TSM Award winner for community engagement announced
Vale was recognized with the 2015 Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Awards. — Photo courtesy Vale Manitoba
For their innovative projects that raise the bar for corporate responsibility in the Canadian mining sector, Vale was recognized with the 2015 Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Awards at the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Awards Gala in Montreal.
Vale's Manitoba Operations was recognized with the 2015 TSM Community Engagement Award for its involvement in the Thompson Economic Diversification Working Group.
"Out of seven impressive finalists for this year's awards, this project shone for going beyond what was expected, for engaging extensively with community stakeholders and incorporating traditional knowledge, and for creating significant benefits for the communities where they operate," said Pierre Gratton, President and CEO, the Mining Association of Canada. "With the TSM Awards, we congratulate and recognize Vale for being positive catalysts of change in their communities."
TSM Community Engagement Award 2015 Winner: Vale's Manitoba Operations
In November 2010, Vale's Manitoba Operations in Thompson announced that it would scale back its operations to mining and milling only by 2015. Recognizing the importance of mining to the region's economy, Vale immediately set to work to mitigate possible community risks of the partial decommissioning project – a full five years before it would occur. In 2011, Vale engaged and fully funded rePlan, co-launching a multi-stakeholder group, the Thompson Economic Diversification Working Group (TEDWG), that would work collaboratively on action plans to spur economic development and diversification in the region.
The TEDWG involved a broad set of stakeholders, including representatives from Vale, Keewatin Tribal Council, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, the City of Thompson, the Manitoba Métis Federation, the Province ofManitoba, and the Thompson Chamber of Commerce. They were united in one common purpose: to accelerate Thompson'sdevelopment as a regional service centre for Northern Manitoba, with mining as a strong economic pillar. Priorities were determined through community engagement and included housing, education and training, regional identity and tourism, economic development, and infrastructure, among others. Over the course of two and half years, the TEDWG's work resulted in the development of socio-economic action plans and a regulatory framework that are currently being implemented, as well as enduring relationships that were built upon 20,000 hours of inclusive and respectful engagement. Vale's total investment in the TEDWG was over $2 million, and the process has been widely celebrated as best practice. In fact, the "TEDWG way" has become a common phrase in Thompson for how to bring people together to create positive socio-economic change and the model is currently being applied elsewhere in Manitoba.
"This is an accomplishment which reflects not only Vale's investment in the community, but also the tremendous contributions of stakeholder representatives into the Thompson Economic Diversification Working Group process over two and a half years. Vale's Manitoba Operations are proud to have been a part of such an innovative, collaborative, and inclusive process that resulted in the development of ready-to-implement social and economic action plans for Thompson and the region. We sincerely appreciate the efforts of every person that participated in the process so that our community can grow to become even more prosperous and sustainable, right alongside our operations. We know that in working together, Thompson's potential is truly unlimited," Lovro Paulic, Vale's Manitoba Operations.
A total of 16 nominations were submitted by mining companies that participate in the TSM initiative. The selection committee, comprised of members from MAC's independent national community of interest (i.e. stakeholder) advisory panel, selected the finalists based on criteria such as innovation, involvement of and engagement with communities, and project outcomes. TSM performance was also considered as an indicator of the company's ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility.
About MAC
The Mining Association of Canada is the national organization for the Canadian mining industry. Its members account for most of Canada's production of base and precious metals, uranium, diamonds, metallurgical coal, mined oil sands and industrial minerals and are actively engaged in mineral exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication. Please visit mining.ca.
SOURCE: Mining Association of Canada (MAC)
