Fraser Stuart laughed out loud when he heard the British Columbia government wants to train welfare recipients and then fly them north to fill a labour shortage.
Stuart, who lives in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and is currently receiving social assistance, doesn’t want to work in the north, but he wants a job and he’s more than willing to take the training to get it.
The 59-year-old worked for eight years in a homeless shelter in Montreal, and he wants to do the same in B.C. But he’s been unable to pry the $ 1,600 for a certification course from the provincial government, and his $ 610 monthly welfare cheque doesn’t come close to covering it.
“Welfare won’t pay for the course, so I can’t work,” Stuart said with a sigh.
Cabinet ministers in B.C.’s Liberal government spent last week floating an idea to train welfare recipients and fly them to northern B.C., where a labour shortage has left employers desperate for workers.
But Stuart said such a program won’t help him.
He said he can’t do the physical labour that will likely await anyone who ends up in the northern oil and gas industry, and he wouldn’t need to be on welfare if only he could find training in Vancouver.
“It’s totally frustrating.”
The problems Stuart is facing reflect some of the early concerns that have been raised about the proposal, which the province admits is still in its infancy, without any of the details thought through.
Critics have suggested the program won’t work because it fails to address the underlying issues that leave some people on welfare, such as addiction, mental-health issues or physical ailments.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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