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VANCOUVER — A federally funded program that helped more than 1,000 First Nations people land jobs in British Columbia’s mining sector has abruptly closed its doors, saying it was not able to operate without secure financing from Ottawa.
The federal government, however, says the $10-million program – known as the Aboriginal Mentoring and Training Association, or AMTA – filed “questionable expense claims” and was unable to account for some of the money it received before it ceased operations.
The group insists it can account for all the funds it has received and spent. The unhappy ending mars what had been a success story for industry, First Nations communities and people such as Meagan Sam.
Ms. Sam, currently working as a contract truck driver at the Gibraltar mine, about 65 kilometres north of Williams Lake, said AMTA counsellors helped her get through training programs, including a stint in the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook.
“They really opened doors for me,” Ms. Sam said Friday in an interview. “I maybe could have done it [the training] on my own, but it would have been a lot harder.”
Formed in 2009, AMTA was set up to address a skilled-labour shortage and chronic high unemployment rates in First Nations communities, including those near to existing or proposed mines. The program matched jobs to workers and would-be employees to necessary training, ranging from basic math and reading lessons to trades apprenticeships. People in the program had access to coaches and support.
The approach seemed to work. More than 1,000 people got jobs through the program.
And about 2,700 people – more than half of them women – registered for various education, training and development initiatives, AMTA says.
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