The plan
ned major overhaul of BC’s employment services funding prompted Vancouver Councillor Kerry Jang to speak up February 14th. Council passed a motion that directed City staff to review the implications of the changes and monitor the potential for negative consequences. More and more agencies are expressing concerns that the Province’s homogenized ‘one stop shop’ model will leave many of those with special requirements poorly served; the developmentally disabled, immigrant farm workers, the multi-barriered struggling with depression.
The new Employment Program of BC consolidates a wide array of services into 73 WorkBC Employment Service Centres around the province. Seven will serve the City of Vancouver as of April 2012, and a host of existing services will be closing down. The biggest weakness is how each Employment Service Centre (“ESC”) will help those with special needs. The model may work for reasonably skilled job hunters. The model assumes that each ESC will refer clients with particular needs out to subcontractors with expertise – however several players with years of specialized experience have been squeezed out of neighbourhoods they once served; the CNIB, Developmental Disabilities Association, PEERS, Coast Foundation, Tradeworks, Progressive Intercultural Services, Strathcona Employment Assistance, etc.. The pool of subcontractors for most ESC’s is relatively small and tends to cover larger subgroups only; such as the physically handicapped, new immigrants, and French speakers.
Some people are going to fall through the cracks, and they will be those less able fend for themselves – those with mental health issues, brain injuries, genetic anomalies, FAS, limited literacy skills, and other similar weaknesses and multiple barriers. If someone requires more help, but the fee maximums under the new fee schedule preclude it, the client will be on their own. Similarly, the homeless and those recently leaving the criminal justice system will have fewer ‘re-entry’ points. There is a substantial cutback in ‘street level’ services as a result of this new model. (This is a primary reason for us to ensure Pathways Information Centre is retained.) The biggest threat to the City, in the inner-city, will be increased demands on libraries, community centres and police resources.
“Green Jobs” are all the rage, but the term is still not well defined. On February 10th the Columbia Institute hosted a conference on Green Jobs and Retrofits at which Ross Gentleman, Tradeworks ED, was a workshop panelist. Largely, Tradeworks perspective is focused on entry-level labour and trades opportunities, which can be a good fit for populations that are struggling to find a good track in the work force.Tradeworks has been exploring ‘deconstruction’ and re-manufacturing.
While the workshop was nominally about training and education, the discussion ranged widely. Wayne Peppard and Deena Boeck comprised the remainder of the panel, respectively representing perspectives from the labour movement and academic institutions. Three ideas linger:
- Government policy must be the catalyst and government must lead. Demand for certain skills, and related technology, is only going to be expanded if we re-orient policy frameworks to induce change. Procurement, education, research, regulatory and tax policies are part of the picture.
- Public institutions are prepared to take the lead and demonstrate how lower carbon footprints can be achieved. UBC is trail blazing on several fronts and is keen to integrate sustainability into operations, into educational curricula, and into the culture of the community.
- All jobs will be green jobs. The idea of a green job is too narrow. Jobs in the trades need to incorporate new green technologies as part of the trade; for example training for electricians must include solar technology. Everyone has a role in building the green economy and it is not built on new narrowly defined ‘green technicians’, though some may evolve.
Tradeworks highlighted projects initiated by non-profits in Vancouver, projects which paired environmental goals with social goals. The opportunity for a “Win-Win” is there. Employing at-risk youth and others in the retrofit, deconstruction, and waste diversion initiatives compounds the potential benefits for the community at large. Tradeworks tries to achieve these ends through Tradeworks Custom Products and Tradeworks Fab Shop.
The BC Society Act provides the legislative regime for 26,000 non-profits in BC, and the Provincial government is now seeking comment on a comprehensive rewrite of the Act. The Ministry of Finance discussion paper is online. On February 13th there will be an information session in Vancouver (Hosted by the GNPI). Comments on the Ministry paper are invited before April 30th.
The Society Act is one a a few essential bits of corporate legislation that set out the ‘legal person’ framework for business, community and creative enterprises. Beyond the technical elements, there are general principals that are enshrined through the law; related to purposes & powers, memberships, governance, public accountability, capitalization, etc. Rather than simply defer to a few lawyers, policy analysts and larger non-profits, it is really up to a vigilant non-profit sector to ensure the law is written so that is serves the larger purposes of the non-profit sector, and the diverse entities.
Tradeworks would welcome an opportunity to collaboratively work with other community based non-profits in undertaking a review of the proposals and responding to the discussion paper. For those who are interested, the BC Law Institute paper in 2008 provides an excellent history of the Society Act and elaboration on some particular concerns.
The new Employment Program for BC, scheduled to be implemented April 2, 2012, will leave many not served, especially in the inner-city. Several existing services, previously supoported as employment services, will be closing. Pathways Information Centre is an important community resource, providing access to basic resources, referrals to community services, and connections to employment. Alternative funding after April 2012 is not yet in place.
Withdrawal of our funding by the Ministry of Social Development has prompted several media pieces and the Bill Good Show was one of the best. Subsequent coverage on CBC Radio, the Globe and Mail and the Vancouver Courier has been great.
Tradeworks Training Society met with the Minister in November but neither the Ministry nor other arms of government have stepped up. The Downtown East Side is a neighbourhood to which people retreat when they hit hard times. But they need help getting back on the feet. Pathways, a low barrier, easy access resource centre at Main & Hastings and the centre sees @3000 new members each year. The government’s planned ‘Employment Service Centre’ anticipates only serving @500 higher needs job seekers each year. Where will the other people go?
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