Questions & Answers

The Quebec Government decided to include mining activities in essential services, for which we are a key element of different production chains (ex.: food, medical equipment, construction of infrastructures, etc.).

With the resumption of our operations, we will be able to maintain the economic benefits at a regional and provincial scale and put in place specific arrangements for ensuring the safety of our workers and the Nunavimmiut.

A large number of preventive measures to protect our workers are presently being implemented at the mine site; each one of them complies with Public Health directives and Glencore’s health instructions.

We closely monitor how the situation evolves so that we can resume our projects in due course. Some of them will resume gradually so that we can carry out key stages of the Sivumut project. For the time being, however, our efforts are focused on regular mining and ore processing operations.

Our priority is to ensure the health and safety of all our workers and their families, and to protect the population of Nunavik, a region that is particularly vulnerable given its geographical remoteness and the limited capacity of its health service. No compromise is made on these issues.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 situation, Raglan Mine has worked jointly with Public Health authorities to protect the health and ensure the safety of its workers.

All the measures put in place do comply with governmental directives – including those of Nunavik regional authorities – and with Glencore’s health instructions. A multidisciplinary committee was created at Raglan Mine at the very start of the crisis; it has the mandate to monitor how the situation evolves, apply the directives of government authorities, and recommend actions for ensuring the protection of our workers and maintaining our operations. The committee is composed of several members of our Human Resources Department, the president of the operations workers’ union, nurses and members of the staff of Aviation, Risk Management, Prevention and Emergency Measures.

Many hygiene and preventive measures have been and are being put in place throughout the mine site to prevent the spread of the virus. All these measures comply with the directives established by government authorities and public health organizations and with instructions formulated by Glencore. Here is a list of a few of them:

• Intensification of cleaning and disinfection measures for premises, equipment and means of transport;
• Implementation of additional procedures for arrivals to the mine site, in airports and during staff travel;
• Re-organization of work and common spaces to limit contacts among workers and ensure physical distancing;
• Development of protocols and procedures in case a staff member, a contractor or a supplier shows symptoms of Covid-19.

Several hygiene and prevention measures have been implemented all over the mine site in an effort to prevent the spread of this virus at the site. If someone at the mine site has Covid-19-like symptoms or is tested positive for COVID-19, this person would automatically be quarantined until his or her departure from the site. Raglan Mine would make arrangements for this person’s evacuation and make sure that contacts with other employees and contractors are limited. Preventive measures have also been adopted for employees likely to have been in close contact with the worker infected with Covid-19.

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.

For the time being, to limit the exposure and contacts of Nunavik population to the people living in southern regions of Quebec, our workers who live in Nunavik communities must stay at home. Since the end of March 2020, no flights from the fourteen (14) villages of Nunavik to the mine site have been authorized.

Furthermore, to limit their exposure to people from southern regions, the Nunavimmiut do not have access to our Deception Bay and Donaldson facilities. However, they can go to their camps, since they are situated at a good distance of our facilities.

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.

We strongly suggest our workers and their family members to respect the directives of federal and provincial governments and public health organizations as well as the instructions provided by Raglan Mine. At home and at work, it is everyone’s responsibility to apply the recommended measures.

Any person whose job is of a nature that allows for it can do telework upon authorization from his/her supervisor. This temporary measure was established to significantly reduce the number of workers at the workplace, facilitate social distancing and limit risks of virus transmission.

We follow very closely the recommendations of the Direction de la santé publique du Québec, which has so far made no request in that regard. However, we make sure that all measures necessary to protect the workers at the mine site are implemented.

Since March 27, 2020, the Raglan Mine employees who live in Nunavik have not been able to return to the site in order to limit exposure of the Nunavimmiut to people from southern regions. However, the majority of permanent and temporary scheduled employees who live in Nunavik will continue to get their base salary according to their regular work schedule until the end of July 2020. Employees who have questions in that respect are invited to contact their supervisor or the Tamatumani team.

We are assessing the situation as it unfolds and keeping our employees informed in a timely manner. It is essential for us to find solutions and make sure that these employees will want to return to work when the time comes.

However, it is important to stress that the one hundred or so Nunavimmiut employees who live in southern regions are authorized to return to the mine site because they do not reside in Nunavik.

Employees who, by government decree or for medical reason, cannot return to the mine site will receive compensation according to the processes in place. We follow the procedure of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) in that regard. Our employees are invited to contact their supervisor or our Human Resources Department for details related to their situation.

All the memos published by Raglan Mine are emailed to the Glencore address of employees and contractors to keep them abreast of the development of the situation and measures taken. Raglan Mine also sends these memos to the personal email address of employees who have authorized the company to do so. The memos are also available on Raglan Mine’s Intranet site.

Employees who wish for their personal email address to be added on Raglan Mine’s distribution list must contact Human Resources. Note that it is not possible to email these memos to contractors.

The information that circulates on the COVID-19 pandemic is quite abundant. We ask you to exercise prudence and good judgement when consulting the Internet in search for information about the virus. Several sites provide erroneous or unverified information. Following are a few official sites where you can find reliable information on COVID-19.

Gouvernement du Québec: https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/

Public Health Agency of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html

World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/home