Cogema takes lead in Native employment

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One of the world's largest producers of uranium has a northern preference for hiring and the vast majority of its staff are Aboriginal.

Cogema Resources Inc., with headquarters in Saskatoon, operates the McClean Lake and Cluff Lake uranium mine sites in Northern Sastatchewan. The company has a 50 per cent target for hiring northerners and approximately 80 per cent of that of Aboriginal descent.

"We are required through our surface leases and policies to maximize the employment of northerners," said Alun Richards, Cogema Public Relations Specialist. "These are people that have been born and essentially raised or spent at least 10 years or half their lives in the North. So it isn't somebody who just moved there. We talk about northerners but it is over 80 per cent that are Aboriginal."

By integrating cross-cultural openness, training and consultation, Cogema has become a prime example of Aboriginal employment in Canada.

"We have constant contact and communication with northern communities, bands, band leaders, chiefs and companies," said Richards. "It's not just employment for northerners. Really a lot of our contracting is through northern-based companies as well."

Cogema works with several northern companies such as Northern Resource Trucking and Clear Water Development Corporation, which are primarily Aboriginal companies, explained Richards.

"We do millions of dollars of work with them each year," said Richards. "And we work with Clear Water Catering and Northern Metis Sites Services catering at the McClean site."

The company is committed to employing those who are living in the impact areas of the uranium industry. The Cluff Lake mine employs northern communities from North of Green Lake to La Loche. Impact communities employed by the McClean Lake mine, include Fond Du Lac, Black Lake and Walloston Lake First Nations, as well as Camsell Portage, Uranium City and Stoney Rapids.

Albert Mecredi flys in for his seven day in, seven day out schedule from Fond Du Lac. He has been employed with Cogema at the McClean mine for four years and is a mill supervisor.

"The company is sensitive to the demands and the needs of the communities near by when it comes down to job creation," said Mercredi. "I do practical field training and classroom training to prepare the workers for their work areas, and make sure the environmental and safety guidelines are in place. I train many young Aboriginal men and women."

Through scholarships and apprenticeship programs Cogema provides recruitment, training, and job opportuntities for those living in the impact communities.

"We try to fill all our entry level positions with northerners from the primary impact areas," said Morris Onyskevitch, Cogema Northern Affairs Manager. "Now if there is anybody from that area that has taken a certificate or diploma program, they would be first as far as the hiring is concerned. So our commitment is to the residents of the primary impact area. If we can't fill the position with the qualified people from that area than we will hire people from through out the entire north."

In working with northern communities Cogema implemented the Community Vitality Monitoring Partnership Process (CVMPP) in 1992.

"At the last set of hearings that took place for uranium development we found that we were spending a lot of time measuring the environment and not a lot of time measuring the people," said Richards. "A community vitality study was suggested, and we talked about it within the company and between northern organizations and the environmental quality commitees, and we came up with a way of looking at various issues."

The CVMPP monitors issues from a social point of view. In addition to monitoring water, vegetation, soil and air, the process looks at the social impact of communities in connection with uranium mining issues.

"It's the people side of things," said Richards. "We're looking at issues like out migration, health, and communication with the industry nd communities. We're trying to employ and involve northerners as much as possible in the research."

Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Federation of the Saskatchewan Indian Nations feels that Saskatchwan corporations have a low representation of First Nations people in the workforce.

"Whether it be forestry, mining, you name it, any public and private sector company that is operating in our territories should have a representative work force of First Nations people," said Bellegarde. "If Cogema employs 80 per cent of First Nations people, that is super, but where are the rest of the Saskatchewan corporations in this?"