The massive dumping of snow that Winnipeggers are trying to dig themselves out of may seem like a burden to many, but for one local organization dedicated to finding work for refugees and other new Canadians, it’s an opportunity.
Hire A Refugee‘s Omar Rahimi told Global News that clearing snow has been an excellent entry for newcomers wanting to get into the workforce.
“I wanted a way to help people find jobs and have a better life here, so we started a program — something that doesn’t need a lot of skill, like snow shovelling,” Rahimi said.
“We’ve been trying to teach people to shovel snow and make some money at the same time.
“This year, we’ve been praying for snow, but it’s too much now … which is good. We have a lot of people from Iraq and Syria and other countries (looking for work). I speak four languages, so it’s easier for me to get them into the workforce.”
Despite the frigid weather and heavy snow, Rahimi said his team is ready and able to help anytime, anywhere.
“We help everybody — anybody who needs help shovelling, please call us. Any time of day or night, we put them to work as much as possible. Even though we’re really tired right now, we still keep going.
“We need a lot of help in Manitoba in the labour market — whether it’s digging, demolition, other jobs. We need people to come here from those countries to take those positions, because we already have a lot of qualified people doing other work.
“It’s been great for women, for men, for young people coming here.”