Carley Hiles had a summer job with the Town of Innisfil, working for parks and facilities as part of a “grass crew” – mowing the grass at municipal parks.
“It was fun,” said Hiley. “Good exercise, as well as work.”
Now the job is wrapping up, and she and 48 other summer students hired by the Town will be returning to their studies, across the province. Hiley herself is heading back for another term at Georgian College.
But before they left, the students were invited to a ceremony on Monday, outside Innisfil’s Operations Centre.
“Today, we come together to recognize the efforts of our summer students, before you head out across Ontario,” said Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin. “Each one of you positively contributed to the Town of Innisfil.”
Dollin also thanked MP for Barrie-Innisfil John Brassard, for championing the Canada Summer Jobs program and ensuring that employers like the town received federal funding. “It is programs such as this that allow us to provide meaningful employment to youth in our community,” she said.
MP Brassard noted that the Canada Summer Jobs program was first launched in 2007. “Since that time, tens of thousands of students have taken advantage of the program,” he said – and it has made it possible for employers that include municipalities, faith groups and not-for-profit organizations to provide jobs for Canadian youth.
The Town of Innisfil alone received $111,000 in funding this summer, allowing the municipality “to provide that valuable work experience you can carry forward in your lives” to 49 full-time students, Brassard said.
As the MP congratulated the students, Mayor Dollin shared another announcement: Innisfil was selected as one of Canada’s best employers of 2019 by the Career Directory guide for recent graduates.
“This reflects the positive work culture we have here at the Town of Innisfil,” said Dollin. “Such an inspiring place to work, for tomorrow’s leaders!”
The mayor thanked everyone for coming together “to celebrate our Youth.” She added, “To our students – thanks, and I hope you had a great summer!”
The summer students “are a great asset to the town, in terms of service delivery – and what a great experience for them,” said Jason Inwood, Strategic Leader-Operations. The students learn new skills and a solid work ethic he said – and many return, not only for summer jobs but for full-time placements after graduation.
“A lot of our staff come from these folks,” said Inwood. “It’s a great stepping stone… The biggest thing is they provide value for our residents.”
Neighbouring Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury also applied for Canada Summer Jobs program funding in 2019, but was unsuccessful in its grant application this year, said Chief Administrative Officer Geoff McKnight.
BWG “will try again next year. Regardless of receiving the grant, we will continue to hire quite a few summer students annually,” said McKnight.
