A new carpentry program at Frontier Collegiate will create more affordable housing while preparing students for
good jobs, Housing and Community Development Minister Peter Bjornson announced during a visit to Cranberry Portage last week.
Frontier offers the adult carpentry
program through the Northern Technical Centre (NTC). Students in the program
work toward Level 1 carpentry apprenticeship while completing regular courses needed to graduate from high school.
As part of Frontier School Division’s Ready-to-Move (RTM) project, Manitoba Housing and Community Development provided support for students at the NTC to build two ready-to-move homes. The students, along with their instructors, also constructed the basements for the three-bedroom family homes, located on Lake Trout Bay in the community.
The project cost is about $484,000 and the new homes will be managed by Manitoba Housing and Community Development. The homes will be rented to families with low to moderate incomes and on a rent-geared-to-income basis, and the families are expected to begin moving in Nov. 1.
“We are increasing opportunities for students to gain needed work skills and help build their future close to home in Manitoba,” said Bjornson. “We are committed to continuing this partnership with the Frontier School Division, which has already created more affordable housing for families in Cranberry Portage.”
Ray Derksen, chief superintendent of Frontier School Division, said
he is pleased the province chose to invest in “this unique program.”
Added Derksen: “Frontier Collegiate Institute has been providing quality educational opportunities for students in over 30 communities in northern Manitoba for almost 50 years.”
