Peter Ballantyne, feds sign deal making PBCN Saskatchewan’s first Indigenous employment training agreement holder

The agreement allows PBCN to directly design and deliver employment and training services for its eight communities in Treaty 6 and Treaty 10 territory in northeastern Saskatchewan.

The agreement took effect Jan. 1, 2026, and is part of the First Nations stream of the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) program.

While the deal was only recently announced, PBCN said it has been years in the making. Band leadership, Elders, Service Canada and other partners have been discussing the initiative for more than a decade.

Services will also be available to members living in urban centres.

Funding will total just under $7 million. According to PBCN, the number of members funded for training has increased from 20 to more than 500 since the Nation took over delivery of the program.

“This is an important milestone for the members of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. As the only independent ISET agreement holder in Saskatchewan, PBCN now has the authority to design programming that reflects the self-determined priorities of its own communities. Together with our partners, we are building stronger communities and securing long-term economic prosperity for generations to come,” said Patty Hajdu, federal minister of jobs and families.

The ISET program began in 2019 and now includes more than 120 agreements serving more than 300,000 Indigenous participants across Canada. Of those participants, about 120,400 have found employment and nearly 41,000 have returned to school.

Buckley Belanger, MP for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River and secretary of state for rural development, attended the signing alongside Beatty and Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

Peter Ballantyne, feds sign deal making PBCN Saskatchewan’s first Indigenous employment training agreement holder

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