Golder has been selected by De Beers as the prime contractor to carry out the remaining demolition work and site rehabilitation of the Victor Mine, west of Attawapiskat.
Ontario's only diamond mine operated from 2008 to 2019.
A Golder team of construction, environmental and mining specialists were mobilized to the site on January 1. Closure plan activity will continue into 2023.
Victor was an open-pit, fly-in/fly-out operation, located 90 kilometres west of Attawapiskat First Nation on the James Bay coast.
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“Golder has a strong track record of successful closure and rehabilitation of industrial sites around the world, including working with local communities where they operate," said Maxwell Morapeli, head of asset retirement for De Beers Group in a statement.
"We look forward to benefiting from their experience as we continue the responsible closure of Victor mine.”
The global environmental engineering firm said in a March 3 news release that there will be job opportunities available for nearby Indigenous community members as part of the day-to-day site management, including direct hires of operators, labourers, and the contracting of Indigenous service companies in catering, cleaning and security.
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Former Victor employees, the release said, who have knowledge of the site infrastructure and operations have been hired to support the closure work.
“As we manage activities at site, including decommissioning the open pit, dismantling of surface infrastructure, rehabilitating the site and establishing long-term monitoring, we are committed to providing opportunities so that the local community can continue to be involved at Victor.” said Greg Herasymuik, Golder's Canadian regional president.
“We know that mines have a finite life, and we’re proud to have supported De Beers Group throughout the successful life of the Victor Mine, and now into planned closure.”
