Town & Country

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2019 5 PHOTO BY CHRIS MCIVOR Kermani named the finished piece after the animal he modelled it on and as a nod to the community of Selkirk who encouraged his art. CROSS LAKE KELSEY SCHOOL DIVISION "MISSION STATEMENT" "We strive to be a respectful and enthusiastic school community, dedicated to quality education for all." Margaret Barbour Collegiate 623-3485 École Opasquia Early Years School 623-3459 Kelsey Community School 623-7421 École Scott Bateman Middle School 623-3411 Mary Duncan School (including Kelsey Learning Centre) 623-1420 Kelsey School Division Office 623-6421 www.ksd.mb.ca For information about our schools, please contact: RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL & FURNACE REPAIRS BOX 1743 332 MORRISH RD THE PAS, MB 204-623-2388 204-620-0522 TREVSELECTRIC@LIVE.CA @clearwaterlager 'T here are hardly any jobs (in Cross Lake)," says Wayne McLeod, a councillor with the Cross Lake Band. "We're trying to get people employed outside the community." McLeod points to a new job training initiative involving his community earlier this year as a sign that things could be changing. The program saw a dozen members of the Pimici- kamak Cree Nation (PCN) in Cross Lake receive training for mining jobs through a partnership between the Manitoba government, PCN, Hudbay Minerals, the Northern Manitoba Sector Council and University College of the North (UCN). Upon graduating from the seven-week training program in May, all 12 participants were offered jobs at Hudbay's Snow Lake mining operation located about 150 kilometres west of Cross Lake. Robert Assabgui, vice-president of Hudbay's Manitoba business unit, noted in a May news release that "our goal is to fill the jobs at our operations with people from our northern com- munities, and this hiring program is a great first step in achieving this goal." The curriculum of the program, which included mining instruction from UCN's Northern Mani- toba Mining Academy in Flin Flon and on-the-job training and mentorship from Hudbay, was administered by the Northern Manitoba Sector Council in partnership with UCN and Workplace Education Manitoba. Glen Laycock, executive director of Northern Manitoba Sector Council, says many of those residing in northern First Nations reserves don't have a lot of experience living outside of their own communities. For this reason, he adds, it was determined the program shouldn't just offer mining training but also instruction in workplace safety and First Aid and as well as basic life skills to help participants adjust to working and living away from their homes in a min- ing camp or town. Richard Trudeau, director of health, safety and aboriginal and external affairs for Hudbay, says the company's first experience with the program "set a great precedent" and that a second round of train- ing is in the works for 2020. "Hudbay is excited to partner with the North- ern Manitoba Sector Council once again to do a second program in the new year," he says. "We are continually looking for ways to improve our programs and operations, and upon review of the first intake program, as with any new project, we identified areas that we could improve upon and look forward to the subsequent programs getting better each time." Trudeau notes that the training program ad- dresses several important needs for Hudbay. It enables the company to tap into northern First Nations communities to help replace older work- ers who are nearing retirement age, and it also cuts down on labour expenses. "It can be challenging for small northern com- munities to attract workers from elsewhere [and] in northern Manitoba, there is a critical shortage of skilled workforce in the mining industry," he says. "Contractors are currently being used to fill any existing labour gaps. However, bringing in con- tractors from outside northern Manitoba increases labour costs," Trudeau adds. "Bringing northerners on to work at Hudbay's lo- cal operations connects members of the community with solid job opportunities, supports our business and reinforces our strong roots in Manitoba." Laycock believes it's an idea that appears to be catching on among other mining companies in the north. "In the past, resource companies often have had to fly people in from the south because they couldn't find local people with the required skills," he says. "They're realizing that the best place to get people is from the north, so now they're looking at what's the best way to get people involved. Every company is now looking at what's right here at the front door." Program offers homemade solution JOB TRAINING INITIATIVE HELPING TACKLE CHRONIC NORTHERN LABOUR SHORTAGE (TOP) A new training initiative led by the Northern Manitoba Sector Council has helped dozens of member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation receive on-the-job training and mentorship. (BOTTOM) The program is enabling companies like Hudbay Minerals to tap into northern First Nations communities to help replace older workers who are retiring. BY MARK HALSALL "Our goal is to fill the jobs at our operations with people from our northern communities, and this hiring program is a great first step in achieving this goal." As in many First Nations communities in Manitoba's north, unemployment is a chronic problem for members of the Cross Lake Band, situated more than 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg on the Nelson River. – Robert Assabgui, vice-president of Hudbay's Manitoba business unit D D

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