. “I say I have three or four families now. We started making families when we moved here, and now our families are all Canadian. I really love the people here.”
The RNIP program is currently open to applications in priority industries. To learn more about the program, eligibility requirements and how RNIP can help you grow your business, contact us online at rnipnorthokanaganshuswap.ca.
'It's my purpose': Teacher turned ECE assistant on his new life in Vernon
Folu Oloyede had always dreamed of visiting Canada.
So, when his sister invited him to Lethbridge to meet his new nephew, it was an easy decision to make. What Folu didn’t imagine then—what he couldn’t have imagined—is how quickly his life would change forever.
He booked a round-trip flight out of Nigeria, hugged his son and kissed his wife goodbye, and said he’ll see them in a few months.
More than three years passed before he finally saw them again.
Sitting comfortably in a grey t-shirt embroidered with the Maven Lane logo above his heart, Folu’s wide smile masks the years of uncertainty that once weighed on his shoulders. Now an early childhood education (ECE) assistant, he’s just happy to be reunited with family and surrounded by friends in his new home.
“It’s a total coincidence that I’m here,” Folu laughs. “The plan was to meet my nephew, spend a few months in Canada and go back home to my four-year-old son and my wife.”
His return flight was scheduled for April 2020. But, on March 11, the World Health Organization declared the start of the pandemic. Flights were cancelled, borders were closed, and before he knew it, Folu was stuck.
“Nigeria shut down its air space. I was stuck—I was stuck and all I had was a visitor’s permit. I couldn’t work, and I couldn’t bear not being with my family,” Folu says.
Thankfully, he was able to stay with his sister, her husband and his nephew during the lockdown.
“I was thinking, maybe I can just see if there’s a plane, a way to get out of here. I thought maybe it would open up again in June or July,” Folu recalls. “And then, in June, a new policy came out, and everything changed.”
Travellers stuck in Canada on a visitor’s visa could apply for a closed work permit without having to leave the country.
Folu went online and soon found a Nigerian family in Fort McMurray. They were looking for someone to take care of their two-year-old and put their seven-year-old through online schooling. As a high school biology and chemistry teacher, Folu was a great fit for the job, but he knew it would be temporary.
“I was travelling back and forth between Lethbridge and Fort McMurray for about a year, and then my sister’s husband got a job at the university in Kelowna,” Folu says. “When they moved to the Okanagan, they asked me if I was going be OK in Fort McMurray on my own. I wasn’t, really, so they started helping me look for other job opportunities.
Finding the RNIP program
Folu’s closed work permit meant he could only work with the family in Alberta, but there was a new immigration path for skilled professionals debuting in the North Okanagan: the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program.
Launched in 2020, RNIP helps communities and businesses benefit from the immigration of skilled workers by creating a path to permanent residency. The North Okanagan was selected as one of two communities in B.C., and one of 11 in Canada, to participate.
After reaching out to Maven Lane about an open position in September 2021, the team quickly connected Folu with RNIP coordinator Ward Mercer.
“I assumed it was just going to be another work permit. I had no idea that the program would be a fast track to permanent residency,” says Folu. “I thought it would be another four years before I could bring my family to Canada.”
Then, on Dec. 6, 2022, just over one year after first hearing about the RNIP program and nearly three years after getting stuck in Canada, Folu became a permanent resident. Four days later, his wife and son arrived in Vancouver.
“When I was waiting to see my family again, I was just working on adrenaline. My mind was divided, but I had to be professional. I’m working with young kids, and they can tell when you aren’t totally focused,” says Folu. “When my wife and son came here, my whole outlook on life changed. I felt whole again.”
Finding his calling
Surrounded by young smiling faces every day, Folu says he’s found his calling at Maven Lane. In the fall, he plans on going back to school to become an early childhood educator.
“After university, I worked in the hospital with the state agency in Nigeria to help control HIV, but I always loved teaching and I eventually found myself teaching high school science,” says Folu. “Coming to Canada and going back into education felt like a natural progression.”
