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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 27 ,2 02 1 | 22 Let your community know you're open for business. ommunity c ourt yeL To help our communitieswe have created an online business directory that features local businesses that are open, hours of operation and how customers can safelymake purchases from your store. Our business directory can be accessed from anyone of our 25 Community sites in Ontario. Visit metroland.com to find the community site in your area. Signing up is easy and free. 1 Visit our community website in your area and click on the banner at the bottom of the page 2 Click the "Add Business" link 3 Complete and submit the formSubmit www.metroland.com Give the Star to the next generation Go to thestar.com/gifts or phone us today at 1-855-687-5915 comes with a $25 Ultimate Dining eGift card $99 for 12months of Star Digital Access Graduation is a huge milestone. Now, a new chapter begins -- full of promise, full of hope. Set your new graduates up for the journey with a digital subscription to the Star. Empower them for the tests to come with trusted, reliable and balanced journalism, from reporters working around the clock to effect positive change. The federal government is providing Oakville's Sheridan College with more than $135,000 in fund- ing to help students enter the workforce and to pro- mote green transportation on campus. Oakville MP Anita Anand and Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff announced the funding during a virtual presentation on Monday, May 17. They noted $89,796 would be used to allow 30 students to participate in the Canada Summer Jobs Program, which provides wage subsidies to employ- ers from not-for-profit or- ganizations, the public sec- tor and some private sector groups to create quality summer work experiences for young people between the ages of 15 and 30. This year, degree stu- dents will be paired with eight community collabo- rators, including Food for Life, Links2Care and Hum- mingbirdHill Homes, to fo- cus on pandemic-related challenges. Another $45,922 will be used to expand program- ming and infrastructure for the Sheridan Bike Hub. That program aims to increase cycling as a meth- od of transportation among students, staff and faculty. "The Canada Summer Jobs Program has had such an important role to play in Oakville and across our country because it provides so many young people with paid work opportunities so they can grow professional- ly. They can earn money, they can improve their skills," said Anand. "As the pandemic con- tinues, our plan for a strong economic recovery must include youth and must include support for youth." Damoff said the funding for the Canada Summer Jobs positions would be good for the students, but also good for the communi- ty, which will benefit from their work. She said she was also thrilled to announce the funding for the bike hub. "Cycling is part of a healthy lifestyle, it's eco- nomical, it's good for our en- vironment and we should continuously work to en- sure it is accessible, afford- able and safe for all. This funding will introduce more students to the benefits of cycling and change the way many commute to campus," said Damoff. Sheridan President Jan- et Morrison said she was energized by the opportu- nities the Canada Summer Jobs funding is creating for her students. "I know all of us can re- flect on those moments in our own career path when we were enriched by oppor- tunities that allowed us to grow and to learn through practical and impactful ex- periences," she said. Those present also heard from Graham Hill, the executive director of Food for Life, a food relief charity that will benefit from the Sheridan student talent made available through the Canada Sum- mer Jobs funding. Hill said Food for Life is thrilled to be a part of this initiative again this year noting the charity could not do what it does and help the people it helps were it not for this program. "This year we're chal- lenging the students to help us find and give choice during these challenging times to individuals who are experiencing food inse- curity, within all the con- structs and the challenges that exist right now -- so- cial distancing, how do we get food into distribution hubs, how do we move that forward using technology or with a lack of technolo- gy?" said Hill. "As an employer, we're really thrilled with the skills we get to see." Wai Chu Cheng of Sheri- dan's Office for Sustainabil- ity said funding for the bike hub would be used to launch educational workshops for students and employees who are interested in learn- ing more about cycling. It will also fund a men- torship program to pair seasoned and new cyclists and host physically-dis- tanced community events. For more information about Sheridan's co-op pro- gram visit https://sheri- dancollege.foleon.com/co- op/hire-a-sheridan-coop- student/innovation-accel- erator/. For more information about Sheridan's cycling initiatives visit https:// missionzero.sheridancol- lege.ca/transportation/bi- kehub/. SHERIDAN GETS $135K IN FEDERAL FUNDING Oakville MP Anita Anand (left) and Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff announce funding for Sheridan College. Sheridan College photo DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS