Thompson Operations

Approximately 40 per cent of the 15,000 residents of Thompson, Manitoba and 70 per cent of the 40,000 people in the surrounding area are aboriginal or Métis. Since our development in northern Manitoba gave birth to the new town of Thompson in the late 1950s, Inco has not, by and large, designed programs specifically targeted at the needs of the region's aboriginal peoples. That said, as a result of the demographic makeup of the area, many of the community initiatives launched by our Thompson Operations serve, and have a positive impact upon, the lives of the region's indigenous peoples.

Northern Hiring Policy

One of the most important initiatives of benefit to local aboriginal people is our Northern Hiring Policy. “We have a long standing commitment to hiring locally,” says Shane Mosley, Superintendent of Human Resources at Thompson. “As part of that commitment, we regularly participate in local trade shows and visit schools with large aboriginal populations. The purpose is to inform young people about job opportunities at our company and deliver the message that, at Inco, we welcome diversity and are open to everyone achieving success.”

We also encourage aboriginal young people to take advantage of ongoing apprenticeship programs offered in partnership with Keewatin Community College in The Pas, Manitoba, and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta. At any given time, there can be approximately 12 Inco-sponsored apprentices learning skilled trades to become industrial mechanics, industrial electricians and instrumentation mechanics.

Supporting Indigenous Organizations

In the greater community, Inco supports numerous organizations that directly benefit local indigenous people. We continue to contribute to the Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre, whose mission is to assist aboriginal people making the transition from life on the reserve to urban life in Thompson. Last year, the Friendship Centre hosted Aboriginal Awareness Days, a week of activities that provide an opportunity for people in the community to participate and learn about aboriginal culture. As well, it held its Annual Youth Conference, a creative happening that offers dance parties along with information on topics including education, health, culture, and employment and training. Inco also helped sponsor the Northern AIDS Conference and the Sharing Vision, Sharing Northern Stories Conference, organized by Inter-Universities North.

In partnership with the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) and the Thompson Boys and Girls Club, we contributed toward a free swim program at Norplex Pool. According to Darryl Montgomery, Director of MMF Thompson Region, the program, which attracts up to 150 children and adults on Sunday afternoons throughout the year and daily during Christmas holidays and March Break, is particularly popular among the town's aboriginal population. “Many of our families are headed by a single parent on social assistance,” says Montgomery. “The free swim program provides great recreational fun for the kids and much needed relief for a mother bringing up four or five children in a one- or two-bedroom apartment.”

The Burntwood Regional Health Authority's new personal care home in Thompson also promises to improve the quality of life for many indigenous families. In 2002, Inco contributed $70,000 (Cdn. $100,000) toward the Cdn. $10 million 40-bed nursing home, which will serve 25 communities in the surrounding region. The state-of-the-art facility will feature healing rooms where aboriginal residents can hold traditional healing ceremonies. “Up to now, families had no choice but to send elders who needed care to Winnipeg,” says Wayne Hall, a local businessman and chair of the personal care home fundraising committee. “Elders will now be able to remain in the community and maintain the very important connection with their families.”

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• Committed $70,000 (Cdn. $100,000) to the development of a new personal care home in Thompson, which will serve 25 surrounding communities.
• Contributed Cdn. $7,000 to the Environmental Youth Centre to provide training and employment opportunities to youth at risk.

The Chance to Be Children At Inco's Moak Lake mining camp, the sound of drills and pickaxes has been replaced by laughter and singing. Formerly a residence for geologists and miners, the property has been home to the Continental Mission Midway Bible Camp, which attracts over 300 local children each summer, since 1996. “We are very grateful to Inco for leasing the property to us,” says Mel Friesen, Director of Continental Mission. “The site gives us everything we need to give kids a great camp experience: bunkhouses, a communal dining room and kitchen, fields for archery and baseball and a beautiful lake for swimming and canoeing.” According to Friesen, the camp experience can be particularly valuable for aboriginal children, 90 per cent of Midway's campers are from nearby reserves, some of whom come from dysfunctional homes or communities that have few recreational outlets. “Many of our young campers are dealing with very serious adult issues such as family violence and substance abuse,” he says. “At our camp, children have the chance to be children, spend a little time thinking about values and, just as importantly, have a lot of fun.”

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