Toronto Housing Summit (update)

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

Please see the Press Release issued by
Toronto Council Fire Cultural Centre on January 31, 2008.
(This is an Adobe PDF and opens in a new window, please enable pop-ups or right-click and "save as..." to download.)

TORONTO HOUSING SUMMIT
Wednesday January 23, 2008
4:30 pm – 8:30 pm
City Hall, Council Chambers

Housing is an International Human Right

Our community deserves more than substandard living conditions. We want affordable, safe and quality housing that our families, seniors, youth, women and men can call home.

Come out:
~Learn more about the Housing Consultation,
~Hear Community members tell their stories,
~Add your voice to the housing needs of our Community.

A light meal and refreshments will be served

In partnership with
Council Fire

6th Annual TABA Awards (new date)

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008

Media Release

January 14, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RBC presents the 2008 Toronto Aboriginal Business Association (TABA) Entrepreneurs of the Year Awards

Celebrating the Spirit of Aboriginal Entrepreneurship

(Toronto, Ontario) – On March 19, 2008, the Toronto Aboriginal business community will recognize three outstanding Aboriginal entrepreneurs at the 6th annual TABA Awards. Invited guests will come from the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal business communities as well as representatives from all levels of government. A new feature this year is the involvement of RBC with the Awards. Each Award carries a value of $1,000.

“RBC has long been a supporter of Miziwe Biik and is proud to be part of the TABA awards,” said Harry Willmot, Senior Manager, Aboriginal market development for RBC. “The awards are a valuable opportunity highlight the achievements and opportunities for Aboriginal entrepreneurs.”

Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training was created in 1991 to meet the unique training and employment needs of Aboriginal people in the Greater Toronto Area. The name Miziwe Biik is associated with a female water spirit, meaning water which flows all around us. Miziwe Biik is like a pool of water where a ripple effect has been created, reaching out and making positive changes in the lives of urban Aboriginal people. Miziwe Biik created TABA in 2001 to profile and promote emerging Aboriginal businesses. The Awards were first launched in 2002.

Last year’s award winners included:

Aboriginal Businesswoman of the Year, Brenda MacIntyre, musician and speaker
Aboriginal Businessman of the Year, Brian Wright-McLeod, music producer and author
Aboriginal Youth in Business, Adam Garnet Jones, filmmaker

For further information, contact:

Kenn Ross, Manager
Aboriginal Business Resource Centre,
Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment & Training,
416 591-8727
kross @ miziwebiik.com

Alexis Mantell, Manager,
Public Affairs and Media Relations, RBC
416 974-4796
alexis.mantell @ rbc.com

Canada Summer Jobs

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

This year, Miziwe Biik will not be delivering funds for Canada Summer Jobs (formerly known as Summer Career Placements/SCP). Interested groups are asked to apply directly to the local Service Canada office. Information can be found here. (this opens in a new window).

Canada Summer Jobs is about:

supporting work experiences for students;
supporting organizations that provide important community services; and
recognizing that local circumstances, community needs, and priorities vary widely.

Canada Summer Jobs is focused on encouraging not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers, and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create jobs that not only meet their needs, but benefit students looking to gain work experiences.

http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/epb/yi/yep/programs/scpp.shtml

Miziwe Biik Call for Proposals 2008-09

Thursday, October 25th, 2007

Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training is currently accepting applications from individuals and organizations for Employment and Training funding for the 2008/09 fiscal year.

Participants who are on Employment Insurance or have been on Employment Insurance within the last three years are encouraged to apply, however all applicants will be considered.

Applications for the First round of proposals must be received on or before:

January 10, 2008 at 2:00p.m.
All applications after this date will be considered.

An Information session will be held on NOVEMBER 27th, 2007 at 12:00pm at Miziwe Biik.

It is recommended that all potential sponsors and individual participants attend this information session to discuss:

Program Descriptions
Eligibility Requirements
Application process
Timeline and guidelines

For further information please contact:

Eileen Meawasige, Project Officer (416)591 2471
Lesley McKay, Project Officer (416) 591 8916

Proposal Package: proposal package.doc

Proposla Package in PDF: proposal package.pdf.

