Production started at the mine and concentrator in Labrador in August 2005, while the Demonstration Plant in Argentia became operational two months later in October 2005.

There were challenges associated with staffing up for operations, in both Labrador and Argentia. In Labrador, we were committed to maximizing employment of Aboriginal people primarily, and Labradorians secondarily. In Argentia, we were committed to hiring as many local residents as possible, despite the fact that the hydromet process was new and the requisite technical skills might not be found in the local area. “We delivered on all of these objectives within the context of an even greater challenge, which was putting a fully trained workforce in place, in both Argentia and Voisey’s Bay, eight months ahead of the original project schedule,” said Human Resources Manager Wayne Scott. 

VBNC succeeded in reaching and exceeding its employment targets, surmounting any obstacles through a considerable community outreach and capacity building program in both Labrador and Argentia. “Our success in achieving Aboriginal and local hiring targets was the result of forward thinking, careful planning and a cooperative approach to working with a wide variety of stakeholders,” said Wayne Scott.

An extensive process was put in place to identify potential candidates for operations in both Labrador and Argentia. For the mine and concentrator, our human resources team worked with Aboriginal Employment Coordinators and representatives of LIA and Innu Nation to identify potential employees. “When we identified prospective employment candidates who needed training, we provided that training, and in many cases took it right into the community to make it fully accessible to as many people as possible,” said Tom Paddon. “We also took advantage of relationships made during the construction phase in Labrador. A good number of the operations staff were carried over from the construction workforce.”

According to Wayne Scott, the ultimate goal is a workforce that hails entirely from Newfoundland and Labrador, with even stronger aboriginal involvement in Labrador. “At this time, we have a small number of people from other parts of Canada and the world, who were hired because of their technical expertise and experience. However, our long-term goal is 100 per cent local involvement. We have a strong database of potential new local and aboriginal recruits, and strong progression and succession plans to advance our people into more senior positions as they gain knowledge and experience.”