Since the beginning of the crisis, we have worked jointly with Public Health authorities on the issue of employees residing in Inuit communities, situated in a geographically remote and particularly vulnerable region where the capacity of health services is limited.
We have been pleased to gradually begin welcoming Nunavik workers back to Raglan Mine starting September 1, 2020. The latter were indeed supposed to stay at home since the end of March 2020.
Workers have been able to return thanks to close cooperation among the Nunavik Regional Advisory Committee on Emergency Preparedness, Raglan Mine management, the Kativik Regional Government (KRG), local mayors, and the Public Health Department of the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS).
Specific measures will be put in place to ensure the same level of control in the villages of Nunavik as at our other boarding points, before workers arrive at the mine site. Among the measures put in place are the following:
- Intensified cleaning and disinfection of premises, equipment and means of transportation;
- The implementation of additional procedures prior to boarding at the mine site, at airports and during transportation;
- The addition of a COVID-19 virology screening test for Nunavimmiut before they return to one of the Inuit communities.
In addition to this, please note that land users are still not authorized to access our Donaldson or Deception Bay facilities. This is to limit the exposure of the population of Nunavik to people from farther south. Full details about when these facilities will reopen will follow in due course.
Finally, we have maintained ongoing and transparent communication with our Nunavik stakeholders from the beginning of the crisis. It is important that our partners be kept well informed about the development of the situation both with regard to mining operations and measures implemented to protect workers and the population of Nunavik.