Sodexho to provide technical training

Page 10

A deal that took five years to negotiate became a reality on Aug. 13 when representatives of Metco Ventures, an incorporated company of Region 1 of the Metis Nation of Alberta, signed a contract with Sodexho Canada to provide cleaning services for remote work site camps belonging to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. in the Fort McMurray area.

The contract is worth millions of dollars, said Peter Young, Sodexho vice-president of remote sites.

For its part, Sodexho will provide management and technical training to Metco Ventures, with Metco eventually taking over management of the contract with Canadian Natural Resources. Sodexho will cover the cost of training as part of the deal.

Sodexho, a food services giant, is a gold-level member of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business PAR program.

The Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program is made up of businesses that promote Aboriginal employment, business development, capacity building and community relations.

The contract is one of 14 Sodexho has with Aboriginal communities across Canada. More are expected, Young said.

Sodexho partnered with the MNA because it is the right thing to do, said Peter Young.

"Our way of doing business is to team up with Aboriginal groups," said Young. "Normally we work with different Aboriginal groups who have land claims and we help them start a business. We try and get them set up in business. They also benefit from employment. They also benefit from capacity building. Basically the key is to share the profits at the end of the day with our partners," he said.

"We strike these partnerships because our partner has the opportunity for the business and we have the technical expertise to support them to secure the business."

Management of the contract will remain with Sodexho until such time that a manager from Metco is able to take over the project.

"One of the goals of the Metis Nation is to try and improve the socio-economic circumstances of our people," said newly re-elected MNA President Audrey Poitras. "Every time we do sign a contract of this nature it does that. It creates employment for our people, which moves them closer to meeting some of those social needs that they have.

"I believe that a significant amount of our members will be employed by this contract," said Poitras.

"What this contract means for future negotiations, I believe that for us as Metis people all we ever ask is for an opportunity to get our foot in the door to be able to prove that we are hard working people. We are successful people."

Poitras looks forward to bigger and better things involving Sodexho that will expand to areas outside of Region 1.