Only now, instead of teaching 17-year-olds about living organisms, he helps kids under three thrive.
“I’ve found my niche in being part of the development of children, shaping and moulding them and being a big part of their everyday lives. This isn’t something I’m doing to survive, it’s my purpose,” says Folu. “It’s so rewarding when you see the light in their faces and they come to give you a hug first thing in the morning. I look forward to seeing them every day.”
The RNIP program is made possible through funding from the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
Skilled care aide helps Vernon seniors - thanks to RNIP
A warm spring breeze blows through the screen door of the two-storey rowhouse. Inside, Sabu Thomas rolls up the sleeves of his denim shirt and takes a seat at the kitchen table. He smiles and gestures to his daughter, Alphonsa Sabu, sitting on the couch in the living room.
She’s in Grade 9 at Seaton, and she’s getting good grades, Sabu beams.
His wife, Nancy Mittathanickal, smiles as she enters the room and takes a seat next to Sabu. She’s still wearing her blue scrubs and cardigan from her shift as a care aide at Interior Home Care Solutions.
“I was a nurse in India,” Nancy says, relaxing in her chair. “Before I can be a nurse here, I need to take more exams and English proficiency tests. I’m still working towards that, but for now, I’m a care aide. It’s a really good job. I get to help seniors with their daily routines.”
Nancy arrived in Canada from India five years ago, she says. She studied to be a care aide in Vancouver before doing a practicum in Penticton. Three years ago, when her work permit was about to expire, she had to find a new way to stay in the community and bring her family to Canada.
“My friends from school in Vancouver Akshaya Cyriac and Sajini Salam came to Vernon to work as care aides for Interior HomeCare Solutions,” Nancy says, politely folding her hands on the table. “There was a lot of news about a new program at that time. I talked to Akshaya and she said I should also come to Vernon.”
Initially launched in 2020 as a two-year pilot, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program helps communities and businesses benefit from the immigration of skilled workers by creating a path to permanent residency. The North Okanagan was selected as one of two communities in B.C., and one of 11 in Canada, to participate. The RNIP program expanded to the Shuswap in October 2022 and was extended until August 2024.
That’s when Nancy met the person who would be her biggest supporter through the program: Interior HomeCare Solutions’ human resources manager Carol Odagiri. A supporter of the program since its launch, Odagiri says RNIP has played a critical role in connecting skilled healthcare workers with vacant positions.
“We were in a shortage of health care aides. Not just us, but everyone in town was fishing from the same pond. I was thinking, ‘How am I going to cover these shifts?’ No one is answering the advert,” says Odagiri.
''Hit the jackpot": Accountant lands dream job at Predator Ridge through RNIP
The stage lights flash and paint Gerey Villaester in shades of red, blue and purple. Wielding a microphone and dressed in a smart gray suit, he steps forward. And then the music starts.
Months after his performance opening the Filipino Association Vernon’s first ever Okanagan Pinoy Music Festival, Villaester still beams about the opportunity to bring his passion, and a taste of his culture, to his new home.
“I think I hit the jackpot in coming to Vernon. In my four months here in Canada, I was able to visit Vancouver and Calgary, and I realized that this is the perfect place for me,” Villaester smiles as he and a co-worker chat in the office. “This is where I would want to work and maybe even stay for the rest of my life.”
A financial accountant at Predator Ridge, Villaester found his way to the Okanagan almost by chance. While working as a financial analyst in Saudi Arabia, Villaester started sending his resume out through LinkedIn whenever he saw a finance job opportunity in Canada and had immigration sponsorship support.
Krista Frasz, Director of HR, Predator Ridge, still remembers the day Villaester’s resume came across her desk. The position, advertised with the support of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program, received far more qualified applications than Frasz anticipated, but Villaester’s stood out.
“There are certain pieces you need to have, like the right skill set and training, but what we really try to do here is look at the candidate from a culture standpoint,” says Frasz. “He’s just such a charismatic and intelligent person, and the team noticed that right when they did the first interview.”
