Hundreds of Nunavummiut miners returned to work during the summer and fall, but it wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 just a simple process of picking up where they left off.

A retraining phase was put in place to ensure that mine staff were once again familiar with their job duties and responsibilities. The employees also had to be made aware of changes to the workplace since they were sent home in March 2020 to minimize the risk of Covid-19 transmission to Nunavut communities.

ArviatSA国际影视传媒檚 Ashton Kadjuk, an underground shift supervisor at Agnico EagleSA国际影视传媒檚 Meliadine mine 25 kilometres north of Rankin Inlet, was one of those miners. He retrained alongside other supervisors who remained on the job.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was a different experience to go back to work but our department has done a very good job to get me back into work,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭hey put all the steps forward to make sure ISA国际影视传媒檓 ready for work.SA国际影视传媒�

There are numerous workplaces underground and it took some time to get to know the lay of the land since he was last there 16 months earlier, Kadjuk said, as an example.

There were also many new safety protocols in place to contain Covid-19 in the workplace. Signing in for a shift used to be done via pen and paper, but to eliminate the risk of spreading germs, that changed to a digital process, he noted.

Visits to the cafeteria now begin by making use of a hand-washing station. The cafeteria seating was changed to incorporate social distancing and Plexiglass panels were installed to thwart the passing of microbes.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think thatSA国际影视传媒檚 a very big improvement,SA国际影视传媒� Kadjuk said of the measures.

As a supervisor, he said itSA国际影视传媒檚 become part of his job to remind his co-workers to follow Covid safety protocols.

Community cares

The lengthy sabbatical was difficult in some respects, Kadjuk acknowledged.

SA国际影视传媒淢y community did a very good job, like they always do, coming together and helping each other out,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淚t helped everyone get through that.SA国际影视传媒�

He added that he concentrated on his music and artwork at times to fill his days while away from the job.

Agnico Eagle paid employees 75 per cent of their base salaries throughout the period.

SA国际影视传媒淚 was very grateful for that,SA国际影视传媒� Kadjuk said of the steady income.

David Akeeagok, then-minister of Mines as well as Economic Development, made a statement in September to draw attention to the importance of the mining industry and its impact on NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 economy.

SA国际影视传媒淢ines are the largest private-sector employer of Nunavummiut, and mine employees have been disproportionately impacted by the border restrictions and isolation requirements. Facilitating the return of Nunavummiut mine employees to work was a complex undertaking and required the cooperation of many parties,SA国际影视传媒� Akeeagok said at the time.

Hope Bay challenges

The situation at the Doris North gold mine on the Kitikmeot Hope Bay property, acquired by Agnico Eagle when it took over TMAC Resources in February, proved more challenging recently.

A Covid-19 outbreak occurred at that site in late September, forcing the mining company to scale back production in early October and temporarily reduce the number of staff to no more than 40.

A ramp-up began in November, after a thorough cleaning of the facilities at Hope Bay, according to Alex Buchan, Agnico EagleSA国际影视传媒檚 director of Western Nunavut Affairs. The number of personnel at Doris North has climbed back to 190 SA国际影视传媒� all required to have received their vaccinations SA国际影视传媒� but there are still no Nunavummiut among their ranks.

SA国际影视传媒淲e continue to monitor and assess the pandemic situation SA国际影视传媒� and, in particular, the Omicron variant SA国际影视传媒� and we look forward to potential rehire of workers early in the new year,SA国际影视传媒� Buchan stated. SA国际影视传媒淲e will be focusing on underground mining at Hope Bay for the remainder of the year in order to build up our ore stockpiles. This allows us to effectively feed our processing plant.SA国际影视传媒