MGEU’s Humanitarian Fund will help transform Merchants Hotel into a community "beacon of hope"

Earlier today, MGEU President, Michelle Gawronsky presented the North End Community Renewal Corporation (NECRC) with a $15,000 donation towards an important inner-city revitalization project.

Once a symbol of decline, the Merchants Hotel, also known as “the Merch,” is now being redeveloped into an innovative educational, housing, and retail complex called Merchants Corner. The NECRC calls the facility "a beacon of hope for the community and a tipping point in the future for Winnipeg’s inner city" that will feature 30 affordable housing units, a community café and three classrooms offering a range of activities, including preschool literacy programming.

The donation was made possible through the MGEU’s Humanitarian Fund, which was established to support domestic and international anti-poverty and disaster-relief projects.

“The Merchants Corner was a perfect fit on so many levels. It’s an exciting project that can be a game-changer for Winnipeg’s north end,” said Gawronsky.

In recent years, the Humanitarian Fund has supported families displaced from the wildfires in Fort McMurray and Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines.