Chief fears project in jeopardy
Walter Strong
Northern News Services
Published Monday, March 17, 2014
HAY RIVER
K'atlodeeche First Nation (KFN) Chief Roy Fabian has told News/North that negative media portrayals of a program he invited the NWT Mine Training Society to initiate at a KFN quarry project south of Enterprise may jeopardize potential future training programs for band members.
The NWT mine training society has placed more than 1,000 trainees with mine industry jobs since 2003. The training can be expensive as it includes renting heavy equipment like that pictured here at Diavik mine. Projects can range from $25,000 to close to $2 million. - photo courtesy NWT Mine Training Society/Dave Brosha Photography |
Fabian approached training society manager Hilary Jones last September with a request that she look into developing a training program around a limestone quarry project the band is in the process of developing.
"We want to operate a KFN quarry, and we want to start a company to operate it," Fabian said.
Jones was able to put together, on short notice, an economic development package called the K'atlodeeche Quarry Project. The society's mandate, to develop mine training opportunities for First Nations in the NWT, fit the profile of quarry development.
"It's very similar to surface mining," Jones said.
The society put together a comprehensive package to address training and orientation regarding several qualifications related to surface mining, including standard first aid, WHIMS, transportation of dangerous goods, chainsaw and tree falling certifications, heavy equipment orientation, and most importantly, a drilling and blasting component.
"The focus was always quarry development and the drill/blast component," Jones said. "That's the longest component of training."
Confusion may have arisen among some students who were selected for the program regarding the heavy equipment portion of the program. It was intended as an orientation segment to familiarize workers with safety around the kind of heavy trucking and earth moving equipment involved in surface mining and quarry development.
"It was an experiential piece (of the program)," Jones said. "(Students) have to understand the development of a mine where heavy equipment is involved to remove the over-burden."
Two weeks were set aside for heavy equipment orientation, not certification.
"You can't do heavy equipment certification in two weeks," Jones said.
You also can't get certified as a heavy equipment operator without a drivers license.
Fabian had explained to Jones that many KFN members did not have drivers licenses. An adult drivers education program was put in place through the KFN band office so students could get their learners permit, which would have been enough for the on-site training and heavy equipment orientation.
"They weren't going to be certified (as heavy equipment operators)," Fabian said. "We knew that."
The adult drivers education course was not entirely successful. Not enough students passed with their learners. With the program start date looming, KFN made a re-selection of students who already had drivers licenses, and 20 students were enrolled in the training program with the expectation that 10 would be selected for the drilling and blasting portion of the program.
A selection followed where ten students qualified for that portion of the program. Only three of the ten remain in the program. The program is not yet complete, but Jones said all three have been offered work once they complete the program.
"These guys have jobs waiting for them," Jones said. "Dominion Diamond wants to take them to their Ekati (diamond mine) site because they're so impressed with these three guys."
A three-person completion rate is well below the society's expectations and track record. The completion success rate for mine training programs with the institute are between 90 and 100 per cent, with 100 per cent job placement afterwards, Jones said.
"Sometimes the capacity for training is weak. There are lots of social problems," said Fabian.
"We're down to three people, but we don't want to give up on these three guys," Fabian added. "These three guys are going to get certified."
Jones said there's no danger of funding for the program being withdrawn because of the low numbers of remaining students, although there may be complications with further program funding if a solution can't be found for the low completion rate.
Mine training is an expensive prospect. More than $500,000 was budgeted for this program, although at this point it appears the program will come in below budget, Jones said, adding the expenses surrounding the KFN quarry project training program are on par with expenses surrounding similar programs.
"It's not cheap," Jones said. "You can't teach drilling using paper ... you have to get your hands on the equipment."
For the KFN quarry project, $77,000 in drilling equipment rental alone was budgeted. Renting the large haul and scoop trucks for similar programs can exceed $400,000, although the society often gets a reduced rate on equipment rental from mining industry partners.
The low completion rate doesn't necessarily reflect the value KFN members have gotten from the program. Of the 20 students who began the program, Jones reported that all 20 received their standard first aid and WHIMS, 11 qualified for transportation of dangerous goods and 14 received GPS training certificates. Sixteen KFN members either qualified or re-qualified their chainsaw and tree-falling certificates. Eight of those fallers qualified or re-qualified at level three, the highest standard in the NWT. At least one of those fallers quickly went on to full-time work in forestry.
"The folks there will have better opportunities to get employed because of their certifications," Jones said. "The focus in the South Slave is forestry because of the (proposed) pellet plants.
Jones said the society files quarterly reports with Human Resources and Development Canada, and undergoes regular compliance audits. The society must also meet established targets. They are mandated to graduate 250 students by March 31, 2015. Jones said they have already put 108 through the program so far.
"We really appreciate the work the mining society has put into it (the KFN quarry project)," said Fabian. "To me, the training was successful, not totally, but to a certain degree. There have been some glitches ... but we learned how to work through them."
