Inuvik’s council has agreed to reintroduce a former program credited with helping people get “back into the workforce.”
During a Wednesday meeting, councillors passed a motion supporting the return of Inuvik Works, which – when it first ran, years ago – helped residents who were unemployed through a collaboration between Indigenous and territorial government agencies, social enterprises and local businesses.
“We just want to see whether we can pull that program back together and work with everybody,” new Mayor of Inuvik Peter Clarkson told council colleagues.
Earlier this month, Clarkson – who was the town’s mayor when the program was first in place – said he felt a need in the community to revive it. The program’s return had also been contemplated in Inuvik’s latest town wellness plan.
Clarkson said this week it would “benefit some of those people who are having challenges entering the job market – maybe don’t have a bank account, maybe aren’t even set up to accept money if they were working.”
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While the NWT’s Department of Education, Culture and Employment is said to have offered some funding to launch the program, Clarkson said it isn’t costing the town any money to get started.
Councillors appeared unsure why the program had ended in the first place. Some said they believed a lack of funding could have been the reason.
According to the town, previous participants in Inuvik Works included “those in recovery, people that were just getting back on their feet and maybe even living in one of the shelters.”
“Historically, Inuvik Works helped people living in shelters or who were otherwise struggling to earn money receive counselling and training, open a bank account and get ‘back into the workforce,'” the town stated.
“This was not only about completing work but also about getting people together so they felt proud, productive and confident to move forward … It gave them some work during the day, an opportunity to earn some money, then maybe some counselling.”
So far, there’s no firm timeline for the revitalized program to restart. Information about how people can apply to take part is expected to follow.
