Yellowknife (Sep 03/03) - The loss of a healthy gold mine paycheque may spark a mass exodus of ex-miners, labour leaders say.

Many of the miners working at Con are making close to $100,000 a year, but matching those wages within the community after the mine closes will be a difficult task, the president of the Northern Federation of Labour, Bob Haywood, said Monday.

Close to 200 employees of the Con Mine will lose their jobs by Nov. 30. Con Mine owners, Vancouver-based Miramar Mining Corporation, made the announcement Aug. 27 after posting a $7.4-million loss between April 1 and June 30.

Haywood said when the layoffs at Giant hit in 1999, close to 130 left Yellowknife because their wages could not be matched within the community with better money being offered elsewhere.

The labour president's comparison came during the annual Labour Day barbecue held outside the Elks Hall on Monday.

Haywood said his office would be open to establishing a transitional office for the workers at Con, who will soon be receiving their pink slips.

A transitional office was set up for laid-off Giant Mine workers in 1999, allowing miners and trades people to upgrade their skills and transfer into other industries.

"So far the request hasn't come in yet, but if they do, we'll certainly say yes," said Haywood.

The request for assistance must come from Local 802, which represents many of the workers who will be laid off.

Steve Petersen, regional vice-president for the Federation of Labour, also acknowledged keeping the Con workers in town will be a difficult task, but not an impossible one.

"The trades people are concerned they will be paid considerably less," said Petersen.

There are opportunities for workers in the region within the construction industry, with hydro and in pipeline work, Petersen said.

Haywood added he has already spoken to city councillors Ben McDonald and Kevin O'Reilly over retaining the Con workers.

"Both councillors have said to me, 'Let's get something going'," Haywood said.

"There is a great deal of concern. It's 200-250 jobs and that's a lot of people leaving town potentially," he said.

Haywood will be running for the legislative assembly in the Nov. 24 territorial elections.

"One of the issues is how expensive it is to live here. You really need $75,000-plus to be comfortable," he said.

"People have to share apartments and you have to have two to three jobs. You really need close to $25 an hour just to live," he said.

Mayor Gordon Van Tighem said he would need a crystal ball to predict the effect the closure will have on Yellowknife.

"One of the optimistic sides is this is one of the best economic times Yellowknife has had for several years. There's a lot of people looking for workers," he said.

The mayor said he did not want to detract from the stress of losing a job, but pointed out there are other mines set to open in the area over the next two to three years.

"There are bridges to work until they can get back into mining. If there is a good time for this to happen, this is it," said Van Tighem.