Kenora Services Canada Centre is now extending services to clients in Ojibway and Oji Cree.

The centre now has two Ojibway speakers on staff to serve clients in their native language.

“It’s not a translation service but provides the same type of service we would extend to an English speaker except in Ojibway,” explained Kate Korycki, director of the Kenora Services Canada Centre located on the second floor at Market Square.

The staff members are scheduled to be in the Kenora office Mondays and Friday while travelling mid-week to serve Ojibway speaking clients in communities across the region.

The Kenora Services Canada Centre is where people go to access more than 60 Government of Canada programs and services ranging such employment benefits, pensions, social insurance numbers and pleasure boat licenses. About 30 people are employed at the local office.

The need for Ojibway speaking staff members in the Kenora office was recognized back in 2000 but according to Korycki, it wasn’t until last year that Services Canada began looking into ways of providing services that fit the profile of the centres’ host community.

She explained hiring staff skilled in languages other English follows initiatives in communities elsewhere in Canada where services are now provided in Punjabi and Chinese, for example.

Meanwhile, Korycki noted French speakers in Kenora are referred to the Services Canada office in Thunder Bay as the local centre doesn’t have anyone on staff to address their requests in Canada’s other official language.