Collaboration, consultation and cooperation.

These are the key themes that have characterized VBNC’s approach to stakeholder relations, in developing the Voisey’s Bay project. We have worked to be as inclusive as possible by involving a wide variety of stakeholders in our development plans, including aboriginal groups, governments, regulators, business people, educators and others.

It is due in large part to this comprehensive approach that VBNC was able to begin operations, in both Labrador and Argentia, a full eight months ahead of the original project schedule.

We have worked closely since project inception with the Innu Nation and Labrador Inuit Association (and Nunatsiavut) to identify training needs and deliver programs. We organized the Business Development Committee to work jointly with the Innu and Inuit in creating capacity among Aboriginal businesses. We have also drawn upon Aboriginal people’s environmental knowledge and awareness to inform our environmental protection programs and procedures in Voisey’s Bay. The ice management and monitoring services contract with Sikumiut is one of the most innovative working arrangements we’ve ever undertaken, and a sterling example of what can be achieved through a cooperative approach.

We have worked closely with educational institutions, creating scholarships, offering feedback on training programs and contributing to innovation. The process operator course offered by the Placentia campus of the College of the North Atlantic is a fine example of collaboration in action. And the Inco Innovation Centre at Memorial University will pioneer the development of exciting new mineral exploration and processing technologies, by nurturing the cross-fertilization of ideas between business and the academic community.

In Argentia, we worked with the provincial government and local companies to create new capacities, exposing local businesses to new opportunities. Many suppliers who supported the construction phase were able to apply their learnings to win procurement contracts going forward in the operations phase.

At the community level, VBNC works with citizens and municipal leaders to address concerns about industrial benefits, training requirements, environmental impacts and any other questions relating to the project. We continued to operate our Aboriginal Affairs and Labrador Human Resources Office established in Goose Bay, Labrador. This office was staffed by six people, including Innu and Inuit employment coordinators. In Placentia, a VBNC information office kept local residents informed about progress during construction of the mine and concentrator, as well as employment opportunities for the start of operations. Both offices facilitated communication between VBNC and local communities, and helped to maximize employment and business opportunities for local residents.

We couldn’t have achieved our construction milestones ahead of schedule without the cohesive effort of our own workforce, and the support of many people across the Inco organization. For example, Inco Technical Services Limited played a pivotal role in training for the Demonstration Plant. We also worked closely with the LIA, Innu Nation and labour leaders, represented by the Resource Development Council (RDC), in reaching an agreement on hiring priorities for construction of the mine and concentrator. In April of 2005, the United Steelworkers Union was certified to represent a portion of the mine and concentrator workforce and VBNC is committed to working in good faith with the union to reach an agreement that is fair and equitable to all parties.

VBNC has demonstrated how much can be accomplished when all stakeholders work together in a consultative, collaborative and cooperative manner.