Barrick’s Hemlo mine receives ‘Towards Sustainable Mining’ leadership award
One of Barrick Gold’s progressive rehabilitated sites at Hemlo, planted in 2006. The David Bell mine head frame is in the background.
During its annual Mining Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) is presenting a special Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Leadership Award to Barrick Gold’s Hemlo operation, recognizing the mine’s excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Barrick’s Hemlo mine, located east of Marathon, Ontario, met or exceeded an “A” ranking across four TSM performance categories:
- Tailings Management
- Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions
- External Outreach
- Crisis Management Planning
“Barrick is only the second company to win a Leadership Award since the TSM Awards were inaugurated in 2006,” said Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of The Mining Association of Canada. “The management and staff at Barrick’s Hemlo facility are to be congratulated on operating a facility that Canada’s mining industry can hold up as an example of sustainable mining excellence.”
“Whether in Canada or abroad, Barrick strives to meet high standards for corporate social responsibility,” said Kelvin Dushnisky, Executive Vice President of Corporate and Legal Affairs at Barrick. “By meeting these standards and proactively engaging with local communities and stakeholders, we are able to maintain strong support for our operations.
“We are very proud to see our Hemlo operation recognized as a leader in responsible mining by Canada’s mining industry, and congratulate everyone involved in this great achievement.”
Canada’s Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Serge Dupont (right), presents the TSM Leadership Award to Kelvin Dushnisky, Barrick’s Executive Vice President of Corporate and Legal Affairs.
While Hemlo’s scores reflect leadership across all TSM categories, external outreach is a critical part of the operation’s — and Barrick’s — ongoing commitment to responsible mining. Hemlo works with a wide range of communities of interest, including two First Nations, three municipalities and a national park.
The operation regularly engages in meaningful and transparent dialogue with stakeholders, and holds site update meetings at least three times annually. Hemlo partners with local organizations and institutions on programs to benefit the region and organizes Student Mining Days, which bring mining information and technology to area schools.
The mine has developed constructive relationships with the Pic River and Pic Mobert communities and has established Socio-Economic Agreements to bring opportunities associated with the operation to its First Nations neighbours. The Agreements provide for skills training for present and future mining opportunities, through a partnership with Confederation College, as well as support for the development of First Nations-led businesses and involvement in environmental monitoring and stewardship.
Today, about 10 per cent of Hemlo’s workforce comes from local Aboriginal communities.
“We are honoured to be receiving this special award,” said Roger Souckey, Superintendent of Employee Relations at Hemlo. “We place great value on our relationships with First Nations, local communities and on environmental stewardship.”
TSM was developed by MAC in 2004 to improve the Canadian mining industry’s performance by helping companies to manage their corporate responsibilities for social and environmental sustainability. The industry has adopted a common set of measurable sustainability guidelines and performance indicators that provide a way for the sector to find common ground with communities of interest in order to build a better mining industry in Canada, today and in the future.
The Williams mine is an underground and open pit mine at Barrick Gold’s Hemlo property. The Williams and David Bell mines share milling, processing and tailings facilities at Hemlo.
