...Just a few lines of the article to catch your interest:

"...The figure seemed so high, Leonard Rickard double-checked his calculations. Rickard, Aboriginal affairs manager for Detour Gold Corporation, had been asked to determine the value of Aboriginal participation in construction of the company’s Detour Lake gold mine.

To find the answer, Rickard pored over all contracts associated with building the mine, line by line. He discovered – and confirmed upon double-checking – Aboriginal businesses and joint ventures had done more than $400 million worth of the construction work..."

"...The open-pit Detour Lake mine is located 185 kilometres northeast of Cochrane on a site that had been mined previously, most recently by Placer Dome in the late 1990s. It also sits in the shared traditional territory of Moose Cree First Nation, Wahgoshig First Nation, and Taykwa Tagamou Nation.

Detour negotiated a business or impact benefit agreement (IBA) for the mine with each of these communities, and with the Métis Nation of Ontario. “We have a very broad commitment to maximize economic opportunities for our Aboriginal partners, (while being) focused on minimizing the environmental impacts of our mine,” Rickard says..."

Construction contracts

Aboriginal businesses contributed to nearly every aspect of the Detour Lake mine construction. “We had Aboriginal participation in our camp catering, site services, concrete work … pretty much any areas in our mine construction where contracts were issued,” Rickard says. The result was an Aboriginal business participation rate of 52 per cent in the overall construction.

"...For the right to build the transmission line, the three First Nations that have agreements with Detour – Moose Cree, Wahgoshig and Taykwa Tagamou – partnered with Peter Kiewit Infrastucture to form Detour Lake Constructors. Kiewit is one of North America’s largest construction and engineering organizations. PowerTel Utilities Contractors also joined the effort to build the 230-kilovolt Detour line, as a sub-contractor. The group successfully completed the line in 2012 for connection of the mine to the Ontario hydro grid..."

According to the contractor’s website, New Post Constructors formed in 2010 to focus on securing contracts at the Detour Lake mine. Through various partnerships, the company took on several more projects for Detour: tailings management and dam construction as part of a joint venture called TMA Venture; construction of a truck maintenance and wash facility, plus a mine services building, with Cyrheault Construction; and installation of a mill in a joint venture with Blais Industries.

"...Aboriginal businesses continue to secure contracts with Detour Gold at an impressive rate now that its Detour Lake mine is producing gold. “Approximately three-quarters of our operations contracts are being performed by Aboriginal contractors,” Rickard says.

“We need to acknowledge that capacity does exist within the Aboriginal business community. They’ve done amazingly well and provided a great track record for us...”

Maximizing Aboriginal employment

"...As of January, Detour employed about 700 people at the Detour Lake mine. Of those, close to 100 were Aboriginal workers from its partner communities. And Aboriginal employees in general represented about 25 per cent of the mine’s workforce.

With the projected mine life of up to 22 years, “There are people working for us who could potentially retire at the Detour Lake mine,” observes Rickard..."

"...Once hired, some First Nation employees commute from their home communities for seven days of 12-hour work shifts at Detour Lake, where accommodations and meals are provided, then return home for seven days off. For Moose Cree workers living in Moose Factory, it first means a five-hour train ride to Cochrane, then the 185-kilometre bus ride to the mine..."

Community development

“It’s an exciting time for us,” Rickard said in October at the NADF mining forum in Timmins, two months after commercial production levels had been reached at Detour Lake. “We’ve poured well over 100,000 ounces of gold.”

“...We’re trying to define right now how our long-term relationships will unfold. We all have a role to play. The success at Detour Lake to date could not have been possible without our Aboriginal partners...”

For the full article see:

Major role for Aboriginal partners in Northern Ontario Detour Lake mine – by Bryan Phelan (Onotassiniik Magazine – Spring 2014)

posted in Aboriginal and Inuit Mining, Gold and Silver, Northern Ontario/Canada Regional Media, Ontario Mining |