|
New study: energy efficiency and conservation lead to 6,400 BC jobs a year Feds help Aboriginal youth in Fort Smith prepare for jobs Feds partner with Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council to Support Aboriginal workers New study: energy efficiency and conservation lead to 6,400 BC jobs a year A study released today shows that BC Hydro’s electricity conservation and efficiency activities will create 193,000 jobs in the province over 30 years – an average of 6,400 jobs annually. The findings are presented in the Power Smart Employment Impacts Study completed by G.E. Bridges and Associates, a B.C.-based independent research firm, and commissioned by BC Hydro. “We already know that conservation is the most cost-effective way to meet and manage electricity demand, and I am pleased to see that B.C.’s efforts will also continue to create sustainable employment year-after-year,” said Blair Lekstrom, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. The new Clean Energy Act has established a goal of meeting 66 per cent of the province’s incremental electricity needs through efficiency and conservation by 2020. BC Hydro plans to achieve these savings through a combination of conservation-oriented rates, Power Smart programs for business, commercial and residential customers, and improved building codes and product standards. “Our Power Smart approach is not just saving customers’ energy and money, it’s also creating jobs in communities all over the province,” said Dave Cobb, President and CEO, BC Hydro. “Energy efficiency programs such as Power Smart help create a range of jobs and opportunities such as energy managers who are responsible for identifying and implementing conservation measures in workplaces. These programs also create jobs in retail, technology, construction, engineering and much more.” The study looked at the fiscal years 2008 through 2037 and considered employment impacts from BC Hydro’s Power Smart programs, as well as from provincial and federal energy-efficiency codes and standards. It shows that BC Hydro’s conservation initiatives will give rise to direct employment through the purchase of labour and materials, and indirect jobs from business activity in the supply chain and the spending of wages. Employment is also created by the spending and re-spending of energy bill savings. The study also found that conservation investments create jobs that are geographically dispersed, spread over many small firms, and ongoing in nature. In addition to new jobs, BC Hydro’s Power Smart programs are expected to save nearly 245,000 gigawatt hours over the 30-year study period or an average of 8,100 gigawatt hours annually through 2037. That’s enough to power close to 720,000 homes every year. To view the study, please visit www.bchydro.com/media. Feds help Aboriginal youth in Fort Smith prepare for jobs Local Aboriginal youth who face barriers to employment will get job-preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada’s support for an employment project. The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, made the announcement May 18th on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. “In today’s environment, it is more important than ever that youth develop the skills they need to participate and succeed in the job market,” said Minister Aglukkaq. “By supporting this project, we are helping Aboriginal youth in the Northwest Territories develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to reach their full potential.” Aurora College will receive $290,595 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Camp Cook program, which will help 12 Aboriginal youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. Skills Link focuses on helping youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas, and youth who have dropped out of high school. “We are very pleased that the federal government is supporting skills-based training targeted at Aboriginal youth,” said Ms. Sarah Wright Cardinal, President of Aurora College. “Engaging Aboriginal youth in the labour market is essential to the growth of the Northwest Territories, and we are committed to providing opportunities where youth can explore their potential and define their paths forward.” Through the 2010 “Jobs and Growth Budget,” the Government of Canada committed an additional $60 million to the Skills Link and Career Focus programs. This additional one-time investment will enable more young Canadians to gain the skills they need to successfully participate in the labour market while the economy recovers. Feds partner with Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council to Support Aboriginal workers On May 11th, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, Mr. Brian Jean, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for Fort McMurray-Athabasca, announced Government of Canada funding to help Aboriginal workers overcome barriers to employment. “With this project, we are helping 36 Aboriginal workers gain the skills they need for the labour market today,” said Mr. Jean. The Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council is delivering the First Nations Building a Community project under the regional component of the Aboriginal Skills and Training Strategic Investment Fund. The goal of this project is to provide unemployed First Nations participants with apprenticeship training and work experience hours, as well as Heavy Equipment Operator training. It will also help as many individuals as possible to successfully complete the next stage of their formal apprenticeships with training and work experience, and assist the community by addressing the shortage of qualified tradespeople in the area. An example of this project’s success is the Sucker Creek First Nations Row Housing Complex, which was hosting an open house the same day. Canada’s Economic Action Plan provides $75 million for the Aboriginal Skills and Training Strategic Investment Fund over two years. This project will receive $1,675,252 and is one of over 80 short-term projects that will provide training opportunities and jobs for Aboriginal Canadians in a variety of sectors, such as health, aviation, trucking, construction and forestry, among others. |
|||||