The Canada Summer Jobs Program was the talk of Barrie City Hall today, but in a good light and one that shed lots of opportunity on the city.
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP Alex Nuttall joined Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman in announcing another successful year for the Canada Summer Jobs Program, which saw 208 locally created jobs for students.
“The private sector obviously does a great job in hiring, but this focus on the non-profit organizations, charities and with the help of our municipal partners sees a wider range of students getting the experiences that are key to future job growth,” Nuttall said.
Of the $761,024, the city of Barrie is receiving $25,000 in funding for recreational programs and also for some of the parks, he added.
The program began in 2007 as a way to strengthen local economies and to give experience in the workplace to students.
The program received a lot of attention earlier this year when the federal Liberal government made it a requirement for all who were applying to sign an attestation, which left many faith-based groups out in the dark.
Nuttall did not want to focus on that, but made mention of it at Monday’s press conference.
“Despite having a lot less people apply for funds this time around, we were still able to disperse 100% of the funds to the community,” he said.
“This year’s attestation that was placed on the program has affected quite a number of religious institutions and not-for-profits in the community and some them have continued with the work they are doing, some have cut back and some have ended all-together," Nuttall added. "Having said that, the funds we have placed will I feel continue to do a ton of good work in the community.”
Lehman echoed Nuttall’s sentiments about the good of the program locally and stressed the importance of young people getting jobs and learning how to gain the knowledge and responsibility for a future profession.
“The city of Barrie is great for a program like this in that we bring in hundreds of students in the spring to do recreation and parks,” Lehman said. “When you look at the beauty of our public spaces, a lot of that is the hard work of students who out at a job, some of which for the first time.
"This is particularly great for those trying to pay for high school expenses or college expenses," the mayor added. "I grew up working at fast-food places, even the Dairy Queen on Bradford (Street), and it is a great way to make money as well as obtain the tools needed to launch yourself into a long-term job down the road.”
