Thompson looks to diversify from mining into other industries, including tourism
Attendees at conference say northern Manitoba city could be destination for adventure, eco-tourism
Northern Manitoba's largest urban centre is looking to diversify and rebrand, shifting the perception of Thompson as a mining town to instead encourage people to think of it as a northern hub for services like education and health care, as well as a tourism hot spot.
Business leaders, politicians and other experts gathered to discuss the future of Thompson and the north at this week's Linkages conference — a conference about the future of northern Manitoba organized by University College of the North in the city.
"Thompson's been here for 60 years, and when it was actually first built, it was built as a mining town," Mayor Colleen Smook said in an interview.
"I think more importantly is Thompson as being a hub of the north," which would require expansions for hospitals and education facilities to become a service centre to the rest of northern Manitoba, she said.
While the city itself has a population of around 13,000, it's a service hub for many other northern Manitoba communities with a combined population of around 60,000, according to the mayor.
The city is also looking to expand beyond mining into other industries, like cold-weather testing, aviation and modular home construction, while using its natural resources and culture to draw more tourists in, said Smook.
"We've talked with different people, with whether it even be building modular homes to go out to the different communities [in the north]," she said.
"Right now, you get homes that are built down south," which aren't always suited for the northern environment, said Smook.
The mayor added she isn't dismissing the impact of mining on Thompson's economy, but she wants to look at options for when that industry faces a downturn.
Vale SA, the parent company of Thompson's nickel mining operation, announced a potential sale of the operation earlier this year, raising concerns about its future.
Vale owns two mines and a mill in the city, but over the years, the number of jobs at the mine has shrunk to about 900 employees currently. Many jobs were lost when Vale shut down its smelter — which extracts base metal out of ore — in 2018. Now, the raw ore is shipped off to other provinces to be processed.
Though what would become the city of Thompson was first built up after the discovery of a major nickel deposit in the 1950s, it wasn't officially incorporated as a community until 1967.
Smook said she's proud of where Thompson has come over the past 60 years, but said she wants to see even more diversification. The community has the resources required for new industry, she said.
"We have all kinds of land mass up here. We have the hydroelectric [generating capacity] right up here. So you've got cheap power, fresh air, clean air," said Smook.
Tourism an opportunity for Thompson: speaker
Ashley Dunlop, who is the director of talent and workforce development for Economic Development Winnipeg and runs a tool that helps match job seekers with employers, attended this week's conference to learn more about labour needs in Thompson.
She said she was impressed with the resources available in the northern city, which is the sixth-largest in Manitoba.
"This is a big town — there's a hospital, there's an airport, there is [University College of the North]," she said.
"All of those things need staff. All of those staff need places to live. All of those staff need something to do on the weekend. All of those staff need someone to sell them a car or fix their snowmobile."
While mining is still a big part of Thompson, other industries are catching up, mainly education, health care and hospitality, said Dunlop.
That diversification is what attracted Eric Termuende, a leadership consultant from British Columbia, to come to Thompson to speak at the conference.
Termuende said he was inspired by the pride northern Manitobans have for the north, and thinks Thompson should try to replicate the work of communities like Churchill in embracing tourism as a major industry.
"Tourism is another opportunity" for Thompson, he said. "I think Churchill has done an incredible job from branding themselves on a global stage as a tourism opportunity and tourism destination."
Smook said tourism has been growing in Thompson.
Other attendees at the conference also said they would like the region to be a destination for adventure and eco-tourism, taking advantage of the unique northern culture and the region's pristine wilderness.
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