The scope and impact of the CLAC Foundation continues to grow: three new partners and one new program at an existing partner were approved at the October meeting of the independent CLAC Foundation board of directors.
In addition, seven existing partners had their agreements renewed, and three partners are the middle of their agreement terms. This makes a record 14 partners for the Foundation.
New partners include:
• Opportunities for Employment in Winnipeg, which offers free employment services to those experiencing homelessness, poverty, and other issues. Two programs totalling $14,900 were approved, including one providing transportation for those without money or transport to training locations or new jobs, and another to pay for the onerous amount of documentation required to get into trades training or a new job.
• Project Adult Literacy Society (PALS) in Edmonton, an organization that provides programs and resources for adults with low literacy so they can overcome barriers to employment. Its math literacy program received $25,000 to fund programs over the next year that will allow PALS clients to enter the trades.
• A project with the International Labour Rights Forum received $26,000 to train leaders of multinational fruit workers in Honduras to organize and advocate for better working conditions.
• $31,000 in funding was awarded to FSB Nikeuba, a union in Indonesia and a World Organization of Workers member that represents palm oil industry workers. The funding will be used to hold seminars for their leaders to teach them how to better to advocate for their members’ rights and to build commitment from stakeholders to jointly improve labour conditions.
Renewals of three-year partnership agreements to cover the training costs for those experiencing homelessness or poverty, new immigrants, and refugees were approved for:
• Mustard Seed Edmonton – $10,000 for training per year
• Mustard Seed Calgary – $15,000 for training per year
• Action for Healthy Communities (Edmonton) – $5,000 for training per year
• Bissell Centre (Edmonton) – $5,000 for training per year. This is in addition to the previously approved Licensed Security Guard Training funding, ending in 2024 and worth $10,850 per year.
Lutherwood in Southern Ontario also had its three-year agreement renewed for training—$4,500 paid by CLAC Training in Cambridge, ON—as well as $30,000 in funding for a pre-apprenticeship program that has already resulted in a number of young people entering the trades.
The Migrant Workers Emergency Fund at MOSAIC BC also received another $50,000 for 2023. Almost 150 migrant workers have been helped by this fund so far this year.
Funding of $10,000 was also renewed for the multipartner Interprovincial Workforce Collective launched by the Foundation earlier this year. It brings together a number of nonprofits that provide employment programs for the homeless, the poor, new immigrants, and refugees.
Existing partners Metro Community (Kelowna, BC), Right at Home Housing Society (Edmonton), and MOSAIC BC are in the middle of their three-year agreements.
