MMF partners with Garda North to train security for its facilities

Manitoba Métis Federation-owned buildings may soon be staffed by Métis security guards.

The federation inked a deal with one of the world’s largest security companies to provide training to its citizens.

“We’re buying buildings left and right here in the city of Winnzipeg,” said Jack Park, MMF lands and properties minister. “We’ve grown to a state where we need to ensure that our people are protected, our businesses are protected.”

The MMF’s portfolio includes the former National Research Council Canada buildings at 435 and 445 Ellice Ave., the former Bank of Montreal at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street, two towers previously owned by Bell MTS and a Main Street office.

It’s building transitional housing and has a number of facilities in rural Manitoba. There are three construction camps needing security, Park said.

On Thursday, the MMF announced it’s offering security training to citizens through a venture with Garda North, which is a partnership between GardaWorld Security and McKay Métis Group, the business arm of Alberta-based Fort McKay Métis Nation.

A first cohort — a dozen MMF citizens — graduated from the Manitoba program earlier this year.

The MMF covers the cost of the two-week program for its citizens. It says the cost per person exceeds $400 and includes specialized training on transitional housing.

The MMF counts 1,300 employees province-wide and more than 60,000 citizens. Its new security branch, called N4 Garda North, is part of its economic development corporation (Métis N4 Construction).

Fort McKay Métis Nation’s set-up with GardaWorld caught the MMF’s attention more than three years ago, Park said.

The Alberta nation created its security division in 2014. It says online its guards service “high-risk conflict zones” and daily operations in the province’s Wood Buffalo region.

MMF staff worked with Fort McKay to secure a new GardaWorld deal.

The federation’s buildings aren’t “experiencing anything” per se, Park said, but having guards can be an assurance to employees and visitors. It’s also a way to prevent people experiencing homelessness from getting “lost” after warming themselves inside in the winter, Park added.

Graduates will be eligible to work in non-MMF facilities.

Security has increased across many sectors, from restaurants and retailers to government. GardaWorld, which touts itself as one of the biggest players in its industry, has a $14 billion valuation.

Its new partnership with the MMF helps create “meaningful Indigenous employment and economic opportunities,” Jason Yeul, a GardaWorld vice-president, said in a news release.

The MMF accepts applicants through Métis Employment and Training.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com