Launch of the report "Cohabiting with Fly-in Fly-out commuting: Experiences of women and communities on the North Shore" 05 June 2019

The report "Cohabiting with Fly-in Fly-out commuting: Experiences of women and communities on the North Shore" is now available! Several members of our team contributed to the coordination and various stages of the research, which resulted from a collaboration with the Regroupement des femmes de la Côte-Nord and the Société du Plan Nord.

The report (in French only) mentions the social, economic and community impacts of fly-in fly-out commuting, both for workers' families and for host communities. Thus, although families of FIFO workers see their income and purchasing power increase, wives often have to take care of their children alone, which would also limit their ability to get involved in their community. In addition, host communities face a decline in their permanent population, and pressure on the availability of certain consumer goods and housing, which sometimes leads to shortages and an increase in the cost of living. 

The research team therefore proposes several recommendations. Among these, it highlights the importance of promoting flexible arrangements that allow workers to leave the workplace without penalty or take rest periods in the event of an unforeseen event at home and encouraging social activities within the workplace between commuters and residents of work communities. In addition, it invites source communities to set up and adequately support networking services to break the isolation of wives. For host communities, the team recommends, among other things, developing a hiring and retention assistance service for businesses and community organizations and encouraging economic diversification, particularly in single-industry towns and communities on the Lower North Shore. Finally, the team suggests bringing commuters closer to the city and avoiding housing them all in the same place so that they can consume more local goods and develop a more meaningful connection with the host community.