WesternOne Equity Income Fund's Modular Manufacturing Division Britco and Seabird Island Band Sign Jobs Agreement

VANCOUVER, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - WesternOne Equity Income Fund ("WesternOne Equity") (TSX: WEQ.UN, WEQ.DB.B, WEQ.DB.C) today announced that Mike Ridley, President of its Modular Manufacturing Division, WEQ Britco LP ("Britco") has signed a Jobs Training and Skills Development Partnership with Chief Clement Seymour of the Seabird Island Band on the Band's traditional territory located in the Upper Fraser Valley, three kilometres northeast of Britco's flagship manufacturing facility in Agassiz.

Britco will assist individuals enrolled in Seabird College, Seabird Island Adult Programs and clients of Seabird Island Employment Centre complete job-training internships at Britco's Agassiz manufacturing facility.  At the end of these programs, individuals will have acquired employable skills and valuable job experience in the construction industry. "Our goal is to increase the employability and employment rate of people in our community. We are proud to work with Britco to provide high quality education and training opportunities for our members," said Chief Clement Seymour.

Seabird College and Seabird Island Adult Programs train and educate individuals in a variety of construction-related disciplines. The newly formed partnership will enable individuals enrolled in the programs to develop skills that will help them find and keep good jobs. Seabird will work with Britco to identify suitable applicants from the Seabird programs for work experience opportunities at Britco's Agassiz manufacturing facility.

"Britco is committed to strong community partnerships and to helping people of all ages interested in the construction trades turn ambition into achievement.  Our Job Training and Skill Development Partnership with Seabird Island formalizes the close relationship we have enjoyed with Seabird since we first opened our facility in 1988," stated Ridley.

Britco prides itself on being a progressive employer providing opportunities for people to acquire skills and experience in a dynamic and growing industry. "We are very proud that approximately ten percent of our employees at our production facilities in both Agassiz and Penticton are First Nations," said Ridley.

Earlier this year, in partnership with Indspire (formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation), Britco developed and funded three scholarships to support First Nations youth in British Columbia. Student applicants will be assessed on such factors as leadership, academic record, community involvement and financial need.  As part of the Jobs Training and Skills Development Partnership student applicants from Seabird Island will be given preference for one of these scholarships.

About the Seabird Island Band

The Seabird Island Band is a multi-faceted First Nations organization that includes government, business, service and non-profit. They provide a vital link for First Nations people to access health and education services as well as create economic opportunities for First Nations people to build thriving First Nations families and communities. www.seabirdisland.ca

About Indspire

Indspire, formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF), is a charitable organization that is dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the necessary tools for Indigenous peoples, especially youth to achieve their potential. Indspire focuses on supporting, innovating, and fundamentally transforming Indigenous education and is the largest supporter of Indigenous education outside of the federal government of Canada. Indspire's Education Program disburses almost $6 million a year to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students across Canada.  www.indspire.ca

About Britco

Britco employs over 600 people and is ranked among British Columbia's largest construction-related companies. With four state-of-the-art manufacturing plants - three in Canada and one in the United States - Britco is the second largest manufacturer of modular buildings in North America. The Canadian production facilities are located in Agassiz and in Penticton, British Columbia, and in Edmonton, Alberta. Britco's manufacturing plant in the USA is located in Waco, Texas. Britco is a leading provider of workforce accommodations for the energy, mining and construction sectors and has the largest lease fleet of temporary offices, construction site trailers and storage containers in BC. Its head office is located in Langley, BC.

About WesternOne Equity

WesternOne Equity seeks to acquire and grow businesses in the construction and infrastructure services sector in order to generate stable and growing distributions to its unitholders as well as to achieve overall capital appreciation.

Additional information about WesternOne Equity is available at www.weq.ca or www.sedar.com

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SOURCE WesternOne Equity Income Fund