The North West Company Visits the Centre for Rupert’s Land Studies

On Monday, November 13, 2017, Mr. Edward Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer and President of The North West Company (NWC), and Mr. Derek Reimer, Director of Business Development of NWC attended a reception at the Centre for Rupert’s Land Studies (CRLS) offices at The University of Winnipeg.

The reception was the University and Centre’s way of saying thank you to The North West Company for their generous gift of $120,000.00 to create an endowment in support of CRLS, which was completed in November 2016.

The Centre for Rupert's Land Studies is a membership-based organization that aims to connect individuals, institutions and organizations with an interest in the history of the Indigenous Peoples and the fur trade of the Hudson Bay watershed.

In 2012, The North West Company pledged the largest donation in the history of CRLS to create an endowment, which enables the Centre to operate in perpetuity.

At the event, students and CRLS Director, Dr. Roland Bohr, presented to the NWC.  The University of Winnipeg President, Dr. Annette Trimbee, and UWinnipeg’s Vice President of Research and Innovation, Jino Distasio were also present to offer thanks and to celebrate the success of the program since 2012.

The North West Company is a leading retailer to underserved rural communities and urban neighbourhood markets in the following regions: Northern Canada, Western Canada, rural Alaska, the South Pacific islands and the Caribbean. Their stores offer a broad range of products and services with an emphasis on food. North West has a rich enterprising legacy as one of the longest continuing retail enterprises in the world. The company traces its roots back to 1668, and many of their store locations in Northern Canada and Alaska have been in operation for over 200 years.