Agreement aims to improve employment opportunities for Aboriginal people
- EFN Staff | February 23, 2016
Regina, SK – An agreement signed between the File Hills Qu’Appelle Developments LP (FHQ Developments) and K+S Potash Canada GP (KSPC) has outlinedboth parties’ commitment to improving labour market participation and employment opportunities for Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis people.
Through this partnership, KSPC and FHQ Developments will work towards identifying, advancing and securing mutually beneficial workforce development, employment and training strategies for First Nations and Métis people, with a particular emphasis on the Legacy Project mine site.
“The development of meaningful partnerships with both First Nation communities and Aboriginal suppliers and contractors has resulted in many tangible outcomes for Saskatchewan First Nations,” said Edmund Bellegarde, President and Board Chair, FHQ Developments and Points Athabasca FHQ. “K+S Potash Canada has played an important role in moving towards a more equitable and positive, long-term relationship with Aboriginal people, communities and businesses in Saskatchewan and their work in this regard is a model for collaboration and partnership in the mining sector.”
FHQ Developments is a First Nation economic opportunities and wealth creation corporation. The Partnership’s owners are File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council and its eleven member First Nation communities: Carry the Kettle, Little Black Bear, Muscowpetung, Nekaneet, Okanese, Pasqua, Peepeekisis, Piapot, Standing Buffalo, Star Blanket, and Wood Mountain. Together the communities represent more than 15,000 member citizens, and over 435,000 acres of reserve lands.
This year, KSPC’s Legacy Project will be moving into the production phase. While the shift from construction to operations will mean the number of contracting opportunities and employment with contractors will be reduced, KSPC is now working to finalize their permanent workforce. With over 150 permanent employees left to hire, KSPC wants to be an employer of choice, attracting, recruiting, and retaining Aboriginal employees
“The task of creating a representative workforce can be challenging, and requires an ongoing commitment to identify opportunities and, where high levels of skill or training is required, as is the case with many jobs in the mining sector, identify suitable candidates for employment and training,” added Maryann Deutscher, Senior Manager, Human Resources. “Together, KSPC and FHQ Developments are ready to meet this challenge.”
During the construction phase of development at the Legacy site, Points Athabasca FHQ Contracting, a Saskatchewan-based, Aboriginal owned and operated construction firm, secured significant business and employment development opportunities, including delivering a 70 per cent participation rate for First Nations employment, and directly employing more than 140 File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council members at the mine site in the past two years.
“This partnership is a win-win opportunity for KSPC and FHQ Developments,” said Christopher Adams, General Manager, FHQ Developments. “Our partnership has allowed both corporations to meet their individual business objectives while simultaneously working together to secure ongoing employment opportunities for Aboriginal people. KSPC has been a very proactive partner for us and we are very excited to put this plan into action and see First Nations and Métis people employed not just in jobs, but career paths with KSPC as the Legacy Project moves into an operational phase.”