Photo by Photo Submitted
BLOCKADE PLANNED – A number of Watson Lake residents are planning to block access to the Silvertip Mine today, claiming the company hired B.C. and Alberta residents instead of local contractors. Photo from JDS Silver Inc.
Mine access road blockade planned
The owner of a Watson Lake trucking company says he’ll be among a convoy of trucks headed toward Rancheria this afternoon to blockade the access road into the Silvertip Mine under development.
The owner of a Watson Lake trucking company says he’ll be among a convoy of trucks headed toward Rancheria this afternoon to blockade the access road into the Silvertip Mine under development.
A number of Watson Lake residents are upset that JDS Silver Inc. of Vancouver is not providing more employment opportunities as it prepares its Silvertip Mine for production, the Star has learned.
James Magun said in an interview early this afternoon there are people in Watson Lake, including members of the Kaska First Nation like himself, who are qualified and need work.
But instead, there are trucks moving through their community driven by Albertans and B.C. residents.
“It’s a slap in the face,” said Magun, a Kaska who runs his own trucking company but has not been getting any work.
The mine site, he pointed out, is in Kaska country.
“My dad is buried right across the valley,” he said.
Megan said the company maintains it’s hiring Kaska, but Magun says he doesn’t know who they are.
The Silvertip Mine is located in northern B.C., just south of the Yukon-B.C. border.
But 17 kilometres of the 25-kilometre access road runs through the Yukon, beginning about seven kilometres east of Rancheria.
JDS Silver is in the midst of bringing the mine into production.
The company, for instance, purchased the mill from the former Sa Dena Hes mine near Watson Lake and has moved it into the site in recent months.
The company was contacted for comment, but officials were not available before deadline early this afternoon.
The company does insist on its website that it’s committed to providing local employment opportunities, and that it does have a Social Economic Partnership Agreement with the Kaska.
Truck driver Darren Lehune said this afternoon he’ll be driving a tractor-trailer unit to assist with the blockade.
He suspects there will be more than 10 tractor-trailer units in all, along with other support vehicles like holiday trailers and fifth-wheel units.
“We are digging in until they start using local contractors, until they agree to start employing more people from Watson Lake.”
Lehune said he’s been out of work for more than five months.
Watson Lake was hit with a double-whammy in the last 15 months, first by the January 2015 closure of the Wolverine Mine in Kaska country north of Watson Lake, and then last fall by the closure of the Cantung mine.
While the Cantung mine is located in Kaska country just inside the N.W.T, the only road access is through the Yukon on the Nahanni Range Road, north of Watson Lake.
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Comments (21)
Up 8 Down 7
Richard Young on Mar 29, 2016 at 3:01 pm
" The only thing that is blocked is your minds ability to think. "
You're a business man, then approach yourself like a business so the company will think of hiring you. Promote yourself not blockades. You've clearly screwed yourself and others now. You will have to move south or south east to work like everybody else. ( Cantung lost $42,775,000.00 July 1 2014 - July 1 2015 ) that's a record . . ." It's a slap in your own face, self inflicted."
Up 43 Down 4
Grant on Mar 24, 2016 at 10:43 pm
First off the mine is in BC, it is 13 km inside the border, let the mine have a fighting chance to get up and running. If you protest instead of support it til you bleed the investors dry, then nobody will benefit. Put together a decent job resume and maybe your trucking company will win the bid for the job. The materials to build the mine are not being produced in watson lake, work it out.
Up 13 Down 1
Ol Dosey on Mar 24, 2016 at 9:33 pm
Well I won't be bringing Magun to this war of words.
Up 48 Down 8
NeilAlexGeddy on Mar 24, 2016 at 4:20 pm
Members of the Kaska Nation surely should have a first shot at employment or contract opportunities, but I am not sure why JDS needs to cater to Yukoners in general.
Folks, this mine is in British Columbia.
Up 69 Down 11
Myles on Mar 24, 2016 at 11:27 am
It's in construction right now! JDS hired sub contractors to build up the mill, the camp, etc. It's in stage 1 level at the moment! JDS aren't making any money right now, they are spending! When the sub contractors are done they leave! And JDS will start running everything from there and start hiring more Kaska and Kaska businesses! It's a 19 year mine life! Also JDS is a small company! It will build up in time. Plus blocking the road is a Health and Safety issue! We do have Kaska people out there! I'm a Kaska first nation! Give it time! Come on!!! Think!!!
Up 73 Down 14
Bud McGee on Mar 24, 2016 at 10:52 am
You know what really makes Yukoners look bad is the whining and sense of entitlement. The mining company is free to do business with whomever they choose. I bet you their first choice would have been to hire local, but the local guys for whatever reason were not competitive. It’s common in rural Yukon communities that they expect the work, but they never sharpen their pencils to get it. Then they whine about it when an out-of-town contractor gets the job. Sharpen your pencils, boys! Not every job is going to pay for a new ski-doo.
