Barrick Gold donates $150,000 for learning

Aboriginal graduate students at Lakehead University now have a $100,000 scholarship to aim for.
Barrick Gold Corporation, operators of the Hemlo mine near Marathon, donated $50,000 towards the Barrick Gold Graduate Scholarship. The Ontario Trust for Student Support matched the donation.
The scholarship will be awarded to a Lakehead University graduate student with financial need who is focused on mining issues with preference given to persons of Aboriginal heritage.
“As a part of the communities where we operate, Barrick Gold seeks to help build the priorities those communities set for themselves,” said Jamie Sokalsky, executive vice-president and chief financial officer at Barrick Gold Corporation. “Barrick Gold has a long tradition of supporting higher education. Having been born, raised, and educated at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, it’s very satisfying to me personally to be able to announce this investment today on behalf of Barrick Gold.”
Barrick Gold also donated $100,000 to support the work of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, with $10,000 aimed towards the creation of a learner suite in Marathon, $15,000 aimed towards a technology infrastructure upgrade at the Wilson Memorial Hospital and the Marathon Family Health Centre in Marathon, $15,000 aimed towards supporting a rural remote health medical conference, $25,000 aimed towards recruitment initiatives for family physicians who wish to set up practice in Marathon, and $35,000 aimed at a $70,000 NOSM student bursary, with matching funds coming from OTSS, for NOSM students with roots in Marathon.
“I know that health care is a major priority in northwestern Ontario, and I am confident the projects announced today will make a difference to a wide number of people across a wide part of the region,” Sokalsky said. “Operations like our Hemlo mine give us roots in this community, and so this opportunity was one we were happy to have.”
Lakehead University president Brian Stevenson said the availability of significant financial support is often the single most influential factor for students of excellence when choosing a university.
“Lakehead is uniquely positioned to offer northwestern Ontario students advanced training in fields that will benefit the current mining renaissance taking place throughout the North,” Stevenson said. “Barrick Gold is demonstrating real leadership in the field and in the region with this comprehensive gift.”