Villaester smiles.
“After a few weeks of working here, there was an ‘aha’ moment. I realized how my skill set and work experience exactly fit what the team needed,” Villaester says, noting his work as a chartered professional accountant (CPA) in the Philipines and background in real estate, construction, the food industry and financial analysis.
“My first impression of Predator Ridge was it’s like a piece of paradise, and I still get amazed when I drive to work. I think it’s one of the best places in Vernon and the whole Okanagan. They really support their people. It’s like a family.”
And, Villaester says, it’s a family that truly made him feel welcome when he arrived in April 2022. From Frasz helping him secure an apartment to his coworkers offering rides to and from work before he got his license, Villaester is humbled by the support he’s seen from the community.
“I’m just so thankful for Predator Ridge and the RNIP for being instrumental in bringing me to Canada,” says Villaester. “Not many people have the opportunity, especially those who are coming from a developing country, to come and work here in their same profession. I wouldn’t have had that privilege had I done it any other way.”
While Villaester studies business English and Canadian taxation laws to further his career at Predator Ridge, he says he plans on getting a Canadian CPA in the future.
“This is just the perfect place for me,” says Villaester. “I’m so happy that, with the vastness of Canada, this is where I landed.”
The RNIP program is made possible through funding from the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
Experienced tile setter brings family to Canada through RNIP
Petro Stryiskyi still vividly remembers the day five years ago when he decided to leave his country and his construction business behind for a chance at a better life for his family. With more than 20 years of experience, he took a job as a tile setter and dreamed of the day his family would join him in Canada.
Then, in September of 2021, Petro says the family was finally reunited, and it’s all thanks to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.
Immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker
After graduating from college in 2001, Petro worked for a construction company in Ukraine before starting his own interior renovation company. Alongside his business partner and five employees, Petro’s crew became renowned for their craftsmanship and had a waitlist that reached several months into the future.
“It wasn’t only tile setting,” Petro says. “We did everything inside. Taping, painting, tiles, flooring, everything. Construction in Ukraine is very different from Canada. Usually, our customers wanted to find one company that could do everything inside.”
One day, Petro says, his business partner hopped on a plane to visit a friend in the Okanagan.
“After he returned, he told me that we had a chance to get to Canada. His friend was doing some big project downtown and was looking for some tile setters,” Petro says. “From that moment, we both went back to school to start learning English.”
RNIP helps bring the family together
In 2018, Petro arrived in the Okanagan with a work permit and started working with a local construction company. After 18 months in Canada, Petro knew he wanted to stay and bring his family. But, with a looming expiration on his work visa and no clear path to extend his stay, he didn’t know how.
And then his employer heard about the RNIP program, and Petro had an ember of hope. In September 2021, shortly after he received his permanent residency, his wife, Kateryna Stryiska and their two kids joined him, and the Okanagan immediately felt like home.
“I was born in Crimea and spent all my childhood there, but after the annexation, I couldn’t be there anymore,” says Kateryna. “Here, all the nature, it’s so close to Crimea. It reminds me of my childhood back home.”
Setting roots in the Okanagan
Now living in Lake Country and running his own company STR Okanagan Taping, Petro keeps busy as a contractor and still does regular work for his former employer.
Their son will soon graduate from high school and has applied to university to study business and finance, while their daughter is settling into their new neighbourhood.
“At first, our son was a bit confused about what we were going to do here,” says Petro. “Now he understand the opportunity he has and says he doesn’t ever want to go back to Ukraine.”
Kateryna smiles.
“Because of this program, our family is now in a safe place, together.”
Want to learn more about how the RNIP program can help bring skilled trades workers to the North Okanagan? Head to the link below for more information.
RNIP helps Vernon construction company hire three qualified workers
There’s an untapped market for North Okanagan and Shuswap trades employers looking for skilled workers. And, with the help of a pilot program that bridges the gap between local businesses and experienced candidates, it’s a market that’s within reach.
Just ask Cory Petty, owner of Cory Petty Construction, about his experience with the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program.
