The Rural Municipality of Ste Anne is recruiting a couple of students for various maintenance jobs this summer.

“We have had one student for the last two years and we found it wasn’t enough,” says Chief Administrative Officer Jennifer Gilmore.

In those two years the R.M. has been subsidized for 50% of their student employee’s wages with government grants.

Council applied for the Green Team grant application with the province this year, however, they have yet to receive a response four months later. Gilmore admits “we’re not exactly sure how that’s going to work with the pandemic happening.”

Premier Brian Pallister announced a new wage subsidy program launched by the provincial government that will disperse $120 million to employers for student labour. The program affords employers a $7 per hour wage subsidy for up to a maximum of $5,000 per student between the dates of May 1 and September 4.

“It is completely brand new, so we have no idea how that may or may not help us,” explains Gilmore, “but we’re hoping to find a little subsidization to help with the cost.”

Regardless, Gilmore says Council will be hiring two summer students with or without additional revenue.

Eligible applicants are those between the ages of 16 and 29 who are either high school or post secondary students and can access more information on any of the R.M.’s media platforms.