Hundreds of migrants, who have crossed the Canadian border at Roxham Road in Quebec and have settled in Cornwall, were on the hunt for jobs on Wednesday.
That includes 23-year old David Olorunleye, who has had a long journey from Nigeria, to Quebec, and now to Cornwall.
He's building a new life.
"Anything, any way I can be useful, any way I can be needed I would do it, you know," Olorunleye told CTV News when asked if he was looking for a job.
"Just for an opportunity," he replied.
Olorunleye arrived in Canada last August after crossing at Roxham Road, about 100 kilometres to the east.
He arrived in Cornwall soon after, where he has been living at the Nav Centre since.
"Making the choice, it was difficult, but necessary," Olorunleye said.
He was in his last year of university to become an English teacher in Nigeria when he made the decision to leave.
"I will take anything to help me find my feet basically, yes," he said.
Migrants in Cornwall, Ont. board a free shuttle bus to attend the Cornwall Job Fair. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
The city offered free shuttle buses from the Nav Centre to the job fair, which hundreds of newcomers took advantage of.
"We've seen a couple busloads already, folks eager to come in and look for work," said Carilyne Hébert, Executive Director for Social Developmental Council for Cornwall and Area.
Organizers say the situation is beneficial for them as they look to help fill more than 3,000 open jobs in the Cornwall region and address a desperate shortage of labour.
"We are taking the opportunity while we have these individuals in our community to sell our community, to sell the great jobs we have here and hopefully they can choose Cornwall," Hébert said.
The ninth annual job fair had 66 employers under one roof, looking to fill 900 jobs.
"We've actually expanded it this year to include a community connections piece, which includes services for new Canadians," Hebert added. "It's great timing since our city of Cornwall has welcomed thousands of refugees and asylum seekers."
That includes service providers like Job Zone d'emploi, who helps those newcomers find work
"Our role is to try and encourage employers to provide opportunities to the newcomers and also to work with the newcomers to help establish themselves in the area," said Job Zone d'emploi Program Supervisor Julie Sullivan.
Sullivan told CTV News that seminars took place with many local employers last week about the benefits of hiring newcomers, and how to help break barriers.
"Some of the challenges we are facing are in regards to language barriers, so clients that don't speak English or French are having a challenging time finding work," she said.
"We talked about some of the AI technology employers could use, Microsoft Translate, Google Translate, using closed captioning on training videos, and just kind of trying to inform them about some of the tools, resources that they could access in order to make the on-boarding process easier," Sullivan added.
"Employers are looking to hire and we have job seekers that are looking to work, so just trying to manage that and make sure it goes smoothly, that's what we're here for," she said.
Sullivan has been helping people like Olorunleye obtain work permits and a SIN number, which can take between one and three months.
David Olorunleye arrived in Canada through Roxham Road in Quebec. On Wednesday, he attended the Cornwall Job Fair. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
After Olorunleye received his paperwork, he was enrolled in the Youth Job Connection Program, Sullivan noted, for those ages 16 to 30.
"After three weeks of training they go into a job placement with an employer, which will eventually turn into a full-time job opportunity for the client," Sullivan said.
"He does know he has a placement coming up, so just kind of exploring what types of jobs he might be interested in and gathering information will be helpful for him because we always try to match the client with the job of interest," she added.
Hebert noted that every sector is struggling to hire, not just one or two.
"Healthcare is definitely seeing a massive shortage in their workforce," she said. "So is manufacturing and logistics and hospitality."
"A lot of these jobs that we saw decrease throughout the pandemic are back into hiring mode and trying to refill their compliment," Hebert said. "There are plenty of jobs in our community and its only going to continue to increase, the amount of jobs available."
Olorunleye said he is already falling in love with the region, where he hopes to find stable work, and stay.
"Cornwall is a lovely place. It's very homey, very chill," he smiled. "There is lots of opportunity obviously in Cornwall. Canada is a lovely place."
Anyone who missed the job fair can find all of the jobs online at ChooseCornwall.ca.
A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation's capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region.
Russia says it thwarted a large Ukrainian attack in the eastern province of Donetsk, though it's unclear if this was the start of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
France will be sending firefighters to aid Quebec as the province continues to battle massive forest fires, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.
Prince Harry is set to testify in the first of his five pending legal cases largely centred around battles with British tabloids. Opening statements are scheduled Monday in his case.
Mosquitoes have always been pesky, but this spring it seems the bloodsuckers are thirstier than ever, a trend one expert says is increasing.
Although remote work has cleared the way for workplace flexibility, allowing employees to work in various locations (and climates), a new study suggests it’s taking a serious toll on work-life balance.
