Indigenous-, newcomer-focused job fair puts opportunity in spotlight

Canadian Armed Forces pamphlets grazed the side of Serena Valiquette’s ribbon skirt, as the Grade 9 student clutched the handouts tight.

“When I get to age, I’ll probably apply,” said Serena, 14, joining pockets of students hopping from booth to booth — City of Winnipeg here, Manitoba Public Insurance there — at a job fair in Winnipeg on Tuesday.

The job seekers, present and future, were largely Indigenous and newcomers. It was the demographic organizer Clayton Sandy aimed to attract.

“We have the ability to open doors for young people,” Sandy said. “This is one of the ways we use.”

He’s a retired civil servant and founder of Turtle Island Project, which connects new Manitobans with Indigenous people and teachings.

He hosted the first-of-its-kind job fair in Manitoba Hydro’s downtown headquarters.

Organizations including Urban Circle Training Centre and the North End Community Renewal Corporation set up tables.

Miles Macdonell Collegiate brought Indigenous and English as an additional language students. Sandy also tapped contacts such as Manitoba Start.

Yonas Michael was among the people to stroll through the job fair.

He carried City of Winnipeg literature; he’s eyeing becoming a Winnipeg Transit driver.

“They pay good, they have good benefits, I heard,” said Michael, who immigrated from Eritrea 10 years ago.

Indigenous people and newcomers face similar barriers while job seeking, Sandy said. Language and a lack of connections to employers can hinder progress.

“I find that there’s still a lot of non-Indigenous people that still hesitate to embrace us,” Sandy added. “The reason why that is (is) because they don’t have the relationship with us.”

Last year, the unemployment rate for Indigenous people in Manitoba was double that of non-Indigenous Manitobans — 9.6 per cent compared to 5.1, federal data show.

Sandy expected 1,200 people to trek through the job fair Tuesday. He’s planned a powwow and market for Indigenous and newcomer artisans today.

Manitoba Hydro offered its 360 Portage Ave. atrium for free, Sandy said. The Crown corporation erected its own booths. It has an Indigenous power electrician and mechanical technician pre-placement program; since launching in 1998, it’s hired 565 candidates.

“There’s definitely a rise in the available opportunities for Indigenous youth,” said Sherry Proulx, who teaches current topics in First Nations, Métis and Inuit studies at Miles Macdonell in Winnipeg.

“So many opportunities with the trades, with Hydro, with the (Armed Forces) reserves.”

Still, it would’ve been nice to see more Indigenous representation at the job fair booths, Proulx said: “There’s just one table where I see an actual elder.”

The event coincided with the World Indigenous Business Forum, currently being hosted in Winnipeg, and comes days before Manito Ahbee Festival, an annual Indigenous celebration.

Also Tuesday, Treaty One Development Corp. and the Treaty 1 First Nations hosted an event for its newly renovated entrepreneurship centre and business incubator.

Wiitahnookiinitaw Tahshkayzing Entrepreneurship Centre focuses on Indigenous entrepreneurship. It launched at 191 Broadway in May 2025. The site will start new programming, including a three-month entrepreneurship bootcamp next winter.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com