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NEWS RELEASE (CNS899) -->> ECONOMIC RENEWAL--"NS WORKS" -
EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED




ECONOMIC RENEWAL--"NS WORKS" - EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
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Winter will be a little warmer and a lot busier for up to 900
Nova Scotians in high unemployment areas of the province.

Economic Renewal Minister Richard Mann announced today in the
Legislature that the "Nova Scotia Works" winter employment
program will provide jobs for unemployed Nova Scotians in seven
counties.

Under the direction of the Economic Renewal Agency, "Nova Scotia
Works" will provide employment for 530 people in seven high
unemployment areas, including: Victoria, Richmond, Inverness,
Digby, Guysborough, and Cape Breton Counties, as well as the
Eastern Shore area of Halifax County. The Nova Scotia Department
of Housing and Municipal Affairs will add another 350 jobs.

The housing jobs will be distributed province-wide, giving
priority to those seven counties. Twenty more jobs will be
created through the self-employment assistance program from the
Department of Community Services and Human Resources Development
Canada (HRDC).

"We're establishing the right climate for economic growth and
Nova Scotia's private sector has taken advantage of that,
creating 19,000 new jobs in the last three years," said Mr. Mann.
"Unfortunately, some areas of the province still suffer from
higher unemployment rates than others. This program is designed
to help people in the hardest hit areas get back into the work
world," he said.

The provincial government will provide wage subsidies to
qualified businesses, non-profit organizations, and other levels
of government, in order to create jobs for out-of-work Nova
Scotians. Employers will hire social assistance recipients and
unemployed Nova Scotians not eligible for employment insurance,
or the Atlantic Groundfish Strategy (TAGS).

The Economic Renewal Agency will provide a wage subsidy to
qualified employers who create job opportunities between Jan. 20
and June 28, 1997. Through a partnership with the Department of
Community Services and HRDC, income assistance and training will
be available to help unemployed workers start small businesses.
Funding will be provided to the Department of Housing and
Municipal Affairs to create jobs at the regional housing
authorities.

ERA is funding $2,035,000 of the provincial share of the program,
while the private sector, non-profit organizations and other
levels of government will contribute $2.6 million.

"This type of employment initiative is an exact fit for our
social assistance strategy of helping to move people toward
greater independence," said Community Services Minister John
MacEachern. "By providing valuable work experience, we give
people a chance to become self-reliant and move off the welfare
system."

Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Smith said, "The
program is creating much-needed jobs and at the same time
improving our housing stock."

The deadline for employers to submit projects is Dec. 23, 1996.
Application forms are available in each of the seven
participating counties, from the Economic Renewal Agency's
Business Service Centres, Access Nova Scotia Centres, or at HRDC
offices.

Potential employees should register at their local Employment
Resource Centre or Human Resource Centre to be eligible for work.
Once the projects are selected, jobs will be posted at local
employment centres.

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Contact: Linda Laffin  902-424-6810
         E-mail: econ.llaffin@gov.ns.ca

trp                 Dec. 04, 1996 - 2:10 p.m.