HPI-Aboriginal RFP

Sunday, October 21st, 2007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) 2007-2009

Homelessness Partnering Initiative – Aboriginal Communities

RFP Release: Monday, October 22, 2007
TOTAL ALLOCATION: $ 1,300,000
PROJECT ACTIVITY TIMELINE: APRIL 1, 2008 to MAR 31, 2009
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: OPEN
CONTACT INFORMATION: Jennifer Abbott at (416) 591-2314
CP Framework/ Data Tools: www.miziwebiik.com (Links below)

Miziwe Biik is seeking proposals that will support the efforts of the GTA Aboriginal community to help more homeless individuals and families to move into more stable living environments and increase their access to the supports and interventions they need to achieve greater self-sufficiency.

The HPS will continue to address the unique needs of the Aboriginal population through its HPI-Aboriginal component. Recognising that community responses are best to address local needs, homelessness funding is targeted to coordinated local responses.

The HPI-Aboriginal component is designed to provide flexibility to meet the needs of homeless Aboriginal people, through culturally sensitive services.

----

Application Documents:

Main RFP with background, criteria and eligible project information.
Appendix #1 - Workplan (link to ... HPIworkplan.doc)
Application - (HPI-Application07.doc)

Supporting Documentation:

Toronto Aboriginal Community Plan Framework (framework)
Toronto Aboriginal Community Plan Data Tool (Data Tools)
Data Tools Projects (xls)
Data Tools Shelters (xls)
A powerpoint provided at workshop for Agreement Holders, which provides an outline of the process.(for information purposes only)

Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

CARPENTRY PRE-APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment & Training

In Partnership with George Brown College

This 31-week Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Program will provide Aboriginal candidates with academic testing, upgrading and Level 1 Carpentry Training – Small Building Framing Module, for registration and employment as General Carpenter Apprentices.

Information sessions are being held at Aboriginal agencies across the GTA in September. Candidate selection will begin immediately, contingent upon funding from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. No experience required. Women are especially encouraged to apply.

Staff from Miziwe Biik will do candidate selection, with input by George Brown College representatives and/or construction employers. There are 38 seats available, with at least 15 being set aside for those between 18 and 29. Participants who do not have Grade 10 level education (English and Math) will be provided with upgrading through George Brown College. Training allowances may be available to those who qualify. For more information please contact Eric McGaw Cynthia Bird, Job Coach, 416-591-0746, or visit Miziwe Biik.

News from Aboriginal Carpentry Program

Wednesday, August 8th, 2007

July Newsletter

August Newsletter

September Newsletter

Community Capacity Building Project - Final Report

Thursday, November 9th, 2006

The full report is available as a PDF file. What follows is the Executive Summary:

This report details the research, findings and recommendations of a capacity building project for Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training. The goal of this project was to develop a plan that may guide the future direction of the organization.

The recommendations and implementation plan in this document were formed out of consultation and dialogue with Miziwe Biik staff and board, Miziwe Biik clients, Toronto Aboriginal organizations and community members and other key stakeholders in the city (i.e. employers). Consultants gathered this information through individual interviews, questionnaires, retreats and focus groups from September 2000 to June 2001. In total, (and not including Miziwe Biik staff and board) one hundred and sixty six people participated in the capacity building project research. This report is the synopsis of five previous reports which document the findings from each stage of the capacity building project.

In addition to providing feedback on ongoing Miziwe Biik business, research participants were asked to consider a number of proposed initiatives for Miziwe Biik, and to offer suggestions as to programming for specific groups.

In terms of client barriers to gaining and keeping employment, participants identified client needs related to poverty and life skills.

The main issues related to existing programs and services had to do with a lack of awareness/information on part of community about some programs. This was especially true of the newer programs such as the Partnership Development Advisor and the Aboriginal business network. Participants pointed out that project parameters, approval and evaluation criteria for community based projects are also unclear at times. More promotion and outreach on the part of Miziwe Biik is required.

The length of training programs came up, as did the need to develop standards and accreditation. Participants asked if there could be more follow-up with graduates, and if Miziwe Biik could develop a grievance procedure for trainees.

There were requests for more employment counsellors and for those with expertise in various areas such as youth and the arts.

Participants were enthusiastic about the purchase of a new building, agreeing that the current space is too small. They liked the idea of an Aboriginal entrepreneurs' service centre, an Aboriginal Training Institute and a Personnel Agency.

There was strong support for specific programming for youth and students, artists, single parents and women and people with disabilities.

Recommendations related to all of these issues can be found on page 41.