Rio Tinto is partnering with the Yellowknife Women's Society to support their COVID-19 isolation shelter with a C$150,000 contribution.
As part of Rio Tinto's worldwide community investment in COVID-19 relief initiatives, this funding will provide accommodation and food for individuals who are at high medical risk of serious illness or death if they contract the virus. It will also support the hiring of three additional staff at the shelter to provide service continuity and better support the ongoing programming for residents.
The shelter is currently operating with funding in place for 25 individuals and expects to transition back into its original purpose as supportive housing after the pandemic.
Diavik President and chief operating officer Richard Storrie said "Staying safe and well is at the core of how we operate. As part of our approach to community investments, Diavik is supporting the health and wellbeing of our community members. We believe that we all have a role to play in protecting and supporting each other through COVID-19 and are proud to partner, on behalf of Rio Tinto, with communities and organizations that are vital in the COVID-19 response."
Yellowknife Women's Society executive director, Bree Denning said "The Yellowknife Women's Society is dedicated to increasing safety for the most vulnerable women and men in our community. We are grateful to Rio Tinto for their support in meeting the needs of our community."
Supporting education and community initiatives in the Northwest Territories
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Rio Tinto has worked in collaboration with new and existing partners to find solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our communities through in-kind donations of time or resources, and financial contributions.
Our local communities and partners know what is needed and are guiding us to ensure our investments are addressing the most vital needs. This includes grassroots food security initiatives, the production and distribution of COVID-19 related PPE, and additional support for our Participation Agreement communities.
Rio Tinto has partnered with the NWT Literacy Council to develop literacy materials for families with young children, youth aged 16-29 and newcomers to Canada who reside in Yellowknife. We have also doubled our scholarship funds to assist post-secondary students with the loss of revenue opportunities due to the pandemic.
