Bulletin - January 2023
Stone Hearth Bakery gets two new ovens and a proofer
That’s right, Stone Hearth Bakery is now decked out with two new ovens, a proofer and new ventilation hoods after receiving $172,000 in funding. This came from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to support efforts in building a strong and inclusive economy and to ensure community members have equitable job and skill development opportunities.
The bakery is a social enterprise owned and operated by MetroWorks, and has a built-in program to help people gain employability experience who are facing barriers to employment. For over 40 years, Stone Hearth has provided training opportunities to and employ people from underrepresented groups and countries to serve local businesses a quality loaf of bread.
The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, MP for Halifax West, visited the bakery on Wednesday, January 18th to announce the funding on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA. She toured Stone Hearth’s confectionary kitchen, catering kitchen and the kosher-parve bakery – getting to see the new ovens and proofer for herself.
In case you missed some of the media coverage, here are the media quotes from the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab and Dave Rideout, President and CEO of MetroWorks.
“An inclusive economy is a resilient economy. Helping to establish independence for people with various abilities allows them to engage more fully in their communities and ensure that all Canadians have an opportunity to participate in the workforce. ACOA is pleased to support this meaningful and important work.” - The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA
"MetroWorks and the Stone Hearth Bakery do incredible work nourishing our community with their baked goods while helping their employees get the skills they need so they can move on to sustainable long-term employment. I'm so glad that the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency was able to support their bakery upgrades. Everyone deserves a good-paying job that they love, and the Government of Canada is proud to support programs that help people overcome the obstacles that may stand in their way." - The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, MP for Halifax West
"MetroWorks has been running social enterprises for over 40 years. As one of our longest running social enterprises, Stone Hearth Bakery has been providing our community with locally-made baked goods while also providing learning, training and employment pathways for those facing challenges finding meaningful work. This funding from ACOA has allowed us to upgrade our bakery facilities so that we can increase our output and the number of individuals we support and train on the latest equipment." - Dave Rideout, President and CEO of MetroWorks
From left to right we have Scott Butler - Stone Hearth Bakery Manager, Dave Rideout - President and CEO of MetroWorks, the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab - MP for Halifax West, and Rob MacIsaac - Catering and Food Service Manager.
EDGE Summit 2023
On Friday, January 27, all EDGE programming across Nova Scotia came together to share, learn and engage. Every division shared their program lessons, how they support community members in finding sustainable and meaningful employment, and to highlight powerful community partners and programming opportunities.
EDGE is a program designed to help young adults, from ages 18 to 26, develop life and job skills that will lead to permanent employment. The Department of Community Services administers the EDGE programming.
MetroWorks’s EDGE has a hybrid model of programming, meaning they have both virtual and in-person lessons throughout the week. The program also has a continuous intake, so any youth and young adult can join when they are ready.
The program lasts for 12 weeks, and will support participants after they find work. The program also has in-house youth mentors, navigators, wellness facilitators and job developers that meet with participants one on one each week. This provides personalized support for anyone walking through the doors.
The EDGE summit also invited some special guests, including the new federally-funded financial literacy program, Money Path Atlantic. Program Lead, Beth Carmichael, presented the importance of having the skills, knowledge, and confidence to make informed decisions about managing money. MetroWorks’s EDGE programming has already included more financial literacy lessons to their programming.
Special thanks to EDGE program’s community partners:
OPTIONS Work Activity Program
Immigrations Services Association of Nova Scotia
Racialized Newcomer Women Employability Program
YMCA
Stone Hearth Bakery
Youth Project
South Shore Open Doors Association
South Shore Community Justice Society
Newcomer Women has program funding extended to 2025
MetroWorks’s Newcomer Women programming, along with 10 other projects supported by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), has received funding extensions until 2025! Across all the programs, the extended funding amounts to $5.8 million.
The Newcomer Women programs across Canada support new Canadians with targeted employment settlement services, work placements, mentorships and job counseling. The ultimate goal is to help racialized newcomer women find meaningful work in Canada and progress in their careers, and MetroWorks’s program is no different.
MetroWorks’s programming recognizes many newcomers face challenges around building their English vocabulary, and that’s why the program helps with the English language and provides translators. Ultimately, the success is attributed to the strong relationships, interpretation supports and newcomer expertise the program staff provide, and to the strong and determined newcomer women that come to the program.
In case you missed the news, here are the media quotes from the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, MP for Halifax West, and Dave Rideout, President and CEO of MetroWorks.
“Racialized newcomer women face significant challenges in entering the workforce. This isn’t just about getting women jobs, it’s also about providing a sense of dignity and belonging. This support is integrated within the work the Government of Canada is doing to prevent and end gender-based violence by ensuring that gender equality is supported across all sectors. Canada’s gender equality is for all women.” – The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
"It is a pleasure to visit MetroWorks again to hear about their Deep Roots program that helps newcomer women learn skills, get job-ready and find a rewarding career in Canada. We know there are barriers to break down to ensure all immigrants can work in jobs that align with their skills and experience. Programs funded by the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot Program are taking important steps to combat gender- and race-based discrimination, and I’m proud that the Government of Canada can be a partner in this work.” – Lena Metlege Diab, Member of Parliament for Halifax West
"We are extremely pleased the Government of Canada is supporting our work with Racilaized Newcomer Women. We have seen tremendous growth in the skills, confidence and self-sufficiency of the women in the Deep Roots program. Their connections to community and contributions to the Nova Scotia labour market strengthen as they move through the program. We are very proud of the work of the women and MetroWorks' role in their journey." – Dave Rideout, President and CEO of MetroWorks Employment Association
Ampersand has new menu items
That’s right! The Ampersand Café has some new vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. Now you can have a veggie samosa, a vegan and gluten-free pakora, and a Jamaican patty (or five, we’re confident the baristas won’t judge). You can try these savory dishes with mango chutney or tzatziki.
The café has partnered with yet another local community business to continue building a supportive entrepreneurial community to brong more amazing products to even more haligonians. The samosas, pakoras and Jamaican patties come from Staff of Life, a local, family run bakery committed to making healthy, all natural, quality products.
Ampersand Café currently partners with Stone Hearth Bakery, Nova Coffee, Delectable Desserts, Schoolhouse Gluten-free Gourmet, and now Staff of Life.
Next OPTIONS cohort starts Feb. 6
Don’t forget! MetroWorks’s OPTIONS program starts a new cohort on Monday, February 6th. Make sure you get those referrals in by Friday, February 3!
When you become part of the OPTIONS Program, you get to experience pre-employment and employment learnings that focus on personal, social and workplace skill developments. The program has a four week Employability Assessment and Career Exploration, and then participants can receive work-based training and skill development for 12 weeks.
After that, participants may have the option to enter into a 10 week work placement with a community partner in four work sectors: Customer Service, Food Service, Office Skills, or Environmental Services.
If you would like to refer someone, or yourself, you can download our referral form here. Once you’ve completed the form, please email it to intake@optionswork.ca, or fax it to 902-453-4793.
