Vale gives $125K to Laurentian University

Vale (VALE-N) is donating $125,000 to Laurentian University’s Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH) in Sudbury, Ont. — home to Vale’s powerhouse nickel assets.

Vale representatives presented Tammy Eger, associate professor at Laurentian’s School of Human Kinetics and current CROSH director, with a cheque for $125,000 at the third annual CROSH Community Symposium. The funds will help establish a permanent research chair in occupational health and safety, a priority in the centre’s growth plan.

“This is a proud day for CROSH,” Eger said. “We’ve come a long way in the past four years, and this donation will bring us closer to achieving one of our most important objectives. The creation of a research chair in occupational health and safety will provide the leadership needed to build upon CROSH’s successes, and expand its vision and influence.”

Officially approved by Laurentian’s senate in 2008, CROSH is a multidisciplinary group of researchers, guided by an advisory board comprised of representatives from labour, industry and local health and safety organizations who engage in studies aimed at identifying health and safety concerns, and eliminating hazards and occupational disease from workplaces in the North.

“We see our ongoing relationship with Laurentian as an important strategic partnership and a true win-win-win for our company, the university and our community,” Vale’s vice-president of Ontario and U.K. operations Kelly Strong said, adding that the donation reinforces Vale’s “commitment to providing employees at Vale and beyond, with safer and healthier work environments.”

“There is absolutely no question that CROSH has made, and will continue to make, significant contributions to improving health and safety practices around northern Ontario,” says Jody Kuzenko, Vale’s general manager of sustainability for North Atlantic operations and a member of the CROSH advisory board. “I’ve seen firsthand how CROSH-directed research has added value to our industry, and I know this research chair will be a catalyst to drive even further innovation.”

“Vale has shown its deep commitment to the Sudbury community, as well as its faith in Laurentian’s ability to set a standard of research excellence,” Laurentian president Dominic Giroux says. “Vale’s ongoing support for CROSH, both financially and from an advisory standpoint, will ensure its success and its ability to remain uniquely responsive to the needs of industry on a local, regional and national basis.”