At a press conference held in Pine Falls, Manitoba just before Christmas, The Honourable Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board and Peter Bjornson, Manitoba Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade, announced significant government support for the Winnipeg River Learning Centre (WRLC).  The WRLC, a relatively recent initiative developed with the help of the Manitoba Model Forest, provides post-secondary training in a wide variety of disciplines and careers for the entire Pine Falls region.  The WRLC is helping to provide education and training opportunities for residents of eastern Manitoba, particularly for First Nations.  The central location of the facility in the Pine Falls region, allows students to pursue education and training opportunities that, up until now, required them to move to larger urban centres such as Winnipeg.

“I am pleased to announce the Government of Canada’s support for the Winnipeg River Learning Centre” said Minister Toews.  “Investments such as this are creating and protecting jobs, supporting Canadians who have lost their jobs, helping threatened industries, and laying the foundations for future prosperity”.

The WRLC is receiving $2.7 million in federal funding under the Community Adjustment Fund program and $600,000 in provincial funding from the Government of Manitoba.  The funding will be used to completely retrofit their current facilities (the former Pine Falls school), including energy efficiency upgrades such as geothermal heating and cooling, and expand access to training programs.  The federal funds are being delivered by Western Economic Diversification.

Since the start up of the WRLC in 2008, more than 200 full-time and part-time students have graduated in from a variety of programs including electrical trades training, small business accounting, health care aid, and educational assistants.  A new pilot training program on non-timber forest products will start up in April, 2010, in partnership with Royal Roads University (Victoria, BC).  More than half of the graduates to date are Aboriginal.  At the press conference, Brian Kotak, General Manager of the Manitoba Model Forest, explained “For our aboriginal communities, the WRLC provides the opportunity to further their education and training, while being able to remain in their home communities.  This provides the added benefit of maintaining the important family support network for the students, instead of the student having to move to a city such as Winnipeg, where that family support system may not be in place.”

The Manitoba Model Forest is providing $30,000 per year to the WRLC in support of programming and expenses.

To view the latest newsletter from the Manitoba Model Forest please click here: MMF newsletter vol 16 no 2

After a successful 2008 season, the MBMF Board of Directors has agreed to continue to act as manager of the successful Junior Ranger (JR) Program both this summer and into the future.  This program offers training opportunities for students in many facets of natural resource management.  The purpose is to get high school students interested in pursuing careers in NRM.

Historically, no central agency was responsible for the program so there were several years over the past decade when it was not offered.    During the summer of 2008, 30 students participated in a 3 week field program in eastern Manitoba.  It allowed them to obtain provincial certificates in a number of areas related to natural resource management, and to gain valuable experience. 

MBMF also has the support of several funding partners-including First Nations Forestry Program, Canadian Forest Service, Tembec, Manitoba Hydro and Louisiana Pacific.

In March and April the Manitoba Model Forest (MBMF) held a series of 6 workshops on Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in communities around the model forest area.   The workshops were very successful, with more than 150 people attending, and generated great interest in opportunities from the forest.  The workshops represented a collaboration between the MBMF, the Centre for Non-timber Resources at Royal Roads University (Victoria, B.C.), Manitoba Forestry Association and the Woodlot Association of Manitoba. 

Participants learned about a wide variety of topics related to NTFPs, including: what are NTFPs, local and international marketing, adding value to products, and an exploration of what’s in your community’s backyard.  They also gained some hands-on experience in growing their own Shitake and Oyster mushrooms on logs and tapping Manitoba Maple trees for sap and the production of maple syrup.  There were opportunities to sample ice cream with Manitoba maple syrup, and herbal tea from Russia.  Some participants attended the workshops out of interest in starting up a business, while others attended out of interest in learning about NTFPs for their own use.

The workshops are part of a longer-term plan to build capacity and expertise in NTFP businesses in the model forest area.  A new curriculum on NTFPs is being developed by Royal Roads University and Dave Buck for an intensive training course.  The MBMF is supporting the development of the curriculum.  In addition, the training course will be piloted in the Manitoba Model Forest area in the autumn of 2009.  (more…)