Canada and Saskatchewan Recognize Importance of New Student Builds

LA LOCHE, SASKATCHEWAN--(Marketwired - Sept. 10, 2014) - The Government of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan, along with the Northern Lights School Division and Île-à-la-Crosse School Division, today acknowledged student efforts from the La Loche Community School, Dené Building, in La Loche, Rossignol High School in Île-à-la-Crosse, Twin Lakes High School in Buffalo Narrows, and Churchill High School in La Ronge. Trade knowledge is very limited in the northern regions. Through affordable housing projects like these, interested young learners obtained apprenticeship opportunities.

Rob Clarke, Member of Parliament for Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River, on behalf of the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development), along with the Honourable Donna Harpauer, Minister of Social Services and Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, toured the sites and met with some of the students involved.

"I am pleased to see apprenticeship opportunities encourage and empower students in La Loche, Île-à-la-Crosse, Buffalo Narrows, and in La Ronge," said MP Clarke. "These student builds provide a number of young northerner's with basic knowledge and skills needed to find employment opportunities in their communities."

"This is a wonderful opportunity for young people to get involved in building their community and, most importantly, help Saskatchewan families in housing need," said Minister Harpauer. "These projects support the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth, the goal of which is to improve the quality of life of all Saskatchewan people. By working with our partners, the Government of Canada, the Northern Lights School Division and the Île-à-la-Crosse School Division, we are working to achieve this vision."

Through these projects, Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) acted as the project coordinator. For each project, the federal and provincial governments contributed approximately $192,000 through the Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement. The funding was used for the purchase of construction materials and the services of trade contractors as needed, as well as conducting the site (standards) inspections at the end of each phase of construction. Upon completion, SHC assigns the home to the appointed local community housing agency for allocation to a social housing tenant.

The success of past projects is the result of a co-operative partnership between SHC, the Northern Lights School Division, the Île-à-la-Crosse School Division, and the participating high schools each year.

Annually, the Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), will invest approximately $2 billion in housing. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of close to 600,000 households living in existing social housing. In Saskatchewan, this represents an estimated 28,000 households. The remaining funding supports housing-related activities and affordable housing programs, including the Investment in Affordable Housing. These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in existing social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people. Economic Action Plan 2013 continues this commitment with a federal investment of more than $1.25 billion over five years to renew the Investment in Affordable Housing to 2019. The Government of Canada will ensure that funds provided to provinces and territories support the use of apprentices, which will support training of skilled labour. From April 2011 to June 2014, close to 184,000 households have benefited from this investment nationally, including 1,673 households in Saskatchewan.

In October 2012, the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, which sets out the government's vision for a province of 1.2 million people by 2020. The Plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province. Since 2011, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested $326 million to develop more than 5,600 units and repair more than 24,300 homes around the province.

To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC are working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.