Hope for the future renewed with agreement

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The Metis Nation of Alberta (MNA) Zone IV and Alberta Human Resources and Employment (AHRE) signed a new agreement that will improve services and help Metis people realize their employment and career goals.

The Partnership Framework on Increasing Metis Employment is the first of its kind in the area.

"This is a historical step in working together," said Cecil Bellrose, vice president of Zone IV. "This is going to be a great benefit to the Metis people in the Edmonton region."

The agreement opens the door for many new and improved ways of sharing information and creating new committees to help co-ordinate viable programs.

New partnerships promise to help Metis people overcome some of the social, cultural and financial barriers they face when considering starting on a new career path. One of the hopes for the future is to make retraining benefits under employment insurance available to people before they become unemployed.

"AHRE and MNA have a tradition of working together. This agreement formalizes our relationship and ensures co-ordinated labor market programs and services will be available to Metis people in the Edmonton area." said Jerry Letendre, Zone IV president.