A federal program will see 66 young people employed in recovery work here in Fort McMurray with the Infinity Métis Corporation, a subsidiary of McMurray Métis.
That company has been approved for $350,000 in funding to hire Indigenous and other young people between the ages of 15 and 30 to help with efforts to rebuild the community.
The funding was announced by MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour as part of the Summer Work Experience program. The hiring of local youth will help meet a potential labour shortage as the amount of work required to rebuild the communities mounts.
“I would like to thank Minister Mihychuk and the Government of Canada for partnering with us to get Fort McMurray back to work. Through this program, we will directly improve the lives of dozens of our youth while giving back to the community that has been through so much,” said Gail Gallupe, President of McMurray Métis. “We will help support our Métis families, youth and elders, but also our local agencies such as the Nistawoyou Association Friendship Centre and St. Aidan’s Society as they recover in the aftermath of the fire. This way we are able to help all the residents of Fort McMurray.”
The funding supports a 10-week project known as the McMurray Métis Youth Summer Work Experience Project, under which students will get the opportunity to obtain industry standard certification followed by work experience such as beautification projects, residential clean up and restoration, light manufacturing, trades/construction, landscaping and waste management. Some jobs may take the youth to areas outside the city limits to rebuild trapping cabins that have been destroyed by fire.
“This program offers students in the Fort McMurray area a sense of pride in rebuilding their community. The Government’s Summer Work Experience program and the Canada Summer Jobs program are opportunities for Indigenous youth to gain valuable work experience and prepare for their future and to save for school,” said Mihychuk.
The Summer Work Experience program provides wage subsidies to employers to create summer employment for secondary and post-secondary students and the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program, makes funding available to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses to create summer jobs for students. Canada Summer Jobs has approved more than 77,000 jobs in 2016. Supporting Indigenous youth employment and opportunities is part of the Government of Canada’s approach to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.
