September 27, 2004
Premier to Host Aboriginal Economic Summit
Premier to Host Aboriginal Economic Summit- - -
Business Development, Workforce Participation Aims of Event
Increasing business development and the participation of Aboriginal peoples in the workforce will be the focus of the Aboriginal Economic Summit to be held Nov. 2 and 3, Premier Gary Doer announced today.
Called “Bridging Opportunities: A Summit on Aboriginal Business Development and Increasing the Aboriginal Workforce”, the summit stems from recommendations of the Premier's Economic Advisory Council, which is hosting the event, and direction from the outcomes of the Manitoba Century Summit, held in March 2000.
“This event will bring together members of the business, labour and Aboriginal communities to discuss strategies and expand economic opportunities and the future of the province,” the premier said. “Manitoba has highly trained and well-educated Aboriginal people who make up the fastest-growing workforce pool in the province. Encouraging a business climate where Aboriginal people are offered better access to jobs and opportunities to lead their own initiatives makes good business sense.”
Organizers include co-chairs Robert Ziegler, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832, and Bob Silver, president of Western Glove Works. As well, two Aboriginal business owners will co-chair the steering committee: Elaine Cowan of the Anokiiwin Group and Daniel Paul Bork of Clarence Cook Consulting.
Other aims of the summit include:
ˇ showcasing best practices and partnerships in Aboriginal business and economic development (regional, national and international);
ˇ identifying an action-based focus that would leverage business and economic development opportunities;
ˇ identifying time frames with measurable outcomes that would record the increase in Aboriginal economic development; and
ˇ focusing on entrepreneurship, bridging business and labour, building a representative workforce, and bridging Aboriginal, Métis and non-Aboriginal cultures.
“Manitoba's advantage is its rich cultural diversity. And with the Aboriginal population poised to reach one-quarter of the province's workforce, it is essential Aboriginal people are well-situated and well-equipped to take a leading role in shaping Manitoba's future,” Doer said.
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ABORIGINAL ECONOMIC INITIATIVES IN MANITOBA
1) $60 million hydro pre-project
The pre-project training initiative will enable First Nations to develop and deliver training for their members for hydro development employment opportunities. It is anticipated that the Wuskwatim and Gull Lake projects would generate 28,000 person years of employment with up to 700 jobs at the peak of Wuskwatim construction and up to 1,400 jobs at the peak of Gull Lake construction. More than 800 individuals are expected to participate in the pre-project training initiative.
2) First Nations and Métis Child and Family Services
The province is restructuring the child and family services system as recommended by the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry. This has resulted in First Nations and Métis peoples developing and delivering Aboriginal child welfare services. The province is providing $1.4 million over six years to fund a full-time training program for Aboriginal child and family service workers. The program will be offered in Winnipeg, Thompson and Dauphin and will provide training to 150 students.
3) University College of North
The university will offer a comprehensive range of post-secondary education options including developmental, trade, career, technical and undergraduate degree programs for northern and Aboriginal residents.
4) Partnership agreements
The province has participated in the signing of partnership agreements that are designed to encourage the development of strategies for increasing the representation of Aboriginal workers in the workforce. The signing of these agreements present the opportunity to work with various industries and institutions such as health, construction, mining, aerospace and unions to hire and retain Aboriginal people and develop programs to encourage constructive cultural and race relationships. Partnership agreements signed to date include: Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (2000), Burntwood RHA (2002), NOR-MAN RHA (2003), MKO Sustainable Workforce Initiative (2003), Brandon RHA (2003), the Manitoba Customer Contact Association (2003) and the North Eastman Health Association (2004).
5) The province has developed the Manitoba Strategic Plan on Strengthening Aboriginal Participation in the Economy (SAPE). The six principles of SAPE are building understanding, maximizing economic potential, creating a stable business environment, human resources development, and support, physical infrastructure and financing.
