Diavik's Northern Business Commitment
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Diavik’s Business Commitment Northern Partners, Northern Success Diavik’s Northern Business Commitment Very early in the development of the Diavik Diamonds As of September 30, 2001, Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. Project, we recognized the importance that a project like ours had awarded to northern companies some $650 million would have on Canada's North, in particular the Northwest of the $850 million value of our contracts. Within the Territories and West Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut. We northern dollar figure, Aboriginal joint ventures therefore committed ourselves to supporting northern accounted for over $450 million, or three quarters of economic development through the provision of meaningful northern spending. training, employment and business opportunities. Diavik When we imagine what may lay beyond the Diavik further expressed its commitments through a Socio-Economic Diamond Mine, we see Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. as Monitoring Agreement with the Government of the Northwest having played an important part in contributing to a Territories and through five Participation Agreements with our northern business community with more capacity, neighbouring Aboriginal communities. broader business reach, and greater economic prosperity. On the business side, we have taken a number of steps to make The pages that follow showcase some of the many our commitments a reality. We have embedded our northern businesses participating in the Diavik commitments in our corporate culture through the Diamonds Project. They, and so many others, have been development of a Northern Business Participation Policy, our welcome and able partners in providing meaningful which expresses our commitment to support northerners in opportunities for northern business development and developing long-lasting and sustainable business capabilities. contributing to a stronger northern economy. To assist northern companies in finding opportunities to work on our large project, we engaged a venture development manager whose job it is to work closely with northern Stephen Prest businesses and our Aboriginal neighbours. Through the President creation of our Northern Vendors and Contractors Capacity Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. Database, by adjusting contracts to fit Northern business capabilities, by facilitating and monitoring joint-venture partnerships, and by capitalizing on the calibre and strength of the northern businesses themselves, we have been able to make significant strides in northern business participation. "Mining companies can no longer be considered on the fringe of community life. Cover photo: Core samples from the Diavik Diamonds Project at Lac de Gras, Northwest Territories, Canada. Featured is They must be an active citizen and partner that shares the values and beliefs a sample of Diavik’s diamond-bearing kimberlite which revealed economic that a stronger host community means a stronger and more favourable diamond deposits. Photo opposite: The Diavik Diamond Mine under construction during summer 2001 at economic climate." Lac de Gras, Northwest Territories. 1 (From the Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. This page: Bearberry (arctostaphylos rubra) Northern Business Participation Policy) growing on the tundra near the Diavik Diamonds Project. Diavik’s Business Commitment–Northern Partners, Northern Success A&A Technical Services Geotechnical and geosynthetic in the Arctic When Al and Bertha Harmon moved to Yellowknife in 1988, fusion/quality control, dewatering and monitoring of the site’s they arrived with $10 in their pockets. They came North inland lakes. "We are different than most other similar because Bertha, a registered psychiatric nurse and registered companies because we provide testing and inspection services, nurse, had accepted a position at Stanton Regional Hospital in and are qualified to do both quality control testing and liner Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Al started working for a placement and testing," said Harmon. "We offer a wide range local geotechnical consulting firm. After several years, it of practical and technical experience, gained from working in became apparent to Al there was an opportunity to start his the North and High Arctic." own consulting firm. A&A Technical Services, officially Their certified geosynthetic installation teams use the latest launched in January 1995, is a leading edge northern-based hot wedge and extrusion welding technology. A&A has and Aboriginal majority-owned engineering consulting firm. developed a unique preheat fusion system for installing high The company, which specializes in geotechnical inspections density polyurethane liner year-round in extreme conditions, and testing, and geosynthetic supply and installations, is the even when the tundra temperature dips to minus 50 Celsius. only company in Northwest Territories certified as a "Working with Diavik has been the key to our entire growth geosynthetic membrane installer. Rob Cook, a professional and has given us the opportunity to expand further into the engineer who graduated from the University of Alberta, joined industry. We went from a one-person operation to a business A&A Technical as a partner in 1997. He had worked as a that employs 35 people," said Harmon. "And we continue to seasonal employee for the company, but now works full-time expand. This year (2001) we will be allocating $250,000 for with the growing geotechnical engineering firm. new lab and pipe fusion equipment." In the spring of 1997, Al Harmon worked at the Diavik site in The Harmons, who have been married for eleven years and the construction and lining of the leachate testing vessels. He have three children, named the company A&A for their first quickly recognized that because Diavik was situated on an two children – Alan and Amelia (the third came after the island and would require stringent environmental protection company was formed). Both Al and Bertha work full-time in to protect the water of Lac de Gras, there would be a future the company. Bertha is responsible for human resources and opportunity for his company’s geotechnical and geosynthetic administration, and Al for the management and technical services. Three years later, A&A Technical was awarded a support. Bertha explains their working relationship: "Al is the contract to start laying liner for projects in various areas, one who has the ideas and the company’s vision. Between us, including sedimentation pond dams, storm water ponds, and teamwork is the key to making the vision become a reality." process kimberlite containment dams. A&A Technical Services also do quality control on all aggregate production and placement, compaction testing, Photo opposite: Workers installing geotextile, a soil-covering material used to line Diavik’s thermistor installations, high sedimentation pond dams. Some 140,000 square metres, approximately 23 football fields, of density polyurethane pipe fusion, geotextile were used at Diavik. Preheating the high density polyurethane liner material allowed installation in temperatures as low as minus 50 Celsius. 2 3 This page: Al and Bertha Harmon of A&A Technical Services. Diavik’s Business Commitment–Northern Partners, Northern Success Aboriginal Engineering Mine measuring and controlling quality From its creation in 1995, Aboriginal Engineering’s goal has Johnson said. "We received the contract based on price and been to employ northern Aboriginals. The company, which project team. When this contract is done and the mine performs all aspects of civil engineering, has offices in Rae and construction is complete, we will have a pool of surveyors that Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. "Aboriginal can tie into the operations phase of the mine. Our employees Engineering Ltd. has historically maintained over 85 per cent know every rock and stake, every survey control point, at the Aboriginal employment in its technical training positions," site," he said. "There is potential work during operations according to professional civil engineer and company project because every drill hole for blasting the mine’s open pits will manager Bob Johnson. "We’re proud of that. And it’s been need to be surveyed," he adds. "An added bonus for the done at no additional cost to clients…without grant or Aboriginal Engineering team has been the training which was government funding. It’s been done out of our overhead. incorporated into the contract at no extra cost to Diavik," There is lots of training money available out there but we felt notes Johnson. "This company believes in Aboriginal we could do it without that." Five of the company’s six owners employment and in training, just like Diavik," he concluded. are Aboriginal. "We want to prove training can be acquired on the job, be cost effective, not impact the quality of work, and be done Majority-owned by Dogrib Treaty 11 Band members, without government funding. It can be done with proper Aboriginal Engineering’s work at the Diavik Diamond Mine management." involves two contracts. These two contracts are among the company’s largest. On one contract, Aboriginal Engineering Under the second contract, Aboriginal Engineering works works with engineering company Earth Tech to survey Diavik with Golder Associates on quality control for Lac de Gras during mine construction. Under this contract, which also Constructors, the company building the A154 dike at Diavik. includes quality control on work done by Diavik contractors, "Again, this contract is a partnership," says Johnson. Aboriginal Engineering has maintained 100 per cent "Construction