(file photo)

By paNOW Staff

relief

Cameco commits $1 million for COVID-19 relief

Apr 15, 2020 | 7:00 AM

Cameco has made a financial commitment to help out Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and northern communities with a $1 million COVID Relief Fund.

Grants will be made available to charities, not for profits, town offices, and First Nation band offices impacted by COVID-19. The majority of the funds requested cannot be used for salaries or staffing.

“We’ve been watching the province and there’s a lot of hurt going on out there,” Cameco CEO Tim Gitzel told CKBI radio Wednesday morning. “We’re all affected by COVID-19. It’s left no one untouched. So, we at Cameco just said what can we do to help out. We’re proud to be from Saskatchewan – based here and we have lots of people in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and the north so we wanted to hep out.”

In a media release earlier the company said it was adapting to the rapidly changing environment and will continue to do so for as long as it takes.

“What hasn’t changed at Cameco, however, is our commitment to the communities where we live, work and play,” the company said. “We can only imagine the challenges that are facing less fortunate and vulnerable people in our community. But we do know that we want to help.”

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The funds must be used to relieve challenges from the pandemic and can be directed to help with program support, COVID-19 community response or specialized programs.

The deadline for applications is midnight on April 28, 2020 for a one-time grant of up to $50,000. Payment will not be made to individuals and the request must be directly related to the impact COVID-19 is having on the organization.

If a community chooses to apply for a grant, funds must be payable to a town office or First Nation band office. The application must include a detailed budget. Once approved, 75 per cent of funds will be released immediately with the remaining 25 per cent to be issued after reporting is received.

“It’s on behalf of all of our employees who wanted to do this. We’re super proud to be based in Saskatchwean and especially in the north, so this is just our way of giving back,” Gitzel said.

Funded applicants will be required to submit financial and impact reporting.

The latest news comes after Monday’s announcement Cameco would keep its Cigar Lake uranium mine operation temporarily suspended to keep in line with the province’s COVID-19 physical distancing recommendations.

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panews@jpbg.ca