“Lots of other businesses I talk to are short staffed or they’re just way too busy. They need more people, and they can’t find them. You hear that a lot these days,” says Petty. “All of the people that I’ve had go through the program, they’re here because they want to work. They work hard and prove that they deserve to be here.”
Fast track to permanent residency
Initially launched as a three year pilot in Stage 1 communities in 2019, and in Stage 2 communities like the North Okanagan in 2020, the RNIP program helps communities and businesses benefit from the immigration of skilled workers by creating a path to permanent residency. The North Okanagan was selected as one of the two communities in B.C., and one of 11 in Canada, and the program was extended until August 2024 with the last Letter of Recommendation to be issued to candidates by the end of February 2024.
For Petty, his long-time employee and friend Luiz Fernando de Paula is a perfect example of what’s possible with the program. The pair met more than six years ago during de Paula’s first week in the country. A skilled carpenter visiting Canada from Brazil on a work permit, de Paula was brought on board to support a two-year construction project in Calgary.
“After the project, Cory said he’d be glad to have me working with him forever, but they were moving back to Vernon. I stayed in Calgary for a year and Cory promised to call when he had a good project,” says de Paula, now a supervisor with Cory Petty Construction. “One day, I was with my friend, and we were talking about my options to stay in the country. I was running out of time to immigrate. He told me about the RNIP program. In the same week the program launched, Cory gave me a call and asked if I would want to move to Vernon.”
Petty and de Paula met Ward Mercer, RNIP regional coordinator for the North Okanagan, and de Paula soon became one of the first applicants to pass through the program and receive permanent residency.
“It felt awesome. This was the goal when I moved to Canada. My wife and I love the countryside and the outdoor activities here. The Okanagan has been amazing for us,” says de Paula. “I’m reaching my goals thanks to Cory and the RNIP program.”
Simple and smooth hiring process
After their first meeting with Mercer, Petty says he attended an employer training session that taught him more about the program and how it works. With Mercer acting as his guide every step of the way, Petty made quick work of the paperwork before Mercer double-checked everything was in order.
“It seems like Ward did a lot of the work,” Petty says. “It was really easy.”
RNIP job board helps find good people
Inspired by de Paula’s success with the program, Petty decided to advertise a job through the RNIP job board. He hired de Paula’s wife, also a carpenter, and then used the program again to bring one other carpenter and a receptionist on board. Why? Because each time Petty used the RNIP program, he was able to hire good, qualified people to help him grow his company.
“When you put your job ad on the RNIP website, you’re going to get hundreds of qualified applicants. I wanted to physically meet people before I offered them a job through the program because I wasn’t as open to meeting over the phone,” says Petty. “All of the people I’ve considered through the program happened to already be in Canada on work permits. Now, they’re part of our family. They’re friends as well as coworkers, and they all deserved the chance to be able to stay here.”
Since launching in our community in 2020, the RNIP program has supported more than 200 local businesses like Petty’s, welcoming more than 300 skilled workers into the North Okanagan and Shuswap.
With three successful hires through the program and plans for a fourth this year, Petty has a message for other trades businesses struggling to hire good people during the worker shortage.
“Trades business owners should be open to trying out the RNIP program. They’d be surprised at how much good it can do for them.”
Learn more about the RNIP program, eligibility requirements for employers and how RNIP can help grow your trades business at the link below:
'We can stay here': RNIP helps skilled IT worker bring family to Vernon
A smile flashes across Jorel Aguiluz’s face. Vernon is home, he says, and he and his wife can’t wait to start a family here.
Warm light illuminates Aguiluz’s office at Community Futures North Okanagan. It’s a sunny afternoon in the late Okanagan summer, and it’s the couple’s favourite time of year to explore the Valley and vineyards they love.
But if you had asked Aguiluz about his plans for the future a year ago, his answer might have been quite different. Aguiluz, a technical account executive at SysGen Solutions Group with more than 10 years of experience in IT, had reached a crossroads.
