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Contents
Introduction from our CEO
Employment Report
13 19 21 31
Scholarships
24
Business Policy
Operating a diamond mine in the North is about more than just diamonds. It is about the relationships that are forged between our employees and the people who live close to our projects. These opening words from our 2006 Snap Lake Mine Socio-Economic Report remain as true today as they did then. Unchanged is De Beers commitment to working with the Government of the NWT, Aboriginal governments, communities and residents to maximize the benets that ow from our operation. We recognize that communities close by continue to be eager for jobs and business opportunities and their passion for protecting the land and water is unwavering. In 2012, we recovered 870,000 carats from 918,000 tonnes of ore, production built upon the pillars of safety and environmental protection.
Operating a diamond mine in the North is about more than just diamonds. It is about the relationships that are forged between our employees and the people who live close to our projects.
I am proud to report that at the end of 2012, employees at the Snap Lake Mine had worked 1.3 million hours without a Lost Time Injury. Throughout the year, we invested signicant resources, both personnel and nancial, to successfully manage water. We worked hard to reinforce an open, transparent relationship with communities and regulators. We will build upon this success through 2013 and over the life of the mine. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate how we are doing in terms of meeting commitments made in the Snap Lake Mine socio-economic agreement with the Government of the Northwest Territories: The number of NWT residents employed at Snap Lake is at an all-time high; The mine workforce included 21 trainees; Women working at the Snap Lake Mine fill a diverse range of occupations; 69% of the goods and services purchased for the mine in 2012 came from NWT companies and joint ventures; We celebrated the 10th anniversary of our Books in Homes program in 2012 and published a book of NWT writing with NorthWords NWT; 15 NWT students received scholarships under our new NWT scholarship program; and, Corporate Social Investment in education and training, sponsorships and cultural support surpassed $3.3 million.
A bolter operator installs bolts and screens to secure a section of the underground mine.
There continue to be challenges. The lack of skilled NWT residents needed to ll jobs at Snap Lake has not changed. We cannot address this gap alone and we remain a committed partner with the NWT Mine Training Society and other agencies. Global realities drive the critical business decisions needed to make Snap Lake a long-term success. Together, we will understand how devolution and resource revenue sharing can bring new benets to the NWT. As we move through 2013, we remain focused on strengthening relationships. We will accomplish this by being honest and transparent, willing partners to do what we can to support community aspirations. We hope that as you read this report, you will get to know us better, to join us in celebrating our success, and understand how the Snap Lake Mine is providing real and lasting social and economic value to the North
Employment Report
The workforce made up of De Beers and contractors at the Snap Lake Mine grew for the third year in a row in 2012. An additional 79 personyears worked brought the years overall employment to 757. This steady growth in employment over the past three years comes as a direct result of bringing production at the mine up to its capacity after the setback that occurred in 2009 as a result of the world economic recession.
2012 De Beers Canadas Snap Lake Job Vacancies & Recruitment Results
Number of Applications Hiring Results
NWT Aboriginal Residents Other NWT Residents Total NWT Residents Non-NWT Residents Total Received/Hired
23 20 43 50 93
1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 NWT Residents
Southern Residents 72% NWT Residents 28% Aboriginal 13% Other 15%
Non-NWT Residents
With the Snap Lake Mines workforce growing, we are inching closer and closer to our original target to employ 300 NWT residents full time. In 2012, there were 275 person-years of employment filled by NWT residents, which is a slight increase from the previous year and is the largest NWT resident workforce we have ever had working at the mine site since we began operations. Finding, training, and retaining NWT resident employees remains a challenge. This is illustrated by the results of our 2012 hiring campaign. Over the course of 2012, we held competitions for 93 full-time permanent jobs within De Beers workforce at the Snap Lake Mine. These competitions attracted 3,907 applications. Applicants residing in the NWT represented only 28 percent of the total. However, 46 percent of the jobs were lled by NWT residents. These results reect well on the use of hiring priorities.
2012 Number of New Hires for De Beers Canada Full -Time Positions
Southern Residents 54% NWT Residents 46% Aboriginal 25% Other 21%
Pat Decque, a Mine Operations Senior Supervisor, checks in with workers during a visit underground.
