by Orlando Blacksmith
The author is a fourth-year undergraduate specializing in digital journalism who works at the CO-OP Regime as a Job Search Assistant. He is from Waswanipi, a Cree reserve located in the James Bay region of Quebec.
There are many things to consider when you’re thinking about moving up North for a job opportunity, mostly with respect to the do’s and don’ts of Indigenous communities and how to integrate.
Remember that your life experiences may differ from those of people who live in small, remote communities, so try to be polite and respectful of cultural differences since you are bound to encounter some culture shock.
As an outsider, you may find it hard for people to warm up to you, but eventually they will. People come and go in communities like mine, so new friends, new neighbours and new faces often disappear after just a few months. The community will come to accept you if you stick around for a bit longer and make it your new home.
There are many job openings in these small communities due to a shortage of trained, experienced workers. When searching for job openings in the area where you’d like to work, focus on some of the more prominent communities in the region, research the size of their population, find their website and look for the careers section. You can find many resources with just a little bit of research.
Many jobs in northern communities tend to revolve around the same five fields:
- Mining
- Skilled labour – carpentry, construction, industrial, electrical...
- Law – police, judges, lawyers...
- Education – Teachers, instructors, tutors, principals, counselors, psychologists...
- Healthcare – Doctors, nurses, dentists, optometrists, pediatricians...
Typically, CO-OP students will be placed in administrative jobs in fields such as human resources and business communications, while students from engineering backgrounds can expect to work in hands-on, trainee positions.
Moreover, there are many jobs available to those who want to work in mining: anything from engineer to cook, electrician to custodian, construction to administration, nursing to communications.
What I’m trying to say here is that there are many different types of jobs at a mine, not just actual mining!
Ok cool, but how do I find these opportunities?
As previously mentioned, there are many job opportunities, but finding them may be a bit tricky and require some extra research.
To get you off to a good start, here is a comprehensive list of places you can check out and apply from.
Remember that if some of these places don’t respond to your online application, you can always shoot them an email to follow up and see if there are any opportunities available.
Also, if you are a current CO-OP student, an introductory email could definitely help sway a potential future employer.
Best of luck!
- Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR)
- Student Work Placement Program (Government of Canada)
- Mine Matagami (A mine in Quebec)
- Stornoway (A mine in Quebec)
- Osisko Mining (A mine in Quebec)
- nystar (A mine in Quebec)
- Vior Inc. (A mine in Quebec)
- Irving Oil (An oil company in Quebec)
- Natural Resources Canada (A resource for mining and minerals – you might be able to find more mines to look into through their interactive maps)
- Teck (More opportunities)
- JobsNow uOttawa (uOttawa career development centre. Note: you’ll need to log in through uoZone)
- Ecology Ottawa (A resource for green jobs)
- eco canada (More opportunities)
- Employment opportunities in Yukon
If you would like more information, feel free to contact Gabriel Ramsay, professional development specialist at CO-OP services.
All other uOttawa students and Alumni, please communicate with the Career Development Centre by phone, email or in person during drop-in hours.