MLA questions fisheries job fair

The Tory MLA who represents the district of Souris-Elmira is questioning if a job fair planned for next week is the Liberal government's big plan to getformerOcean Choice plant employeesback to work.

Innovation Minister Allen Roach announcedThursday that a fisheries job fair will be held in Souris next Tuesday.

The lobster processing facility was shut down last April, just days before the lobster season opened.

The plant's closure put about 300 people out of work.

MLA Colin Lavie said a job fair advertising existing fish-processing positions doesn't do much for long-term sustainable employment in Kings County or for the business community which is struggling with the loss of a$5 million annual payroll.

"It was disappointing. [Premier] Robert Ghiz and Al Roach gave residents their word that the plant would re-open and now they are saying it will not," said Lavie. "They have broken their promise and failed to come up with a long-term plan for job creation."

The fisheries job fair is being organized by SkillsPEI and is open to former Ocean Choice fish plant workers or anyone else interested in working in the industry.

Representatives of a number of Seafood processors will be on hand to talk about job opportunities with experienced workers.

"The government has had10 months to come up with a plan now and the job fair is the best they could come up with."

Meanwhile government officials say the job fair is only part of government's plans to get the former Ocean Choice employees back to work.

This week,Statistics Canada released a reportthat stated there are more than nineunemployed Islandersfor every job vacancy in the province, almost triple the national rate of 3.3.

Opposition leader Olive Cranesaid it was disappointing tohear thatP.E.I. has the toughest employment market in the country.

Crane said the government needs to become proactive rather than reactive when it comes to job creation and that therehas to be a long-term plan to find work in the province for Islanders and new immigrants.

Shewants the province to look at tax incentives and creative ways to encourage entrepreneurs to create new businesses.