The City of Cold Lake is hitting pause on new Rural Renewal Stream applications after learning it will receive just 24 nominee spots for 2026.

Council approved changes to the program at its Feb. 24 meeting following updates from the Government of Alberta that took effect Jan. 1, 2026. Those provincial changes include community nomination caps, new job eligibility residence restrictions and a one-year expiry date on nomination letters.

 

Only 24 Nominations for 2026

Cold Lake has been allocated 24 nominations under the Rural Renewal Stream for 2026.

Since the program began in 2023, more than 100 employees nominated by the City of Cold Lake are already sitting in the provincial Expression of Interest pool, waiting to be invited to move forward with their applications.

With the current pool sitting at more than four times the 2026 allocation, the city will now focus on helping those already nominated — particularly individuals who may need to renew their endorsement letters — before accepting any new applicants.

“The program has been well used, with a lot of workers in our community receiving endorsement letters since the program started in 2023,” said Mayor Bob Mattice. “Local businesses have been using the program to help find workers for hard-to-fill positions, but with significant changes to federal immigration targets, this program will see a sharp decline in the number of people it can support.”

 

Applications for New Endorsements Paused

All applications received prior to Feb. 24 have been processed and will be reviewed at the next Economic Development Advisory Committee meeting.

However, applications for new endorsement letters are now paused while the city monitors how many of its existing nominees are invited to proceed by the province.

“If a few months go by and we’ve seen very little movement from those in the pool being invited to move forward, we may consider opening up new applications again,” said Mattice. “But until we receive information from the Government of Alberta on how many of our allocated nominations have been used, we don’t want to flood the system.”

In some cases, nominated individuals are not invited to continue their application due to shifting provincial priorities, including employment categories that may no longer be targeted.

 

Renewal Process Streamlined

The city is also simplifying the renewal process for endorsement letters.

Employees with an endorsement letter — even if it has expired — can still submit their Expression of Interest to the province. An updated letter is only required if they are formally invited to proceed through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program.

Nominated employees who receive an invitation to apply and need their letter renewed can visit www.coldlake.com/ruralrenewal⁠� and complete the required form with supporting documentation.

 

Businesses Can Still Submit Workforce Needs

Businesses struggling to fill positions can continue to share information with the city by emailing ecdev@coldlake.com.

If Cold Lake’s allocated nominations are not fully used by existing nominees, that list of hard-to-fill positions will help determine whether applications reopen later in the year.

For now, the focus remains on supporting those already in the system and ensuring Cold Lake makes full use of its limited 2026 allocation.