Program for Métis youth provides training, employment, opportunities

Learning to use an axe and a chainsaw in Jasper National Park changed a young man’s life.

Getting hired to the Fire Smart program last year gave Levi Howard, 19, who grew up in Grande Cache, the chance to break free from drugs and gangs. “I was a wayward youth on the wrong path in life,” he said. “If I hadn’t gotten involved,  I wouldn’t be in a very good place. I would be selling drugs, involved in gang activity... I would still be lost.”

The Fire Smart program is a joint initiative between Parks Canada and the Métis Nation of Alberta that provides training and contract work for a crew of eight Métis youth aged 18-30 over the winter. They’ll gather and burn excess surface fuel and debris created during mechanical forest thinning to make wildfires easier to control. 

Alan Westhaver, Fire Smart program manager for Parks Canada, said the project is an opportunity help young Métis people with an interest in areas such as fire management, fire fighting and forestry get a start in their careers. Though not everyone makes as dramatic a transition as Howard, the program can get people on the right track.

“It’s definitely helped a lot of people get a grip on things and get into a stable working environment,” Westhaver said. 

Fire Smart got started when Parks saw the need for skilled labour. “We put it on the table to First Nations that there was a potential for a partnership and the Métis Nation was quick to take us up on the opportunity,” Westhaver said. “Together we’ve evolved the program.”

Now Fire Smart is in its sixth year, and winter fuel management supervisor Julie Stankevicius couldn’t be more proud of the initiative. “If I was a kid, I’d jump on it,” she said. “The benefits are endless. Look at Levi (Howard), if you looked at a photo of him from last year you wouldn’t recognize him.” 

Respect for First Nations  has always been important to Stankevicius. “It’s not our land, it’s theirs and we’re using it,” she said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”

Crew members receive more than $5,000 worth of training, as well as an employment contract with Parks for the winter. As part of the program, participants also receive a variety of life workshops on areas such as fitness, nutrition, and career skills. 

Howard returned to join the crew this year after the positive experience he had working last winter. “[My supervisors] became my best friends, they introduced me to Jasper – a healthy, friendly environment,” he said. “They introduced me to making the right decisions. It was a strong support network.”

The crew spent eight days at the Blue Lake Centre, located about 90 km north of the Jasper townsite along Highway 40 on the way to Grand Cache. They moved to Jasper Oct. 29, where they will live for the winter.