Northpine Invests in The Refugee Centre to Expand National Relocation Pathways

Northpine Foundation has invested in The Refugee Centre to support a relocation program to help move refugees from high-cost urban centres like Toronto and Montreal to smaller Canadian municipalities with verified labour demand and housing capacity. The initiative responds to a mismatch: major cities face housing shortages and saturated job markets, while many smaller communities struggle with workforce gaps and population decline.

Building on a pilot that relocated refugees with a 92% retention rate, the scale-up adds a national digital platform to facilitate intake, matching, and monitoring. The program prioritizes family households, secures housing and income pathways before arrival, and provides structured regular follow-ups to support retention and integration.

Northpine’s investment will help turn a proven regional model into a coordinated national initiative that connects refugees to stable housing, employment, and community in smaller municipalities. The goal is to improve long-term settlement outcomes while distributing settlement more evenly across regions.