Tron brings jobs to the north

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Aboriginal communities across northern Saskatchewan have benefited from the success of Tron Power Inc., a 100 per cent First Nation owned company working in the mining sector.

Tron Power was founded in 1985, and after a successful joint partnership between the company and the English River First Nation, the band bought Tron Power in 1996. Jim Elliot, one of the company's founders, stayed on as company president.

The company does construction work for uranium mines, both in northern Saskatchewan, and further afield. On the projects on which Tron Power is general contractor, approximately 70 per cent of the company's workforce is made up of Aboriginal people from the north, Elliot explained.

The company also offers apprenticeship-training programs for Aboriginal employees.

"We have apprenticeship training programs for the Aboriginal people. We are the only company that works the uranium industry outside of Cameco itself that has apprenticed and graduated full-fledged journeymen in welding, electrical, carpentry, and pipefitting," he said. So far, the company has graduated about 10 journeymen through its training program.

Not a lot of other companies in the industry are interested in training apprentices, Elliot explained, because of the extra work involved in offering that training.

"It's a lot of extra work in the recruiting. And other companies, they go in there and they tender work, go in there, get the work done and they leave and wait for the next one. What we try to do is have some sort of continuity together with Cameco in our workforce so that we can get people through the apprenticeship training so that they can graduate as journeymen. And Cameco has been cooperative most of the time by supplying enough work to keep these apprentices employed," he said.

By offering apprenticeship training, Tron is working to improve the employment opportunities for Aboriginal people across the north. The company does the same thing through its involvement in the Mujatik Thyssen Mining joint venture, Elliot explained.

In addition to owning Tron Power, the English River Band also owns a management company called Mujatik Enterprises, and Tron manages that company on behalf of the band.

"Mujatik ... formed a joint venture with Thyssen Mining. Mujatik and Thyssen, they tender underground and new shaft work for Cameco. And if we're successful and the contract is awarded to the Thyssen Mujatik joint venture, then Mujatik takes onto their side other Aboriginal communities from northern Saskatchewan and we profit share. And then we spread the employment between the communities in the north as equally as possible."

Elliot gives much of the credit for the success Tron Power has had in the mining sector to the company's good working relationship with Cameco.

"Cameco is a major contributor to the success of Tron Power because they are our biggest employer. We get most of our work from them," he said.

The biggest benefit English River First Nation has received from its ownership of Tron Power has been in the area of employment.

"It gives at least a glimmer of hope for the young people that are being raised on the reserve, that there are opportunities for employment and training, which isn't afforded to them if English River didn't own a company like Tron Power," Elliot said.

"When they get even past their second year of apprenticeship, into their third year, or are graduating as a journeyman, the skills they can take with them, away from Tron Power. They can start travelling across Canada with those skills. Whereas if they didn't have those skills, they'd kind of get isolated."

As for the future of Tron Power, the company is looking beyond the borders of Saskatchewan for possible expansion of its market, Elliot said.

"Tron Power is looking at additional overseas work. We did work for six years over in Kyrgyzstan at the Kumtor mine site. And we're looking toward Russia and Kazakhstan for similar type work. Whether we're sccessful or not is going to be probably determined within the next six months. We're also looking at forming a similar type of management group up in the Yellowknife area to deal with the mining sectors up there, because it's on the uprise, and also the major pipelines that are coming through. And we think that the expertise that we have in the management of being able to bring Aboriginal communities together on a profit-sharing basis would be advantageous for them to have a group like ours," he said.

"The company has gone through some trying times here, about three years ago, but they're back on their feet again and they're moving forward. I think there's going to be a bright future again for Tron Power and the English River band. And together with Cameco and other mining companies, which is our main forte, and with some of the additional ideas that the band is bringing forth, like starting their own junior mining company and the endeavors in the Northwest Territories, I think they'll ensure the longevity of Tron Power."