Vale donates $250,000 to help improve public safety and community wellness in Thompson

Vale is pleased to announce a $250,000 donation to the Community Wellness & Public Safety Advisory Committee (CWSAC) in Thompson, Manitoba, to support the launch of the new Shelter-In-Place Program (SHIPP), located at the Polaris 5 building on Princeton Drive.

The expansion of the SHIPP program will provide a more pandemic-friendly shelter to Thompson’s vulnerable houseless residents while further reducing density in facilities like the Thompson Homeless Shelter. The services provided by SHIPP will lay the groundwork for what will become the Thompson Sobering Centre, a cornerstone of the Thompson Safety and Well-Being Action Plan.

“We believe safety is everyone’s responsibility and Vale is proud to support the Community Wellness & Public Safety Advisory Committee,” explains Gary Annett, Head of Manitoba Operations. “Vale has recently joined the advisory committee and fully supports the committee’s collaborative approach of working together to achieve the goal of a safer and healthier Thompson.”

Vale is committed to the long-term future of Thompson and looks forward to working with community stakeholders to strategically address public safety issues and improve health, wellness, and a sense of community in Thompson.

“Helping houseless people recover in Thompson benefits everyone in the community, and the new SHIPP campus is an important step towards addressing some of our hardest issues,” said CWSAC Co-Chair Dee Chaboyer. “As one of Thompson’s most prominent employers, we’re excited that Vale has joined our team, and thankful for their contribution.”

The first SHIPP program launched in April 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic: the program housed 25 of Thompson’s most at-risk houseless residents to protect vulnerable people and help control the risk of COVID-19 among those living outdoors. Along with protecting participants, the program significantly reduced density at the Thompson Homeless Shelter.

The Community Wellness and Public Safety Committee is a team made up of more than 30 community organizations working to improve community health and public safety in Thompson, and is co-chaired by representatives from Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre, the Thompson RCMP, and the City of Thompson.