Latest news with #UniversityCollegeoftheNorth
CBC
28-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Thompson looks to diversify from mining into other industries, including tourism
Northern Manitoba's largest urban centre is looking to diversify and rebrand, shifting the perception of Thompson as a mining town to instead encourage people to think of it as a northern hub for services like education and health care, as well as a tourism hot spot. Business leaders, politicians and other experts gathered to discuss the future of Thompson and the north at this week's Linkages conference — a conference about the future of northern Manitoba organized by University College of the North in the city. "Thompson's been here for 60 years, and when it was actually first built, it was built as a mining town," Mayor Colleen Smook said in an interview. "I think more importantly is Thompson as being a hub of the north," which would require expansions for hospitals and education facilities to become a service centre to the rest of northern Manitoba, she said. While the city itself has a population of around 13,000, it's a service hub for many other northern Manitoba communities with a combined population of around 60,000, according to the mayor. The city is also looking to expand beyond mining into other industries, like cold-weather testing, aviation and modular home construction, while using its natural resources and culture to draw more tourists in, said Smook. "We've talked with different people, with whether it even be building modular homes to go out to the different communities [in the north]," she said. "Right now, you get homes that are built down south," which aren't always suited for the northern environment, said Smook. The mayor added she isn't dismissing the impact of mining on Thompson's economy, but she wants to look at options for when that industry faces a downturn. Vale SA, the parent company of Thompson's nickel mining operation, announced a potential sale of the operation earlier this year, raising concerns about its future. Vale owns two mines and a mill in the city, but over the years, the number of jobs at the mine has shrunk to about 900 employees currently. Many jobs were lost when Vale shut down its smelter — which extracts base metal out of ore — in 2018. Now, the raw ore is shipped off to other provinces to be processed. Though what would become the city of Thompson was first built up after the discovery of a major nickel deposit in the 1950s, it wasn't officially incorporated as a community until 1967. Smook said she's proud of where Thompson has come over the past 60 years, but said she wants to see even more diversification. The community has the resources required for new industry, she said. "We have all kinds of land mass up here. We have the hydroelectric [generating capacity] right up here. So you've got cheap power, fresh air, clean air," said Smook. Tourism an opportunity for Thompson: speaker Ashley Dunlop, who is the director of talent and workforce development for Economic Development Winnipeg and runs a tool that helps match job seekers with employers, attended this week's conference to learn more about labour needs in Thompson. She said she was impressed with the resources available in the northern city, which is the sixth-largest in Manitoba. "This is a big town — there's a hospital, there's an airport, there is [University College of the North]," she said. "All of those things need staff. All of those staff need places to live. All of those staff need something to do on the weekend. All of those staff need someone to sell them a car or fix their snowmobile." While mining is still a big part of Thompson, other industries are catching up, mainly education, health care and hospitality, said Dunlop. That diversification is what attracted Eric Termuende, a leadership consultant from British Columbia, to come to Thompson to speak at the conference. Termuende said he was inspired by the pride northern Manitobans have for the north, and thinks Thompson should try to replicate the work of communities like Churchill in embracing tourism as a major industry. "Tourism is another opportunity" for Thompson, he said. "I think Churchill has done an incredible job from branding themselves on a global stage as a tourism opportunity and tourism destination." Smook said tourism has been growing in Thompson. Other attendees at the conference also said they would like the region to be a destination for adventure and eco-tourism, taking advantage of the unique northern culture and the region's pristine wilderness.
CBC
18-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
Parents, caregivers will benefit as new child-care spaces open at hospitals, schools: minister
More than 700 new child-care spaces for children up to age six will soon be available at health-care facilities, schools and post-secondary institutions in Manitoba. The new openings are meant to make life easier for parents and caregivers in the health-care and education sector, Jenna Sudds, federal families, children and social development minister, said during a news conference at St. Boniface Hospital. "When nurses and other essential workers can't access reliable child care, it not only affects their ability to stay in the work force, but it also puts a strain on the services that we all rely on," Sudds said on Tuesday. "Solving child-care challenges doesn't just help families, it helps all of us. It helps keep our hospitals staffed, businesses running and communities thriving." The provincial and federal governments have partnered to open 324 child-care spaces at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, St. Boniface Hospital and Riverview Health Centre. These daycare centres will have extended hours to support employees doing shift work, said Tracy Schmidt, Manitoba's education and early childhood learning minister. The governments committed to creating 256 infant and pre-school spaces within six school divisions, and a combined 128 child-care spaces at the Red River College Polytechnic Notre Dame campus and University College of the North's Thompson campus, Schmidt said. "We know that access to child care promotes equity by providing opportunities for more parents and caregivers to achieve their education and employment goals while their children are able to reap the benefits of quality early learning environments," she said. While the St. Boniface Hospital is considered a "home away from home" for upwards of 4,000 staff, having on-site child care will make the facility feel more like home for parents and caregivers employed there, president and CEO Nicole Aminot said. "Our staff deserve this. They will value it. They will make good use of it and we couldn't be prouder to be able to offer this to the people who work so hard spending their days looking after their fellow citizens in their time of need here in our community," Aminot said. Accessible and affordable child care is important for families and supports a better work life balance, according to Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara. Improving access to child care is something the provincial government has heard health-care workers need during its listening tour over the past 16 months, Asagwara said. The opportunity for children to be around people who work in the health-care profession might also inspire them to join the frontlines, Asagwara said. The provincial and federal governments will spend $5.8 million for a tuition reimbursement program that provides early childhood education students with up to $5,000. The governments are also funding programming to train 30 Indigenous students to work in child care at the Urban Circle Training Centre in Winnipeg.
