FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YORKTON, SK - Cathay Wagantall, Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville, would like to advise organizations and businesses that applications for Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) funding are being accepted until Jan. 25, 2022. Canada Summer Jobs is an initiative of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, which aims to help all young Canadians develop the skills and gain paid work experience to successfully transition into the labour market.

“This has not been an easy time for many of our small businesses, summer camps and communities. In 2021, there were well over 100 CSJ grant recipients in Yorkton-Melville, which is good, but there were many more applicants that didn’t receive funding,” said Wagantall. “CSJ is far from a perfect program, but I would strongly encourage employers to consider submitting an application for 2022.”

CSJ provides wage subsidies to employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, to create summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years. This year, public and private sector employers will be eligible to receive funding for up to 50% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage. As in previous years, not-for-profit employers will continue to receive up to 100% of the provincial territorial minimum hourly wage for each employee.

To help persons living with disabilities obtain employment, and to encourage employers to hire them under this program, employers may be eligible for additional funding to remove barriers in the workplace for young people living with disabilities. This additional funding may be used for personal tools and adaptations that the employee requires to accomplish tasks.

For 2022, CSJ is returning to its regular parameters and will offer quality jobs over the summer months. The earliest a 2022 CSJ job can start is April 25 and the job will need to end by Sept. 3, 2022. Jobs will need to be full time with a minimum of 30 hours a week and a duration of at least 6 weeks.

“The deadline for applications for funding is coming quickly,” said Wagantall. “In some prior years, there has been a second call or deadline extension for applications, but I urge those who want to apply to ensure that they do so as soon as possible, because there is no guarantee that an extension will be granted for this year.”

More information and the application process can be found at www.canada.ca/canada-summer-jobs.