Imagine working in a place where the landscape is unspoiled and dotted with pristine lakes and wildlife.

Those who are hired to work on the new De Beers Canada Victor diamond mine, located in the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario, approximately 90 km west of the coastal community of Attawapiskat, will find themselves in such a landscape.

“In the summer, the colours are very vivid. There’s a stark contrast between the blue of the water and the green of the vegetation. It’s like an intricate, free-flowing pattern of blue and green,” said Linda Dorrington, director of public and corporate affairs with De Beers Canada.

“In the winter, it’s stark white. Everything is covered with snow and ice. It looks like a very different place.”

Production at the Victor mine will start next year, and will be slowly ramped up until it is operating at full capacity. By this time, 372 people will be working at the mine.

Development is only slightly behind another De Beers diamond mine project in Snap Lake, Northwest Territories, where production is due to start on a limited basis this month. Four hundred twelve people will eventually work there.
Another 125 people work for De Beers at offices in Toronto, Yellowknife and Timmins. Worldwide, the diamond mining giant employs 22,000 people in 25 countries.

De Beers is currently recruiting people to work at the Victor mine, said Dorrington. Some of the positions currently listed on the company’s website include mine engineer, electrical and instrumentation supervisor, mine production supervisor and maintenance engineer.

“We know there’s a skill shortage, and we have been working for quite awhile to prepare ourselves for production and to make sure that people are aware of the opportunities that are available to our project,” she said.

“So far, we’re on track for our hiring targets.”

Many of the employees will spend two weeks working at the mine, and then the company will fly them to Timmins, where they would catch planes to their homes in the south.

Starting salaries depend on the position, but Dorrington said all employees are paid competitive wages and have access to mining bonuses.

They will also receive full medical benefits, including dental and vision coverage. Some of their medical care will be provided in the company’s own medical clinic at Victor.

When they’re not at home with their families, employees will stay on-site in comfortable private rooms. There’s also a recreation room with a pool table and large-screen television, an exercise facility and Internet access.

“We have had employee events from time to time where if there’s been something to celebrate, we have musical concerts on-site.”

While some of the workers will come from other areas of the province and country, Dorrington said the company is making an effort to hire local people from the Attawapiskat First Nation and other nearby communities.

“As part of our impact benefit agreement with the community of Attawapiskat, we have told them we will give first preference to community members (for hiring for the project,” she said.

“But clearly, they need to have the right level of education and training to do the jobs available. We have put in place training programs on-site, and have worked with the provincial and federal government to access funding for training.

“This is under the James Bay Employment and Training Partnership, which De Beers was instrumental in developing with local educational institutions and government.”

De Beers is committed to keeping workers safe, said Dorrington. Workers developing the Victor mine have put in 2.3 million hours without a lost-time injury. The company requires that employees attend a safety meeting every day.The company is also ISO 14001 certified, which means it strives to minimize the effects of mining on the environment.

Dorrington said De Beers is a great place to work for many reasons. Company corporate values encourage employees and managers to have passion for their work, see diversity as a strength, build trust, care for other people and communities, and look towards the future with innovation.