CN Announces $500,000 to Support Homelessness Prevention in Winnipeg

MONTREAL, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) today announced that it will donate $500,000 to support two organizations in Winnipeg near the Company’s Campus. The funding will advance programs that help individuals, families as well as Indigenous youth in the Winnipeg area who are currently experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

At CN, safety is a core value, and that commitment extends beyond the railway to the communities where CN railroaders live and work. These donations are part of CN’s broader commitment, through its Railroaders for Change initiative, to support the safety and well-being of its neighbours, particularly those at risk of homelessness.

“Addressing the growing challenge of homelessness requires collaboration, compassion, and long-term commitment. We are proud to support organizations that are making a meaningful difference for individuals, families and Indigenous youth at risk of homelessness in Winnipeg. At CN, our commitment to safety extends beyond our tracks and into the communities we serve, by helping create safer, more supportive pathways to housing and stability.”

• Mark Grubbs, Vice-President – Safety and Environment, CN
  
  
  
  

Supporting Homelessness Prevention in the Community

The donation will support two local organizations; Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre and West Central Women’s Resource Centre (WCWRC) to expand programs and services that deliver both immediate relief and long-term stability for individuals at risk of homelessness.

Each organization will receive a grant of $250,000 to help their clients remain safely housed, access critical resources, support, and cultural connections. It will also help clients avoid relying on overcrowded emergency shelters. Together, these initiatives are expected to reach hundreds of individuals in low-income communities who are at risk of losing access to safe and stable housing.

“Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre extends its sincere gratitude to CN for their generous $250,000 investment in the Yellow Shawl Program. This contribution significantly enhances our capacity to support Indigenous youth transitioning out of care by ensuring access to safe housing, life skills development, and culturally grounded supports that foster reconnection to identity, community, and belonging. This funding also strengthens our ability to support 2Spirit youth aging out of care by creating safe, inclusive, and affirming spaces rooted in cultural understanding. Within these environments, youth are supported to explore and embrace their identities while feeling valued, respected, and connected. CN’s investment is helping to build stability, expand opportunity, and establish a strong foundation for Indigenous youth as they move forward into adulthood with confidence and support.”

• Tammy Cristensen, Executive Director, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre
  
  
  
  

“We are incredibly grateful for the support of CN to contribute to our work to address homelessness in Winnipeg. With this investment, we will be able to provide critical supports to women and gender-diverse people from becoming homeless. We can enhance our service delivery through the development of a coordinated case management tool, and we can work at a system level to close gaps that cause people to experience homelessness. Together this partnership will allow us to take meaningful steps to address gendered homelessness in Winnipeg.”

• Lorie English, Executive Director, West Central Women’s Resource Centre
  
  
  
  

Across its network, CN and its railroaders are supporting organizations that help individuals and families regain stability and build independent futures. These initial donations are a first step in CN deepening its commitment to building safer, stronger communities, where more people have the support they need to move forward.

About CN

CN powers the economy by safely transporting more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year for its customers. With its nearly 20,000-mile rail network and related transportation services, CN connects Canada’s Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. Midwest and the U.S. Gulf Coast, contributing to sustainable trade and the prosperity of the communities in which it operates since 1919.

Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata

The name Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata translates from Ojibway into the phrase “we all work together to help one another”. The Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, Inc. (Ma Mawi) was born in the fall of 1984 by committed community members who sought an Indigenous solution to supporting and rebuilding families. Since that time, Ma Mawi has worked to support families to better care for children by creating meaningful opportunities for community and family involvement. Ma Mawi believes that strengthening families is a worthy investment in the future. Today Ma Mawi offers more than 50 programs, 17 sites, and 200+ staff and volunteers.

West Central Women’s Resource Centre (WCWRC)

West Central Women’s Resource Centre serves women and gender diverse people in Winnipeg, who are working on improving their lives, enhancing their skills, and growing their potential. Our programs include a wide range of services and supports, including meeting people’s basic needs, connecting people to housing and income, providing people with gender-based violence support, connecting people to Indigenous culture and ceremony and building skills. We also operate a transitional housing facility in the community, which includes 16 housing units with wrap-around supports for women and gender diverse people leaving situations of violence. We are committed to advocating at the systems level, to prevent experiences of homelessness and create lasting change for our community. We are the authors of Connecting the Circle: A Gender-Based Strategy to End Homelessness in Winnipeg. Our programs are recognized nationally as best practices and used as blueprints in other provinces.