After studying at Okanagan College in Kelowna and working in construction, he had landed a good job at SysGen – a managed IT services provider that also offers solutions in network administration and design, virtualization, IT infrastructure, cloud computing and data management. But, with only a post-graduation work permit in his name, his wife was still stuck in the Philippines.
“I heard about the RNIP (Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot) program through my client, Community Futures North Okanagan. They asked me if I wanted to apply, but I didn’t accept their offer at first,” says Aguiluz. “My wife had been applying for work and tourist permits, but we couldn’t get her here.”
So, in November 2020, after more than a year of working in IT in the Okanagan, Aguiluz made the difficult decision to leave his new home behind and return to the Philippines. But, by May 2021, Aguiluz knew he wanted to bring his family back to Canada. And this time, he had the right avenue to do it.
After submitting the RNIP paperwork in June 2021, Aguiluz received authorization from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in September 2021. And his wife came with him.
Sitting in his SysGen office at Community Futures North Okanagan more than a year after getting approved by the IRCC and six months after the couple got permanent residency status, Aguiluz is finally at ease.
“It feels so much better. I can work and do anything I want to now,” Aguiluz beams. “We can stay here. We’re not worried anymore.”
For Aguiluz, that means continuing to work at SysGen and using his decade of experience in IT to help non-profits, entrepreneurs and local organizations of all sizes strengthen their business with managed IT services.
“Clients who had worked with Jorel previously were very happy to have him back and new clients love his very personable approach to IT support,” says Ben Mihailescu, field services manager, SysGen.
“Jorel is as genuine as they come and gets along with everyone he meets. We really appreciate him as an employee because he can connect with our clients in the Okanagan and solve complex technology problems in plain language for everyone to understand.”
When he isn’t using his love of tech to help fill the growing demand for IT workers in Canada, Aguiluz and his wife love enjoying the Okanagan lifestyle.
“It’s really nice here with all the vineyards, the beautiful nature and lakes. And we have several outdoor activities we like during the summer. Sometimes we go biking or go to wineries, but my wife loves apple picking, cherry picking and any sort of fruit picking,” Aguiluz says.
As the couple settles down and enjoys life in the Okanagan, Aguiluz says they plan on applying for citizenship and are trying to save up to buy their first house so they can grow their family.
But, before that, Aguiluz says they have one more goal they want to achieve.
“We’re planning on bringing my sister and my parents here, even just as tourists, so they can see how beautiful the Okanagan is,” Aguiluz smiles.
The RNIP is made possible through funding from the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
‘It’s a huge relief’: Gifted teacher gets permanent residency through RNIP
It’s a community unlike any other.
That’s why, when Jess Chitty first arrived in the Okanagan and started working at Vernon Christian School, she knew she had to stay.
A teacher for more than seven years, Chitty heard about the Society of Christian Schools in British Columbia (SCSBC) while studying in Australia. Fast forward five years and with a two-year working holiday visa in hand, Chitty boarded a plane bound for Canada in March 2020, the day the international borders closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had a summer job lined up, but because of the pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty about whether or not I would be able to do that job,” says Chitty.
Thankfully, a friend in Manitoba had a place for her to stay. Within a few short months and an application to the SCSBC, Chitty lined up a job at Vernon Christian School, headed west and never looked back.
“The Society inspired me to want to teach and grow here. The community I’m in at Vernon Christian School is phenomenal; it’s unlike any community I’ve ever been in,” says Chitty. “To me, there’s nothing more purposeful or rewarding than investing in someone else’s life. The privilege of working alongside children and families, I don’t think anything else compares.”
Inspired by her rewarding career, newfound sense of community and the natural, four-season beauty of the Okanagan, Chitty decided to turn her two-year visa into a permanent move.
“I was seeking ways to apply for permanent residency and found that the online system was challenging to navigate,” says Chitty. “Trying to find avenues that I could take in my situation was difficult on my own.”
Chitty reached out to an immigration consultant in the summer of 2021 and soon learned about the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program. Then, at the start of her third school year at Vernon Christian School, Chitty learned she would be able to stay.
