Goldcorp´s community commitment has 20/20 vision
Ontario Mining Association
Ontario Mining Association member Goldcorp has become the newest contributor to support the Canadian National Institute for the Blind´s Eye Van Program. Goldcorp´s Red Lake Mine has become a corporate partner for the program and has donated $10,000. This CNIB initiative is also known as the Ontario Medical Mobile Eye Care Clinic, which provides vision care to remote communities in Northern Ontario.”Goldcorp has recently signed on as a partner in the Canadian National Institute for the Blind´s Eye Vision program. This mobile clinic brings state-of-the-art eye care to more than 5,000 people in Northern Ontario,” said Mike Lalonde, General Manager of Goldcorp´s Red Lake Mine. “Diabetes has become one of the most serious and pressing issues amongst First Nations communities in the North and one of the symptoms of the disease is loss of sight,” he added. “The CNIB´s work is addressing this terrible affliction in a practical and efficient manner and Goldcorp is very proud to be associated with this essential and successful program.”
The mobile eye care initiative involves two CNIB staff nurses moving a 48-foot transport truck and trailer to 30 communities — including mining centres — and setting up temporary clinics. A team of 25 opthamologists rotate through one-week stints at the temporary clinics providing eye care, diagnosing eye conditions and performing minor surgery when necessary. The CNIB van travels more than 6,000 kilometres annually and provides service to more than 5,000 patients.
Goldcorp keeps community commitments in sight wherever it operates. The company´s 2008 sustainability report said the gold producer made $11.4 million in direct contributions last year to communities. This involves donations to community welfare, infrastructure support, health and education support and other local facilities and programs. In addition, Goldcorp made indirect contributions to the communities where it operates of more than $81 million in 2008. “Our goal is to offer the communities a better future through local partnerships which have a positive impact on their quality of life.”
Goldcorp is one of the world´s largest gold mining companies. It is a Canadian company with corporate offices in Vancouver, which employs more than 10,000 people worldwide. The Company´s 14 operations and development projects are located throughout the Americas including the prolific Red Lake mine in Ontario along with the Musselwhite Mine and Porcupine Gold Mines in Timmins.
Miners and mining companies are responsible, solution-providing partners in society. They do more than find, extract and process minerals essential to our modern lifestyle. These companies are economic enterprises operated by men and women who are members of society and community builders. As volunteers and donors, they add great value to the quality of life in their communities and beyond.
