The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The recent announcement of a federal commitment of up to $22 million to support economic development in Northern Manitoba and ensure Aboriginal residents have the training for skilled jobs generated by proposed hydro developments is welcome news, said Advanced Education and Training Minister Diane McGifford. This funding is in addition to the $10 million provided by the Manitoba government in 2003, as well as the $20 million provided by Manitoba Hydro to support pre-project training initiatives that will help prepare northerners for construction of the proposed hydro stations. Manitoba Hydro has proposed the development of two new hydroelectric generating stations in Northern Manitoba: the Wuskwatim Generating Station on the Burntwood River and the Gull Generating Station on the Nelson River. See 'Employment' P.# Con't from P.# "Developing the employment skills and knowledge of northern Aboriginal Manitobans is an extremely important human and economic investment that will have a long-term impact on the well-being of individuals, communities and economic development in the province," McGifford said. "We welcome the federal funding and the impact it will have on our ability to foster the development of community-based capacity to deliver training. This support complements our efforts to maximize the participation of northern residents in northern projects, and will help to ensure Manitoba's workforce can meet anticipated demands over the next several years." The province and Manitoba Hydro have been working closely with northern First Nations and consortium members in the vicinity of the proposed projects to support development of multi-year and annual training plans. Consortium members include: Tataskweyak Cree Nation; War Lake Cree Nation; York Factory First Nation; Fox Lake Cree Nation; Manitoba Mtis Federation; Manitoba Hydro; Manitoba Keewatinook Ininew Okimowin; Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and the federal government. The minister noted that this training and employment experience will not only help prepare northern Manitobans to meet the demand for skilled labour on the proposed northern hydro projects, but will also help meet the demands for skilled labour in the province's growing construction industry.6/14/2004