Up 12 Down 48
Garrick lavis on Mar 24, 2016 at 9:49 am
You talk about Yukon owned what about Watson lake owned?
Up 19 Down 57
jc on Mar 23, 2016 at 10:07 pm
I agree with this. It's time Yukoners started boycotting any mine that doesn't hire Yukoners first. Our territorial government should step in and make this happen. When they hire outsiders, none of the profits stay here, they go south.
Up 49 Down 12
Swede Martensson on Mar 23, 2016 at 8:11 pm
Yukon population is small so all Yukon contractors are local contractors. A mining company needs to act in a business like manner. Stories like this should not even be news, Illegal activity should be treated as is and hopefully we will have less cry babies in the future.
Up 5 Down 18
Trevor hauser on Mar 23, 2016 at 7:35 pm
James Magun. Magun contracting.
Up 54 Down 10
Kyle on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:52 pm
Instead if bitching that they didn't come to you for work, you should actually try and reach out and advertise your company to them. Let them know you're out there. Not wait until it's too late and bitch that they didn't hire your company.
Up 15 Down 29
watson laker on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:11 pm
It's coming from a 100% KASKA owned company that has no work on his traditional territory. JDS reps said in an email stating they contacted the company too haul, which is completely false, the company was told on Jan 26 to be patient nothing is being hauled yet we will contact you as soon as hauling starts..... well now hauling is almost done. There is a Kaska agreement that was not followed.
Up 35 Down 10
Entitled on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:00 pm
Yup. And interviews were first held in Watson Lake last week. Hiring as many qualified candidates there before moving on to Whitehorse this week. Next week company will round out the rest of their crew down south. Doing a great job of hiring local first.
Up 14 Down 46
Yukon nomad on Mar 23, 2016 at 5:58 pm
The Kaska and local contractors have every right to complain. If YG had any balls they would ensure priority is given to ensure that FN benefit agreements, and a local hiring/procurement strategy are implemented before permits are given to companies wanting to work in regions of Yukon, and where access is req'd from.
Up 25 Down 1
Jonathan Colby on Mar 23, 2016 at 5:39 pm
Hit the wrong button, whoops.
*correct this within the established institutions. If resolution is not forthcoming in an expeditious manner, then by all means, protest. But I see nothing in this article that confirms or denies any participation with the established governments and JDS. Let's get the whole picture here.
Up 34 Down 3
Jonathan Colby on Mar 23, 2016 at 5:37 pm
Here it comes: the only thing Dallas and I will ever agree upon.
I don't know the scene in Watson Lake, but Mercer Contracting is doing a lot of work up there, and through them, I, myself a local, have gotten opportunities to work there, and I've seen a few other people from throughout the Yukon working for JDS directly.
If there are Kaska that take issue with the levels of employment, then A) those concerns need to be legitimized through records provided by JDS and the Kaska First Nations, and B) these people need to work within the framework of the original agreement.
If there is a violation of any agreement in place, or the spirit of any agreement, there should be steps taken to correct this.
Up 21 Down 36
Erin Labonte on Mar 23, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Mercer trucking is owned and operated out of Whitehorse. They have set their rates so low that it is not possible to make a profit hauling JDS' equipment in and out of the mine. Their drivers are all extremely young, I can only guess how little they are being paid. Watson Lake has been starving to death for many years and this company is trying to take advantage of that fact. JDS is paying 800 per load going into the mine with equipment. Absolutely no profit, especially if you were to say blow a tire or get delayed at the scales. There is Watson Lake/Dease Lake/Lower Post company or worker for every single job out there. That is who should be being hired. Perhaps with all the business happening in Whitehorse, companies from Whitehorse can afford to work for free, unfortunately in Watson Lake, we don't have that luxury.
Up 20 Down 22
BnR on Mar 23, 2016 at 5:31 pm
Dallas
There's a whole lot more going on at a mine site than just the transport company. There's all the trades used on the mill etc for one.
And while Mercer is Yukon owned and operated, the Watson lake people were whopping for work out of this, given that it's in their backyard. Don't blame them one bit.
Up 24 Down 9
Shaun on Mar 23, 2016 at 5:04 pm
The truck driver's correct name is James MAGUN...and I agree...more jobs to Yukoners...we have some of the highest numbers of trained and experience miners and laborers in Western Canada.....let's keep Yukon money in the Yukon!
Up 169 Down 37
Dallas Schaber on Mar 23, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Mercer contracting is 100% Yukoner owned and operated and is the transportation company used for trucking into the mine, I'm not sure where this bitching and complaining is coming from.
Up 46 Down 10
ralpH on Mar 23, 2016 at 3:58 pm
Doesn't this smell of certain self interests at work. My understanding is that JDS worked with both the Kaska , and the Talthan in Dease Lake to get this project going. My understanding as well is that it is contentious territory between both first nations and to get this done JDS had to curry a lot of favors. I think Mr. Magun's attempt at changing hiring practices has more to do with his business practices than JDS's hiring practices. Grow up!!