Raglan Mines, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Raglan Mine is a large nickel
mining complex in the Nunavik
region of northern Quebec
, Canada
. It is located approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Deception Bay. It is owned and operated by Toronto
, Ontario
based Xstrata Nickel
(formerly Falconbridge Ltd.
), a division of Swiss
-based Xstrata plc. The mine site is located in sub-arctic permafrost
of the Cape Smith Belt
, with an average underground temperature of -15 C.
22 kilometres (13.7 mi) from the mine site. There is a gravel road leading from the mine site to the seaport on Deception Bay. It is the only road of any distance in the province north of the 55th parallel
. As the complex is remote from even the region's Inuit
communities, workers must lodge at the mine site, typically for weeks at a time. From the mine site employees are flown to Rouyn-Noranda, or in the case of Inuit employees, their home community. Ore produced from the mine is milled on-site then trucked 100 km (62.1 mi) to Deception Bay. From Deception Bay the concentrate is sent via cargo ship during the short shipping season (even by ice breaker it is only accessible 8 months of the year) to Quebec City
, and then via rail to be smelted at Xstrata's facilities in Falconbridge, Ontario. Following smelting in Ontario, the concentrate is sent back to Quebec City via rail, loaded onto a ship and sent to Norway
to be refined
.
, with the hopes of attracting employment for local residents. Xstrata is working with the Kativik Regional Government and the Kativik School Board to educate the local Inuit population so they will be able to work at the mine, with a goal of the workforce being made up of 20% or more Inuit people. Currently the mines work force is close to 17% with most of the remainder being French Canadian
from southern Quebec.
Given the cultural mix at the complex, ethnic origin and discrimination are significant on-site issues.
in 2002, for having the lowest accident frequency of all metal mines in Canada. In 2007 it was awarded the F.J. O'Connell award by the Mining Association of Quebec for recording the most improvement of mine safety in Quebec.
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
mining complex in the Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
region of northern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Deception Bay. It is owned and operated by Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
based Xstrata Nickel
Xstrata
Xstrata plc is a global mining company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is a major producer of coal , copper, nickel, primary vanadium and zinc and the world's largest producer of ferrochrome...
(formerly Falconbridge Ltd.
Falconbridge Ltd.
Falconbridge Limited was a Toronto, Ontario-based natural resources company with operations in 18 countries, involved in the exploration, mining, processing, and marketing of metal and mineral products, including nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum. It was listed on the TSX and NYSE , and had...
), a division of Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
-based Xstrata plc. The mine site is located in sub-arctic permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
of the Cape Smith Belt
Cape Smith Belt
The Cape Smith Belt is an early Proterozoic thrust belt in northern Quebec, Canada....
, with an average underground temperature of -15 C.
Transportation and accommodations
The complex operates the Kattiniq/Donaldson AirportKattiniq/Donaldson Airport
Kattiniq/Donaldson Airport, , is located east of Raglan Mines, Quebec, Canada....
22 kilometres (13.7 mi) from the mine site. There is a gravel road leading from the mine site to the seaport on Deception Bay. It is the only road of any distance in the province north of the 55th parallel
55th parallel north
The 55th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 55 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
. As the complex is remote from even the region's Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
communities, workers must lodge at the mine site, typically for weeks at a time. From the mine site employees are flown to Rouyn-Noranda, or in the case of Inuit employees, their home community. Ore produced from the mine is milled on-site then trucked 100 km (62.1 mi) to Deception Bay. From Deception Bay the concentrate is sent via cargo ship during the short shipping season (even by ice breaker it is only accessible 8 months of the year) to Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, and then via rail to be smelted at Xstrata's facilities in Falconbridge, Ontario. Following smelting in Ontario, the concentrate is sent back to Quebec City via rail, loaded onto a ship and sent to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to be refined
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
.
Inuit relations
In February 1995 Falconbridge Ltd. signed an Impact and Benefits Agreement (IBA) called the "Raglan Agreement (1995)" with the local Inuit community. Originally the complex was created with the participation of the Inuit owned Makivik CorporationMakivik Corporation
The Makivik Corporation is the legal representative of Quebec's Inuit people, established in 1978 under the terms of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the agreement that established the institutions of Nunavik...
, with the hopes of attracting employment for local residents. Xstrata is working with the Kativik Regional Government and the Kativik School Board to educate the local Inuit population so they will be able to work at the mine, with a goal of the workforce being made up of 20% or more Inuit people. Currently the mines work force is close to 17% with most of the remainder being French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
from southern Quebec.
Given the cultural mix at the complex, ethnic origin and discrimination are significant on-site issues.
Safety
Raglan mine has won the national John T. Ryan TrophyJohn T. Ryan Trophy
John T. Ryan Trophies are CIM awards of excellence given to a mine in a given category which experiences the lowest accident frequency during the previous year in all of Canada. Three national trophies are given each year, one to a metal mine, a coal mine and one to a select mine...
in 2002, for having the lowest accident frequency of all metal mines in Canada. In 2007 it was awarded the F.J. O'Connell award by the Mining Association of Quebec for recording the most improvement of mine safety in Quebec.