Pictured from left: Gene O’Brien (President of West Pontiac Connects), Pontiac MP Will Amos, Jerome Sallafranque, Reverend Tim Moyle (St. Alphonsus Parish Priest), and Mariette Sallafranque.
Allyson Beauregard
Pictured from left: Gene O’Brien (President of West Pontiac Connects), Pontiac MP Will Amos, Jerome Sallafranque, Reverend Tim Moyle (St. Alphonsus Parish Priest), and Mariette Sallafranque.
Allyson Beauregard
L’ISLE-AUX-ALLUMETTES – Pontiac MP Will Amos visited the Upper Pontiac, March 13, to announce over $750,000 in government funding for two community initiatives: the Skills Link program and disability access at St. Alphonsus Church.
In attendance at the meeting were the mayors of Pontiac Ouest (Chichester, Sheenboro, L’Isle-aux-Allumettes), Raymond Durocher, MRC Pontiac warden, Reverend Tim Moyle, representatives from West Pontiac Connects, and volunteers from St. Alphonsus Church.
On behalf of Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Amos announced about $744,195 in funding for a new program, offered through Skills Link, a program for youth delivered by West Pontiac Connects. Up to 48 youth will participate in Project 12. Participants will be selected for a six month development program and will spend ten weeks learning skills at the computer centre before spending 13 weeks at a work placement with an employer.
The programs coordinator will be Chrissy Payne from Chichester and the assistant coordinator will be Andrew Jones, also from the Upper Pontiac.
“Developing Canada’s youth is a priority. Projects like Project 12 can help put regular pay cheques into the reach of those who need it. But more than that, they give young Canadians the chance to change their future,” said Amos.
“Project 12 is a three year project which will deliver six sessions. In the past, we would only apply for one session at a time. Having the project run over a period of three years will be beneficial to the organization because we can hire a person full-time, allowing us to establish relationships with employers in the region and have a scheduled start date for the six sessions,” said Gene O’Brien, president of West Pontiac Connects, noting the program will create 50 jobs in the Upper Pontiac.
Church access
In order to improve accessibility to St. Alphonsus Church for those with disabilities, Amos, on behalf of Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, announced $27,076 in funding through the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF). “Canadians with disabilities face challenges every day which prohibit them from participating fully in their community and workplace. The government is committed to reducing these accessibility barriers to ensure everyone has equal access and opportunity,” said Amos in a press release.
The money will be used to replace the church’s side entrance, with construction expected to be complete by April. Jerome Sallafranque and his daughter Mariette were instrumental in filing the application for the funding.
