“I Wanted a Career Not a Job” First Nations and Métis Employment in the Construction of the Lower Mattagami River Project 2 First Nations and Métis Employment in Construction Acknowledgements Sincere thanks to the employment team from the MCFN who assisted with transportation to site, logistics and information sharing, particularly Kim Radbourne, Bert Wapachee, Bruce Nelson and Ernie Lafontaine. Mark Gernon also helped with logistics and organizing interviews on site. Both Jodi Evers and Kim Radbourne provided helpful comments on the report and Elders Agnes Corston, Eva Lazarus and Josephine Wesley provided important insights at the beginning of the project. Te Ontario Building and Construction Trades Council endorsed the project and assisted with BCTU contacts. Over the course of the project several research assistants provided invaluable assistance: Marrissa Mathews, Russell Claus, Caroline Fram, Ellery Veerman and Sarah Lowe. Funding for this project was provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Prepared for: Moose Cree First Nation 22 Jonathan Cheechoo Drive P.O. Box 190 Moose Factory, ON P0L 1W0 By Suzanne Mills and Anne St-Amand, School of Labour Studies and Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University McMaster University 1280 Main St. West Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8 October 9th, 2015 4 First Nations and Métis Employment in Construction Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................2 Table of Contents .........................................................................................................4 Executive Summary .....................................................................................................6 List of Tables and Figures ......................................................................................... 13 List of Acronyms ....................................................................................................... 13 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 16 1.1 Building and Construction Trades and First Nations Employment ......... 18 2. Methods .............................................................................................................. 20 3. Project Background: Environmental Assessment and Negotiations with First Nations ............................................................................................... 24 4. Employment at the LMRP .................................................................................. 27 4.1 Employment Commitments ........................................................................ 27 4.2 Implementation ........................................................................................... 29 4.2.1 Employment and Training Coordinator and the Creation of Sibi ..... 29 4.2.2 Committees to Oversee Employment Plan, Identify and Remove Barriers to Employment ........................................................ 31 4.2.3 Employment Supports On and Of Site ........................................... 31 5. Employment Outcomes ...................................................................................... 33 5.1 Hiring Numbers ........................................................................................... 33 5.2 Retention...................................................................................................... 40 6. Successes and Challenges ................................................................................... 41 6.1 Successes ...................................................................................................... 41 6.1.1 Employment Outcomes..................................................................... 41 6.1.2 Building Relationships and Capacity ................................................ 42 6.1.3 Raising Awareness amongst Non-Aboriginal Workers .................... 42 6.2 Challenges .................................................................................................... 44 6.2.1 Getting Hired ..................................................................................... 44 6.2.1.1 Apprenticeships ....................................................................... 45 6.2.2 Challenges to Retention .................................................................... 47 6.2.2.1 Workplace Environment .......................................................... 48 6.2.2.2 Travel for Work ........................................................................ 49 5 Contents 6.2.2.3 Rigid Camp and Work Policies ................................................ 50 6.2.3 Funding and Structural Problems Post-Project ............................... 50 7. Worker Perspectives ........................................................................................... 52 7.1 Travelling for Work ...................................................................................... 52 7.1.1 Efect on Personal Life....................................................................... 52 7.1.2 Reasons for Travelling ....................................................................... 53 7.1.3 Adaptations to Travelling .................................................................. 54 7.1.4 Commute and Rotation ..................................................................... 54 7.1.5 Moving away from Moose Factory ................................................... 55 7.2 Training and Education ............................................................................... 55 7.2.1 Recruitment of First Nations Workers ............................................. 56 7.2.2 Providing Funds to Assist with Shortfall of EI to Attend Training ....56 7.2.3 Apprenticeship Teams or Groups ..................................................... 57 7.2.4 Future Plans ....................................................................................... 58 7.3 Job Progression and Advancement ............................................................ 59 7.3.1 Moving into Apprenticeships ........................................................... 59 7.3.2 Opportunities for Advancement ...................................................... 60 7.4 Discrimination and Harassment ................................................................. 61 7.4.1 Gender Discrimination ...................................................................... 61 7.4.2 First Nations Identity ........................................................................ 64 7.4.3 Reporting ........................................................................................... 67 7.5 Equity of Layofs and Recalls ...................................................................... 69 7.6 Language ...................................................................................................... 71 7.7 Knowledge of the Amisk-oo-skow Agreement ........................................... 73 7.7.1 Uneven Knowledge of Agreement .................................................... 73 7.7.2 Benefts of Agreement for First Nations Workers ........................... 74 7.7.3 Perceptions of Aboriginal Rights and Access to Employment ........ 75 7.8 Health and Safety ........................................................................................ 76 7.9 Union Perceptions ....................................................................................... 79 8. Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 82 9. References ........................................................................................................... 84 6 First Nations and Métis Employment in Construction Executive Summary Introduction Employment opportunities figure prominently in the private agreements between First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments and the resource companies who want to develop on their territories. Resource companies and Indigenous leadership alike often see employment opportunities as a key way that local communities can benefit from resource-related development. Many early agreements, however, provided for entry-level positions but not for training that would lead to meaningful work that is well compensated for Indigenous communities. As a result, employment provisions in agreements often strive to provide greater detail about access to training and movement into higher skilled positions. Access to training is particularly critical in the construction sector, since jobs are short term and range from unskilled positions that have no upward mobility to registered tradespersons, foreman and superintendent positions. Tis report offers a detailed examination of how a negotiated agreement facilitated the training and employment of First Nations workers in the construction phase of the Lower Mattagami River Hydro River Project (LMRP) from 2010 to 2015. Te Amisk-oo-skow agreement between the Moose Cree First Nation (MCFN) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is a partnership agreement that provides the MCFN with an equity stake in the hydro project, in addition to setting out environmental protections, opportunities for Moose Cree businesses and an Aboriginal employment program. Our research sought to document the strategies used by the MCFN and OPG to maximize the employment and better understand the experiences of First Nations and Métis workers, particularly the Nations included in the original