Industry News News
FedNor funds Indigenous-friendly education environments in Thunder Bay

The Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) is funding Indigenous training, skill development and innovation initiatives in and around Thunder Bay, Ont., totalling $2,123,675 to move more people through education and job placement.

Lakehead University will receive $233,700 through the Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation program to support the university in establishing the Centre for Healthy Ecosystems and Environmentally Conscious Economic Development.

Andrew Dean, vice-president of research and innovation at the university, says they have had success and partnerships with FedNor. He said obtaining funding for this type of equipment will allow them to expand analysis of things in the mining, agriculture and forestry sectors to understand the risks with exploration.

“As environmental explorers or people doing extraction, it’s absolutely essential that we do this in a good environmental way and a lot of that’s done through analyzing,” he said. “This investment is basically a setting of a whole suite of different equipment, but also training for students.”

In addition, Matawa Training and Wellness Centre will receive $1 million through the Jobs and Growth Fund to support its Increase Skills Development Project. Meanwhile, Confederation College will receive $889,975 through the Jobs and Growth Fund to support the Evergreen Outdoor Classroom project.

Sandi Krasowski is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter for The Chronicle-Journal.