6) Winnipeg Partnership Agreement $75 million tri-partite agreement
One of the components of the program is Aboriginal participation. The program component will focus on three key priorities: Aboriginal economic development, Aboriginal training, education and employment including high school upgrading, post-secondary training and access programs, as well as transitional supports for Aboriginal people entering or re-entering the workforce and Aboriginal health, wellness, quality of life and social development.
7) Partners for Careers
Since its inception in 1997 a total of 6,304 career placements have been made, effecting 4,754 graduates. Some graduates have been placed more than once as they progressed toward their chosen career. Provincial funding for the program for fiscal 2003-04 totals $750,000. This is a concept to develop partnerships that will focus on Aboriginal high school, college and university graduates and move them from unemployment to a full-time career path.
8) Nurses training
$1.25-million was announced on Sept. 20, 2004, to improve rural and northern training opportunities for nurses including the following:
ˇ Starting in May, Red River College will begin operating a 24-seat diploma nursing program at Portage la Prairie, Winkler and Dauphin that will allow licensed practical nurses to receive their registered nurse designation.
ˇ A minimum of 18 new students from rural communities will be enrolled in Red River College's regular diploma nursing program each year.
ˇ The University College of the North will begin plans to create 50 new spaces to educate nurses in northern Manitoba with the roll-out of the program to occur in 2005.
ˇ Funding will be provided to increase the first-year enrolment in the diploma nursing program to 120 from 90 when the program was first introduced in 2000. Resources will also be provided to the joint baccalaureate nursing program. The initiatives at Red River College are designed to ensure a stable urban nursing supply.
9) LPN training
Assiniboine Community College developed a strategy to meet practical nursing needs of First Nations and Métis communities and presented a proposal to the province. The province contributed $1.2 million to train 175 students through seven training programs over four years. The First Nation and Inuit Health Branch ran an additional two LPN training programs at Thompson in the North and Portage la Prairie in the south. To date:
- West Region Tribal Council graduated 23 LPNs in December 2002.
- St Malo-MMF southeast graduated 18 LPNs in December 2002.
- Fisher River First Nation graduated 13 LPNs in May 2003.
- First Nations Indian and Inuit Health Branch Thompson site graduated nine and the southern site graduated six 2003.
- Berens River First Nation graduated 11 students in June 2004.
- Aboriginal Peoples College (CAHRD) graduated 14 students in September 2004.
- The sixth site of the seven provincially funded sites is hosted by Keewatin Tribal Council in Thompson, and expects to graduate 29 students in 2006.
- The seventh and final site has yet to be determined.
10) Training initiatives under Neighbourhoods Alive!
Since 2000 NA! has approved training 326 individuals in 16 initiatives (not limited to Aboriginal participants).
11) Northern Forest Diversification Centre
In 2003 Manitoba supported the centre, located in The Pas, with an additional $350,000, extending what began as a demonstration project. The centre is meeting the challenge of creating employment opportunities for residents in remote areas by making a link between the growing demand for wild, natural and non-timber products, while creating sustainable economic opportunities.
12) ACCESS programs
ACCESS programs were created to enhance accessibility and successful completion of post secondary education in Manitoba for under-represented groups in the university system. The under-represented groups include Aboriginal people.
In 2003, the province doubled the enrolment of the inner-city social work program at the Winnipeg Education Centre (WEC), by adding an additional 25 seats for Aboriginal students in the bachelor of social work program. In September 2004, WEC completed it's second intake of the double cohort. A further additional intake will be funded in 2005. This initiative is in direct response to the recommendations made by the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry.
A new community-based program in teacher education is currently under development for Aboriginal teaching assistants. This program is being developed in partnership with the University of Winnipeg, WEC Education ACCESS program, the Winnipeg School Division 1 and the Seven Oaks School Division. The program is expected to begin in 2005.
13) Red River College programs
Red River College (RRC) recently introduced a diploma in community economic development focused on inner-city residents of Winnipeg. This is part of a tri-college diploma between RRC, Assiniboine Community College and the University College of the North. Each institution has a specific focus, i.e. urban, rural and northern.