Tapping mining careers potential in North

While the province looks to secure minerals, mining firms are seeking another resource: local labour.

Often, northern Manitoba residents don’t pass mining companies’ screening processes. Aptitude tests and past experience can be hurdles, said Northern Manitoba Sector Council executive director Glenn Laycock.

But over the past half-year — and with mining projects on the horizon — new programs have sprouted, aiming to connect northerners with careers in the industry.

“If you live in the North, most people are looking to get out, go to the bigger cities,” said Laycock. “If you can catch (locals) and show that you can make a good living for your family, then they tend to stay.”

He’s hoping nine members, collectively, from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Mosakahiken Cree Nation will stick around. The cohort recently graduated from a nine-week program created by the sector council and Hudbay Minerals Inc.

Now, all trainees are employed at Hudbay’s Snow Lake operation. Gold, zinc and copper are mined; the mill has a daily capacity of 5,300 tonnes.

“We’re not seeing people come into mining like we have in the past,” said Sandra Doverspike, director of human resources and external relations at Hudbay’s Manitoba branch. “We saw people moving away and going down south and leaving our communities.”

She believes there’s a lack of understanding about the jobs available within the mining industry. Not all roles require a college or university education, she underscored.

Hudbay held a mining fundamentals course once before the COVID-19 pandemic. A group of 10 Cross Lake members graduated.

Hudbay wanted to revamp the program. The new version includes three weeks of life skills education, led by Workplace Education Manitoba, before Hudbay launches into six weeks of training.

Topics like first aid and working within a mining environment are covered during the program’s initial days. After the three-week stretch, Hudbay takes over, exposing students to its mine and co-ordinating job shadowing.

“People are nervous … about the environment,” Doverspike said. “It’s really (about) coming in and just getting a feel for the mine.”

Upon graduation last month, students were offered entry-level jobs with opportunities to work their way up.

Hudbay is partnering with the Northern Manitoba Sector Council on another round of the program this fall with members from Norway House. Doverspike envisions hosting the program a couple times annually, to fill positions and build a talent pool.

“This … really starts to tap into the talent that we have in the North that we maybe weren’t aware of because we didn’t understand all these communities were interested in working with us,” Doverspike said. “And they … didn’t understand our business.”

The recent graduates’ level of engagement was “exciting,” she added.

Derrick Sinclair now operates an underground boom truck full-time for Hudbay. The program attendee said he “couldn’t be happier” with his current set-up.

Programming was free for the students. Both the Northern Manitoba Sector Council and Hudbay declined to say how much they spent on the course.

Laycock expects to see plenty of mining jobs appear in northern Manitoba once a Lynn Lake gold mine ramps up. Sod turned on the $1-billion project last month. The mine’s operation is anticipated to require 400 staff.

University College of the North is also betting on a rise in future mining employment. It’s creating a $2.4-million, 30-room modular housing complex for students receiving mining instruction.

Currently, the school hosts a mining readiness program. Courses to train geological exploration technicians and mill operators could be next, following industry demand, said Jamie Grant, UCN associate vice-president, community and industry solutions.

“I think the future looks bright,” Grant said.

UCN began its mining readiness program in September. It holds the four-week curriculum when students can be connected to jobs. The fourth and latest run — which includes virtual reality training and a mine visit — is happening in Thompson. Training moves depending on the employment opportunities.

Mining generally pays the best wages in northern Manitoba, Grant said. She mentioned her daughter, who began as an entry-level labourer and earned her Red Seal as a millwright while being funded by her employer.

“Mining is very economically driven,” Grant added. “As long as the economics can stay in line with the demand, I think mining in northern Manitoba will continue to flourish.”

If commodity prices are low, investment in mining declines, Grant noted.

The Manitoba Mineral Development Fund has been “overwhelmed with projects” looking for cash, said Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

The provincial government’s fund began in 2020; $20 million was slated to grow Manitoba’s mining industry. The 108 projects touched by the fund have created 522 short- and 373 long-term jobs and leveraged investments of $128 million, per the Manitoba chambers.

The non-profit administers the fund. It’s seeking a two-year extension of the program, for a new final date of March 31, 2027.

“There’s really an appetite for critical minerals and mining development in the province,” Davidson said. “We’re glad to be able to see that … this is obviously impacting and keeping people employed in northern Manitoba.”

Another dozen projects recently received funding. The province expects the projects to create 66 short- and 132 long-term jobs.

Global trade shifts has bolstered government interest in Manitoba’s mining sector, said John Morris, co-director of the Mining Association of Manitoba Inc. The association collected $100,000 through the mineral development fund for its international critical minerals campaign.

More information on the campaign — which received a $1.5-million grant from the province — will appear in coming weeks, Morris said.

“While we’re facing existential threats from abroad, there’s also opportunities to be had,” he continued. “It’s not all doom and gloom. There’s real opportunities and Manitoba is blessed with a bountiful supply of critical minerals that the world needs.”

Manitoba houses 30 of 34 minerals deemed critical by the Canadian government. Around 3,200 Manitobans had jobs in the mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction sector in 2021.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com