It is very disturbing to read that this summer the North House Folk School in Grand Marais allowed the Good Harbor Hill Players to perform an anti-mining propaganda play. Greg Wright, director of the North House Folk School, wouldn’t allow anti-mining literature but he still allowed the play. Does Wright forget that funding for the North House Folk School comes from IRRRB, which is revenue from the mining industry?
Currently in northeastern Minnesota there is 8.6 percent unemployment, and with the summer tourist season about to end that number will surely rise to above 9 percent.
If the policy of the North House Folk School is to educate and not advocate, they should be educating people about the new technology that will be used at PolyMet to mine copper and nickel. That there will be thousands of hours of construction jobs and hundreds of mining operation jobs. These jobs will be full-time, with livable wages and benefits. Not minimum wage, part-time summer jobs.
North House Folk School should be educating the young people of Grand Marais about the skilled labor jobs that will be available, and encourage young graduates to enroll in the industrial technology, millwright, electrician, and other courses being offered at Iron Range Vocational Technical Schools.
The mines are hiring! Many baby boomers are retiring and these skilled labor jobs need to be filled. There will be even more jobs as PolyMet nears the end of its permitting process.
I have attended many meetings to discuss the future of taconite and nonferrous mining. The question is always asked from the crowd, “But will they hire local people?” They will if the local people are qualified for the job with the proper training.
Another question is asked. “Will these be union jobs?” Whether they are union jobs or not is not up to the employer, but to the employees. If the workers want a union, there will be a union. If not, then no union.
The Good Harbor Hill Players received a grant to put on such propaganda from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council (ARAC). ARAC receives its funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature. I am sure this is not what people of Minnesota voted for in November 2008.
Nancy McReady
Ely, MN
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