Some new signs coming to Saskatchewan roads will be made by First Nation entrepreneurs.
The province is working with SAGE Roadway Signs on a six-month pilot program to supply highway traffic signs.
SAGE is a division of Saskatoon-based JNE Welding, which is partially owned by the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and English River First Nation.
Peter Ballantyne Chief Peter Beatty said the program will create much-needed jobs for his community.
“To get employment, stable employment, I think is the greatest benefit that we can look forward to,” he said, adding that there are welders in his Cree nation.
“We always have people looking for employment … It’s going to benefit that individual, it’s going to benefit our Cree nation, it’s going to benefit the people and the economy of Saskatchewan.”
The company is currently hiring two positions but has plans to employ a dozen people.
Greg Ottenbreit, minister of highways and infrastructure, said the partnership will help Saskatchewan’s economy and help companies grow amid the pandemic.
“Growth is essential as we seek to rebound from the economic impact of COVID-19,” he said.
The project will see some 3,000 signs made by SAGE, including stop and speed limit signs.
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