For the past two years, Community Futures Greenstone has provided Guide Training in Northern Manitoba.

The initiative is part of the Greenstone’s efforts to create opportunities for employment and increase skills levels in the region.

In partnership with Human Resources Development Canada and Manitoba Education and Training, the first training session was held in Sherridon in 2000 and then again in Cranberry Portage in 2001.

Ten students from Cranberry Portage graduated from the 2001 course, which provided an all-round education in the multi-faceted field of guiding. Graduates obtained a Certified Guide’s License and Boat Operator’s card, as well as certificates in Hunter’s Safety, First Aid, Survival and of course a Federal Firearms Certificate.

Graduates were able to obtain employment during the popular tourism seasons, when people flock to the North for prime fishing and hunting.

In addition to turning out qualified guides, Greenstone added another component to the Cranberry Portage training. With assistance from Keewatin Community College, along with HRDC and Manitoba Education and Training, Greenstone was able to offer a course in Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP). NTFP can include locally found products like mushrooms and other edibles, medicinals and craft and landscaping products.

A total of thirteen students, including many of those from the guide program, learned plant identification, product opportunities of the forest, marketing skills and packaging.

A direct result of their training was not only increased entrepreneurial activity in the area, but also the formation of the Manitoba Wildcrafters Association. The goal of these members is to find larger contracts for their goods and diversify their product lines.

The two sessions dovetailed beautifully as NTFP, like tourism-based guiding, are increasingly sought after. Individuals and communities in the Greenstone area are benefiting from these valuable programs, both uniquely suited to the North.