Federal minister announces $7.6 million for Sask. business and training programs

Federal Minister Dan Vandal was in Saskatoon today announcing more than $7.6 million in funding for businesses and training programs in Saskatchewan.

Five Saskatchewan businesses are gaining access to federal funds to increase innovation and bring their products to new markets, while two training programs will build capacity and create more high skilled workers.

“These investments will help create over 230 new jobs in Saskatoon and across Saskatchewan,” said Vandal. “And almost 70 of those will be highly qualified positions.”

Vandal, the minister for PrairiesCan, visited the Aviation Learning Centre at Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) to announce $1 million from the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative to increase seats in the existing AME-M program and introduce an AME-E (avionics) program in Saskatchewan.

For students in the program, more seats means more open doors to work in an industry that needs skilled workers.

“This aviation industry, you can go across the world and work,” said Coleman Kaiswatum, a first-year student in the AME-M program. “As soon as I get my M1 or M2 license to be an aviation engineer, I’ll be able to go wherever the road takes me. Basically all doors are open in the aviation industry.”

The Indigenous Practical Nursing program is also receiving $371,000 to create a mobile lab, delivering the program to rural and remote First Nations in the province.

“Particularly here in Saskatchewan, and if you look across Canada, there’s an under-representation of Indigenous people in the healthcare field,” said Riel Bellegarde, President and CEO of Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies.

Nearly $6 million through the Business Scale up and Productivity program will help five Saskatchewan businesses increase reach and add capacity.

“We’ve gone from ideation to having about 3,500 salons join our platform,” said Alicia Soulier, founder and CEO OF SalonScale Technologies. “So this investment is allowing us to keep up with the growth and also acquire talent.”

Through the Jobs and Growth Fund, a local business specializing in cold-chain monitoring for food safety is receiving $322,000 to improve its systems and expand markets.

“It costs money to make our solution,” said Sue Timmerman, chief operating officer at RiverCity Technologies. “And with this we’re able to be cutting edge, make prototypes to meet the needs of the grocery stores and the restaurants based on the requirements coming down for them.”