It has been an unusually bad year for mining fatalities at Canadian mining operations. Counting the latest fatality, at least four people have lost their lives on the job in 2021 – most of them contractors.
In August, a worker employed by contractor Barminco died in an incident at Barrick Gold’s (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD) Hemlo mine in northern Ontario.
In June, a contractor died after a fall at Hudbay Minerals’ (TSX: HBM; NYSE: HBM) Lalor underground gold-copper-zinc mine in Snow Lake, Manitoba.
And a contract driller died in a mud rush incident in early February at New Gold’s (TSX: NDG) New Afton mine near Kamloops, in British Columbia.
In July 2020, a worker died at Pretium Resources’ (TSX: PVG; NYSE: PVG) Brucejack mine near Stewart in northwestern BC during maintenance at a support facility at surface.
Hope Bay is a recent acquisition for Agnico Eagle. The gold miner made a friendly offer for the asset’s owner, TMAC Resources, in January, after the federal government blocked a takeover of the junior by China’s Shandong Gold Mining.
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)
