More NWT Workers at Gahcho Kué
Yellowknife, NT – The number of NWT residents employed at the Gahcho Kué Mine rose by 12 per cent in 2018 compared to 2017 according to the diamond mine’s Socio-Economic Report for 2018 that was recently released by joint-venture partners De Beers and Mountain Province Diamonds. The mine, located about 280 km northeast of Yellowknife, provided 527 person-years of employment during the year, and just over 50 per cent, 265 people, live in the NWT which is a 29 person increase over 2017. The mine’s NWT resident workforce drew employees from 14 communities throughout the territory representing every region in the NWT. Kim Truter, De Beers Group CEO, Canada notes how encouraging it is to see Gahcho Kué improving each year and establishing a solid foundation for a long-term positive impact in the NWT.
“Our commitment to contributing to local communities is expressed through jobs, spending with Northern businesses and corporate social investment,” he says. Other highlights from the report include the fact that 26 per cent of all Gahcho Kué Mine employees are Indigenous residents of the NWT. The number of women working at the mine also increased to 20 per cent of the total workforce, an 11 per cent improvement over 2017. As well, 72 per cent of the $291 million spent on goods and services during 2018 was with NWT and Indigenous companies, well above the 60 per cent commitment made in the Socio-Economic Agreement with the GNWT. Stuart Brown, President and CEO of Mountain Province Diamonds commented that the quality of assets, and the strong relationships with local communities and regulatory bodies are key factors to the success of the project. “Our corporate social responsibility is measured in terms of improving conditions for our employees, shareholders, communities, and environment,” he says. “Our long-term success as a business is entirely dependent on our commitment to ensuring long term sustainability of the environment and communities in which we operate.” To help people living in Indigenous communities in terms of improving their chances of obtaining employment in the diamond mines, De Beers also worked with the GNWT to develop a recruitment workshop.