“The IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) informed me that my application has been approved. I’m just waiting for my permanent residency card to come in the mail,” Chitty beams. “It feels amazing. It honestly is a huge relief to know that I can stay here long-term.”
Matt Driediger, principal at Vernon Christian School, couldn’t agree more.
“Jess is a passionate and gifted teacher. Students and colleagues thrive around her, impacted by her care and expertise. We are so grateful to have her in our school community,” says Driediger. “The RNIP program benefited us tremendously. It supported us in the process of demonstrating Jess’s value to our school and to Canada, and ultimately helped her achieve permanent residency so that she can continue serving on our staff and in the Vernon community.”
The RNIP program, Chitty says, has helped her to continue doing the work she loves in a community she’s proud to call her home.
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‘Part of our family’: RNIP empowers Vernon business to hire skilled workers
Justin Sharma has an easy response when asked why businesses should utilize the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program: Why wouldn’t you?
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) aims to help smaller communities benefit from the immigration of skilled workers by creating a path to permanent residence. Vernon is one of two communities in BC and one of 11 in Canada to participate in the pilot.
Through the pilot program, Sharma, whose family owns and operates City Furniture and Appliances Vernon, has welcomed three skilled employees to the team.
“The RNIP program is about finding experienced candidates who can apply their expertise in helping a business operate and grow.” says Sharma. He’s worked in other countries himself and appreciates what it means to be an inclusive employer who helps new team members integrate in the work family and the community.
“There’s now another way to connect with very skilled individuals who bring unique perspectives and create positive impact. In our case, these individuals have become part of our family.”
Germany native Alexander Schoepp joined the City Furniture Vernon team in August 2021. Schoepp says he first heard about the position while researching the RNIP program online, found a contact number, and cold-called Sharma. He and his family happened to be in Canada at the time.
“I heard about the program and called Justin. We were spending time in Canmore, so we got the family into the car and drove,” says Schoepp.
It was the perfect match. Schoepp and his family returned to Germany to pack up and move to the Okanagan. After a few short months, Schoepp is now a team leader in his role, bringing 15 years of retail management experience to City Furniture Vernon
In the Vernon – North Okanagan area and funded by the Government of Canada through Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) and the Province of British Columbia, RNIP empowers participants to integrate into their communities. After receiving a recommendation from the community, permanent residence status may be available within 12 months after applying through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.
“As soon as we have permanent residency, we will start to look for a house. Permanent residency allows you to build your life and not just wait for clarity,” says Schoepp. “If it was just my wife and me, we’d be OK waiting. But, with two kids, you need that safety. I’m just happy.”
Manpreet Singh Sidhu’s journey with RNIP looked quite different.
Now the operations manager, Sidhu worked at City Furniture Vernon while studying business at university. After graduation, he sought a way to solidify his place in the community. Having had success with the RNIP program in the past, Sharma approached Ward Mercer, RNIP regional coordinator, to see if Sidhu’s unique situation would qualify for the program.
Sidhu was accepted through the program and recently became a permanent resident.
“I was on the edge at one point applying to extend my work permit, but now I’m feeling stress-free,” Sidhu smiles. “I’m at peace.”
Sidhu started working in the warehouse. Empowered by his business education, Sharma and RNIP, Sidhu worked his way through every department of City Furniture before becoming a pillar of the company.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself. Everyone is so helpful here. If you would have talked to me a few years ago, you would see the difference,” Sidhu says. “I’ve gained my confidence here. I’ve gained everything.”
As businesses struggle to hire skilled workers during the ongoing labour shortage, Sharma encourages other Vernon and North Okanagan business owners to reach out to Mercer and the RNIP.
“The RNIP empowers businesses to find that person who not only fulfils a need within the business, but can also positively impact the community as well,” says Sharma. He says City Furniture, co-founded by his father 45 years ago, was built on this ideal. “I guess the question is, why wouldn’t you use the RNIP program?”
