The closure of College Educacentre, the French language employment office housed at the Prince George French Canadian Centre (Le Cercle des Canadiens Francais), was decried by supporters as a major blow to francophone services in the city.
The program is funded by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development. Minister Rich Coleman was unavailable for comment when the story first broke last week in The Citizen but he made contact Tuesday to clarify the situation.
"The (provincial government) inherited employment and training programs from the federal government in Feb. 2009, which arrived with more than 300 service provider contracts to deliver them," he explained. "In the 18 months since taking responsibility for these programs, we've identified 27 contracts that are either duplication of service or not in high demand."
The government kept 268 contracts active until March 2012 to ensure what Coleman called "continuity of service to clients" until a new provincial system, the Employment Program for B.C., is launched.
"As for College Educacentre in Prince George, low demand was cited as a factor for ending the contract, as there were an estimated six clients a month that used the service," he said. "There are alternative services available including the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society of Prince George, which has room for new clients and offers similar services to immigrant and multicultural populations which may include French speaking immigrants. As well, Jump on Board Youth Employment Services and Employment Action also have capacity for new clients and include bilingual employment counsellors. Through these service providers, the province will ensure that francophone clients will continue to receive the services they require."
The arguments made against the cuts were that College Educacentre did more than just employment placement, they are part of a holistic, integrated French base at Le Cercle des Canadiens Francais, that they have placed hundreds of people in local jobs over their 10 years of operation, and that they are there for anyone who speaks French (they also provide English services for those who wish it) regardless if they are immigrants, foreign visitors, or francophone Canadians.
The College Educacentre contract will be terminated at the end of January.
