Future uncertain for North Central jobs program at new Mosaic Stadium

If you've had a beer at a Saskatchewan Roughriders game, chances are someone with the Go Green program picked up your can.

The North Central group in Regina has been collecting cans at Riders games for the past 10 years, providingwork for those who might otherwise have trouble getting a job.

But with the Roughriders moving to the new Mosaic Stadium, the group's future is uncertain.

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Program co-ordinator Pauline Gabriel said the group had initially heard it would not be able to run the same program at the new stadium.

But she said they got a foot in the door when they were later invited to work at the stadium's test event in October.

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"It worked over at the old stadium;they're hoping it'll work at the new stadium," said Gabriel.

A lot of them hadn't seen a football game before this.- Pauline Gabriel,Go Green co-ordinator

"It's just going to be the logistics of how to do things because everything is so different."

For many of the program's participants, Gabriel said the work put food on thetable and paid their rent.

"They make anywhere between $40 and $100 per football game, and for a lot of them, it's a ticket to the game," she said.

"A lot of them hadn't seen a football game before this."

She said the program's goal was to provide a sense of pride and accomplishment for the participants.

While Gabriel waits for word on whether the program will continue at the new stadium, she's been telling the workers to get in touch at the end of April or the beginning of May.

She hopes the group will be there regardless of whether cans are still being used when the new stadium opens.