CBC North: Baffinland cuts contracts, leaves 96 Inuit without work
More than 500 people have been laid off after Baffinland Iron Mines suspended work it scheduled to finish this year, one month earlier than it planned to before the holidays.
The company did that by ending contracts with subcontractors. The move affects 96 Inuit and 490 non-Inuit labourers who held contract jobs at the Mary River Mine, 150 kilometres outside of Pond Inlet.
All Inuit workers in this series of layoffs were employed by other companies doing contract work for the mining corporation. The company says no Baffinland employees are impacted.
Baffinland says it’s suspending the work over “uncertainty of Phase 2 permit approvals.”
“Certain contractors working on site have been notified that these works have been suspended,” the mining company told CBC in an email this week.
“There is no date for remobilization at this time.”
Cuts come as a surprise
The Nunavut Chamber of Mines says it’s watching the situation unfold with concern.
“The project is very important to Nunavut,” the chamber stated.
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association echoed the same sentiment, expressing concern over Inuit employment and contracts at the Mary River project.
The association is waiting for more information from Baffinland on how any loss of contracts are impacting Inuit.
