For 25 years, the Occupational Health Centre (OHC) has worked with a variety of cultural communities in Manitoba to increase their capacity around workplace health and safety through the Cross-Cultural Community Development Program (CCCDP).

The CCCDP is a one-of-a-kind project. The MFL- Occupational Health Centre is a unique centre in that we are a labour-sponsored, worker centred community health clinic whose flagship program is one that reaches out to and engages with newcomer communities. Through our community workshops we help New Canadians to learn about their right to a healthy and safe workplace and where people can go for help if they have a health or safety problem at work. One-on-one counselling is also available for injured workers from newcomer communities.

Since 2010, funding for this program has come from federal government. Unfortunately, at the end of November, we learned that program funding would not be continued as of March 31, 2025. This is an upsetting and abrupt way to end funding for such an important, long-standing and community-based program.

Through our network of community trainers, we provide workshops in newcomers’ first language for on such topics as the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers, what workplace hazards are and how to address them, human rights and racism in the workplace, the roles of the Worker’s Compensation Board and Worker Advisor Office, principles of adult education, and more.

At a time of growing political division, the CCCDP has been a beacon of collaboration between cultural communities to improve the lives of working families.

We Need Your Support!

We at OHC are doing everything we can to protect this programming and ensure that newcomers to Manitoba are given every opportunity to thrive in their new communities.

If you would like to help, please sign up for our newsletter to keep up-to-date, and donate to this one-of-a-kind program that speaks to our values and the kind of communities we want to build.