Partners help fund Timmins housing study

TIMMINS, ON – In keeping with the community-centered mandate of the Timmins 2020 Strategic Plan, several private sector partners and organizations have agreed to contribute towards the $90,000 cost of the Housing Strategy. They include Attawapiskat Resources Inc.; the District of Cochrane Social Services Administration Board (DCSSAB); Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines; and Xstrata Copper. Representatives from each organization met with Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren this afternoon to announce the partnership. “This is a great thing for our City,” said Laughren. “Several key stakeholders with different needs are working together for the benefit of Timmins as a whole.”

Attawapiskat Resources Inc. develops business opportunities, creates jobs and increases revenue for Attawapiskat First Nation members. “We believe that a person’s options for employment depend directly on having a suitable and consistent residence,” said Bob Dickson, Chief Executive Officer of Attawapiskat Resources. “Our investment along with our partners’ contributions, will identify ways to improve both housing and economic options for First Nation members who live in Timmins.”

Brian Marks, Director of Housing Services at DCSSAB, added that there will be regional benefits to the housing study. “Much of the work done during the Timmins Housing Strategy can be used in the regional strategy that DCSSAB is working on later this year. We hope that our contribution to this study will help make both processes more cost-effective in the long term.”

Trish Buttineau, Communications Coordinator for Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines noted that housing is one of the barriers faced by mining companies in Timmins when they are recruiting new employees. “Goldcorp strongly believes in this initiative because it is aligned directly with what the community at large has said it wants and needs,” she said.

Communications and Community Relations Coordinator Carole Belanger of Xstrata Copper was also on hand to provide financial support towards the study. “When we consulted with stakeholder groups recently about community needs, they identified the critical shortage of housing options, particularly affordable and social housing,” she said. “Our support of this study is one of the ways Xstrata Copper is responding to stakeholder concerns and investing in sustainable community development.”

“I think it says good things about our community that we’ve had so many partners step up to the plate to find some solutions to our affordable housing challenges,” added Mayor Tom Laughren. “Clearly this issue resonates with a lot of people, and it’s great that we’re pulling together to make something positive happen.”

The housing study was a recommendation in the Timmins 2020 Strategic Plan, which is now in its second year of implementation. Many employers who participated in surveys, focus groups and committees stated that a key barrier to growth is the lack of housing for new employees. Better housing can be an important driver for more economic development, as well as for quality of life.

For more information contact Mayor Tom Laughren, City of Timmins 705-264-1331 tom.laughren@timmins.ca.

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Media Contact:
Guy Lamarche
Manager Tourism, Events & Communications
City of Timmins 705-360-2600 ext. 2404
guy.lamarche@timmins.ca
www.timmins.ca