The Nova Scotia government says it is investigating the theft of personal information stolen through a global privacy breach to a third-party file transfer system the province was using.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) have identified the adult victim of a fishing incident that claimed five lives over the weekend, most of them children. Keven Girard, 37, was among a group of 11 people swept up by the tide late Friday night while fishing along the shore in Portneuf-sur-Mer, a village about 550 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
A wildfire that tore through homes and businesses in the Halifax area is 100 per cent contained, but a historic fire in southwestern Nova Scotia remains out of control.
A wildfire that tore through homes and businesses in the Halifax area is 100 per cent contained, but a historic fire in southwestern Nova Scotia remains out of control.
The Nova Scotia government says it is investigating the theft of personal information stolen through a global privacy breach to a third-party file transfer system the province was using.
One person has died and two others are in hospital with serious injuries after a three-vehicle collision in Springfield, P.E.I.
Police have released images of two suspects who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in downtown Toronto in April.
Two people have been rushed to a trauma centre in critical condition and a third person sustained serious injuries after a multi-vehicle collision in Caledon, paramedics confirm.
One person has been charged with second-degree murder after a 33-year-old man was killed in Collingwood on Friday.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) have identified the adult victim of a fishing incident that claimed five lives over the weekend, most of them children. Keven Girard, 37, was among a group of 11 people swept up by the tide late Friday night while fishing along the shore in Portneuf-sur-Mer, a village about 550 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Wildfires in northwestern Quebec prompted thousands to evacuate the area over the weekend, as the number of blazes pushed past 150 and firefighters and the military poured into parts of the province to fight the encroaching flames -- even as that threat eased slightly Sunday on the North Shore.
Mosquitoes have always been pesky, but this spring it seems the bloodsuckers are thirstier than ever, a trend one expert says is increasing.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) have identified the adult victim of a fishing incident that claimed five lives over the weekend, most of them children. Keven Girard, 37, was among a group of 11 people swept up by the tide late Friday night while fishing along the shore in Portneuf-sur-Mer, a village about 550 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Mosquitoes have always been pesky, but this spring it seems the bloodsuckers are thirstier than ever, a trend one expert says is increasing.
The number of forest fires in northern Ontario continues to grow with a total of 48 active fires in the region, including 33 that are not yet under control. Only two months into the fire season and there have already been more than double the total number in 2022.
It was a colourful congregation inside Norwich United Church (NUC), in Norwich, Ont. during its second annual Pride service. The celebration comes six weeks after Norwich Council decided not to fly the pride flag on municipal property during the month of June.
London fire crews responded to a west London apartment building unit twice on Sunday morning for two separate incidents. But according to London Fire Department Platoon Chief Gary Mosburger, residents will have to wait in order to return to their units.
Police continue to investigate after a three-vehicle crash involving a motorcycle and two cars sent one person to hospital on Saturday afternoon.
Sunday saw the largest Pride Parade in Winnipeg’s history.
A Manitoba couple have completed a two week journey by Red River cart to raise money for children in Ukraine.
Winnipeg and parts of eastern Manitoba are under a severe thunderstorm watch.
A business owner in Kitchener says he’s feeling defeated after his business caught fire again early Sunday morning.
Waterloo regional police say two large ‘uncontained’ boa constrictors were found in a vehicle while police were conducting a traffic stop.
Wellington North Fire says around 60 firefighters from multiple stations were needed to knock down two early morning fires, which have caused estimated damages exceeding $1 million.
A public meeting will give Calgarians an inside look into the exact details of an agreement in principle that could land the city a new event centre, but critics are already skeptical of the cost breakdown.
Thousands came out to the 32nd annual Lilac Festival on Sunday to mark the unofficial start of summer in Calgary.
It seemed like everyone and their dog was out Saturday at North Glenmore Park.
After a long hockey season, most kids are done with the cold rinks by spring. But for the chance to rub shoulders with a locally grown hockey superstar, you dust off the gear and skate in June.
A talented motocross racer from the Saskatoon area has achieved a remarkable feat.
Following days of storm activity, much of Saskatchewan is now under heat warnings as temperatures climb to far above seasonal.
The internet memes starting meme-ing within days of Monday's Alberta provincial election and the comments reflect concerns that the province is becoming increasingly polarized.
It's been three months since the Edmonton Chinatown and Area Business Improvement Association started its long-term "Chinatown Solution" project, and the organization said things are going well.
Alberta is no longer under a provincial state of emergency.
The family of a missing 23-year-old man held a large search party on Granville Island Sunday afternoon.
People who use drugs and advocates are vocalizing their support of a downtown overdose prevention site in response to some residents — and a prominent developer — who no longer want it in their backyard.
Nick Cannon is gearing up for a running race to support a cause close to his heart.
The 2023 'Gutsy Walk' took place across Canada as well as in Regina, and it was more than just a walk in the park.
Following days of storm activity, much of Saskatchewan is now under heat warnings as temperatures climb to far above seasonal.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have updated their roster following their 2-0 performance in the 2023 pre-season.
