Province hopes YouTube videos attract newcomers to rural P.E.I.

Several Island communities have ramped up their drive to land newcomers by starring in their own YouTube videos. 

The videos show off fishing communities, parks, shopping areas, businesses and schools. 

Each video includes a pitch by the local mayor or a well known member of the community.

Businessman Peter Llewellyn, who is featured in the Georgetown video, said it's important to showcase what each community has to offer.

'We're not doing enough marketing' 

"So many people come here and discover Georgetown," he said. "They're discovering we have more jobs here than men, women and children, plus we have a college here. People are surprised, which shows me we're not doing enough marketing."

The videos are produced by the Office of Immigration through Island Investment Development Inc., the Crown corporation responsible for administering P.E.I.'s Provincial Nominee Program.

Besides Georgetown, the YouTube page features videos for Montague, Souris, Kensington, Georgetown, Borden-Carleton, Summerside, O'Leary and Stratford.

"We're taking advantage of social media to try to promote rural P.E.I.," said IIDI executive director Jamie Aiken. "We're becoming more aware of aging demographics and succession challenges that entrepreneurs are facing. So we're   showcasing these communities and the assets and infrastructure they have to attract newcomers."

Andy Daggett, manager for the town of Montague, said anything that promotes rural P.E.I. is helpful.

"We need immigration and this gives people the option of seeing different areas on P.E.I.," he said.

Daggett appears in the Montague video trumpeting the town's appeal to families, including schools, grocery stores, a hospital, marina and businesses in the area that employ everything from hi tech engineers to restaurant servers.

Over time we'll show the snow.— Jamie Aikin 

All the videos were shot in the summer, showing off the Island at its best. Aiken laughs when asked why the videos aren't promoting snow.

"Over time we'll show the snow season, but we are focusing on the beauty of spring, summer and fall.'' 

Llewellyn said he hopes Georgetown will offer language training and other basic services for PNP investor immigrants or newcomers who speak other languages.

But he noted many of the recent newcomers to Georgetown have arrived from parts of Canada and the U.S.

"We have an architect from Toronto who just bought a house, a retired police officer from Toronto, a retired couple bought a large property nearby and are building a big place ... so a lot of people from Canada," he said, adding one of his own employees arrived last March from Rhode Island.

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