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OPINION

I wish to alert local employers that the deadline for this year’s Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program is fast approaching.  Local employers who are considering using the program have until January 25th to apply.

Following feedback from stakeholders last year, the government has also made the process easier.

Everything can be submitted online through the Government Grants and Contributions Online Service where employers can complete the application at their leisure and track its status once it has been submitted.

The government has also expanded eligibility to include all youth between the ages of 15-30 who are legally entitled to work in Canada – not just students; updated the eligibility criteria to set out more clearly what is and isn’t eligible for funding; and ensured better job matching by posting all positions on jobbank.gc.ca and the app to help match young people with employers.

CSJ funding is available for not-for-profit organizations and public and private sector employers with 50 or fewer employees.  Non-profit organizations can receive up to 100 percent of the provincial/territorial minimum hourly wage, as well as employment-related costs, while public-sector employers and small businesses can receive up to 50 percent of the provincial/territorial minimum hourly wage.

In the last three years, with additional funding, our government has worked with local employers to double the number of CSJ jobs available in Kelowna-Lake Country.   As many of you have expressed it is a mutually beneficial experience, and I hope you will once again choose to participate to help our young people gain the skills and the confidence needed to find meaningful employment in today’s labour force.

More information on CSJ can be found at Canada.ca/Canada-summer-jobs, or by calling 1-800-935-5555.

Veterans

As we welcome our new Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, our government’s work to support Veterans continues.

Responding to a call for action by Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans, and the Veterans Ombudsman, our government has introduced the Veteran’s Service Card, which will be distributed to former and releasing Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members who completed basic training and have been honourably released.

The new Veteran’s Service Card provides a tangible symbol of recognition for former members, encouraging an enduring affiliation with the CAF and ensuring linkages to VAC support programs as members transition to post-service life.

The new Veteran’s Service Card will be distributed in stages depending on when Veterans were released from the Canadian Armed Forces.

More information can be found at canada.ca/veterans-service-card.

I would also like to alert the community that once again this year, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) is inviting Canadian schools, individuals and organizations to show their appreciation for Canadian Veterans by making Valentines for Vets.

This program began in 1989 when columnist Ann Landers encouraged her readers to send valentines to Veterans. Since 1996, VAC has distributed the hand-made valentines to Veterans in long-term care facilities across the country in recognition of the enduring service our Veterans have provided to our country.

More information on ways to participate in this program can be found at veterans.gc.ca.

—Stephen Fuhr is the Member of Parliament for Kelowna- Lake Country and the Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence

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News from © iNFOnews, 2019