To the Editor:
In his letter on Nov. 15, Lorne Midford responded to my letter of Oct. 20 (“Open letter to Manitoba Hydro regarding Keeyask dam project”).
Mr. Lorne Midford clearly expressed that I stated the major beneficiaries of employment on the Keeyask Generating Station project are out-of- province workers, rather than Manitobans.
This is completely false – the letter stated, “I would like to thank Manitoba Hydro for giving great job opportunities at the Keeyask dam project to people from other provinces, all the while neglecting skilled persons, born and raised in Northern Manitoba of Aboriginal descent.” This does not mean southern Manitoba aboriginals/non-natives or First Nations partners in the Keeyask project, since they seem to be guaranteed the jobs already and are in no way neglected.
Mr. Midford stated that, “All contractors working at the Keeyask project are required to follow hiring preferences that provide first opportunity to qualified northern Indigenous residents and are structured to maximize the employment of qualified Indigenous, northern and Manitoba residents.”
Does Mr. Midford suggest that all persons registered at the jobs referral service in Thompson with an active-status file, be guaranteed employment at Keeyask if qualified? And if so, does sectarianism come into play when contractors evaluate and determine the skills of the individual, before going on to the next 30 or 40 potential workers vying for the employment position?
What oversight options do we have as observers if the Keeyask contractors intentionally bypass qualified northern nationals and give jobs to others from abroad?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Wil Tailwater
Thompson
