Anishinabek Nation citizens share marine industry experience during virtual conference

By Rick Garrick

ANISHINABEK NATION TERRITORY — The employment experiences of two Anishinabek Nation citizens on ships were highlighted during Anishinabek Nation Labour Market Development’s March 22 virtual recruitment session for Canada Steamship Lines (CSL).

“I’ve worked in the marine industry now since 2014,” says Jackie Day, navigation cadet with CSL, Georgian College student, and Aamjiwnaang First Nation citizen. “I did work for the Coast Guard, but I was a chief cook so I was in an unlicensed position and absolutely loved it but it wasn’t where I wanted to be. I took a year off from the marine industry — after a year, I realized this is where I wanted to be and I enrolled in Georgian College to be what I actually wanted to be, which was a mate. I wanted to be an officer.”

Day says she worked for more than 200 days with CSL last year and is going into her second year with CSL.

“I’m a cadet and I love it and I hopefully will be a mate next year with CSL,” Day says.

Bryan Pennell, retired captain and Alderville First Nation citizen, says he first got involved with the marine industry in B.C. in the 1980s.

“I really enjoyed it,” Pennell says. “I was a seaman so I did all positions on deck but I did find I wanted the challenge of becoming an officer — I wanted to navigate these boats.”

Pennell studied for his watchkeepers certification at Georgian College and worked on a variety of vessels in the Ontario area for a couple of years after graduating from the three-year program.

“All of these jobs were just absolutely spectacular given the people you met and the equipment you were using and the places you were going to,” Pennell says. “I fell in love with the West Coast so I [went] back and I dug in again with Fisheries and Oceans and Coast Guard and I worked my way through all the positions — I worked as third mate, I worked as second mate, as chief mate and then eventually I retired as captain after a number of years.”

Janet Blackned, program officer with the Labour Market Development Department at the Anishinabek Nation, says Anishinabek Nation citizens who are interested in the CSL Unlicensed Training Program can reach out to one of the Local Delivery Mechanism offices located across Anishinabek Nation territory.

“They would provide funding services for the clients to attend, funding for travel and equipment, supplies to attend the training sessions,” Blackned says. “And they will follow along with the clients as well throughout the duration of the training process.”

Alyssa Walters, talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion specialist at CSL, says the in-person training sessions are scheduled to begin at the end of April or into May at Georgian College. CSL will be covering expenses for tuition, accommodations, food and travel to Georgian College.

“There may be some virtual aspects to it depending on how Georgian College has their program set up right now, it all depends on COVID-19 regulations,” Walters says. “But because a lot of basic safety is hands-on, most of it will be done in-person so the individual needs to be able to come to the in-person training. That will help us prepare for summer work placements around June, it could even be May as well. As soon as we have someone trained, we will make sure we share that individual with the SIU (Seafarers’ International Union of Canada) to make sure they have all of their requirements and the SIU will be able to figure out next steps in terms of where we have some placements for those summer months.”