Trudy Beaulieu drives a haul truck underground at the Snap Lake Mine.
Hiring NWT residents is our top priority, and we are working to grow the number of NWT residents who are employed at the Snap Lake Mine. For that to happen, the labour supply will have to improve, especially the supply of labour with the skills to compete for semi-skilled and skilled jobs at the mine. It is in these two job categories that most of the mine site employment can be found. It is not helping matters that the territory lost 900 residents through out-migration over the 12 month period from July 2011 to July 2012. By the nal quarter of last year, the NWTs population was the lowest it had been since early 2007 at 43,313, having declined for ve consecutive quarters.
The reality for the NWT and its labour supply is that labour shortages in the mining sector exist throughout Canada and around the world. The 2009 survey of mine workers conducted by the NWT Bureau of Statistics on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories and the three NWT diamond mines revealed the high cost of living and distance from family and friends are important factors that inuence a persons residency decision. These factors have not changed since the survey was conducted and are not likely to change in the near future. Nevertheless, we remain committed to nding and developing new labour from within the NWT and are condent employment targets will be realized over the life of the Snap Lake Mine.1
NWT Population
(quarterly, 2005 to 2012)
44,400 44,200 44,000 43,800 43,600 43,400 43,200 43,000 42,800 42,600 42,400
Number of residents
Q4 2007
Q4 2006
Q4 2008
Q4 2009
Q4 2005
Q3 2007
Q4 2010
Q3 2009
Q3 2010
Q4 2011
Q2 2008
Q2 2007
Q3 2006
Q2 2009
Q2 2010
Q1 2008
Q1 2007
Q3 2005
Q2 2006
Q1 2009
Q2 2005
Q1 2006
Q1 2005
1
See Section 3.4.2 in the Snap Lake Socio-Economic Agreement. Achieving this 60 percent target is subject to the availability of persons in the priority groups with the required skills, training and experience.
Q3 2008
Q4 2012
Q3 2011
Q2 2012
Q3 2012
Q1 2010
Q2 2011
Q1 2011
Q1 2012
Employment by Hiring Priority Table 1 presents employment in person-years2 by hiring priority for the Snap Lake Mine from 2005 to 2012. The first three years, 2005 to 2007, represents the employment numbers during the mines construction phase. A total of 2,200 person-years of direct employment were created during this phase. The mine went into production in 2008, with total employment for the year equal to 728 person-years. By the end of that year, however, the world was falling into a severe recession that resulted in workforce reductions and a suspension of operations for six weeks in 2009. The year ended with an average monthly workforce 300 person-years below the previous year. By mid to late 2009, the worlds economy was inching out of its recession and a period of cautious growth began. The world economy remained fragile in 2012, with several European countries in deep recession and the United States economy growing slowly. At pace with the rebuilding world economy, we have been bringing the Mines production up to capacity. For 2012, employment totalled 757 person-years, which is an increase of 79 over last year and represents the highest operational workforce since the mine was commissioned in 2008. The year also saw the highest number of NWT Aboriginal resident employees equal to 149 person-years20 percent of the overall workforce. It is also noteworthy that De Beers and our Snap Lake contractors employed 275 NWT resident labour (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) which is the most ever and is just 25 shy of our commitment to employ 300 NWT residents at the Snap Lake Mine.3 The continued need to go outside the territory to nd new employees remains disappointing. Individuals residing outside the NWT lled 50 of the 93 full-time jobs that became available at De Beers Canada for the Snap Lake Mine in 2012. This is an area that will continue to receive attention. We regularly attend recruitment fairs and trade shows throughout the territory to promote employment at the mine and advertise all Snap Lake Mine job openings through NWT media and in communities.
Scoop operator Hank Pankratz has worked at the Snap Lake Mine for several years.
Note: Those that did not self identify in the survey are recorded as non-Aboriginal. NWT Aboriginal employees who were identied as residing outside the NWT are recorded as Non-NWT Aboriginal Residents in this table. Figures may not add up due to rounding error.
In 2012, it was expected that over a full year, an employee would work 13 cycles of 14 days with a day equalling a 12 hour shift. This represents 2,184 hours per year or an average of 182 hours per month. Therefore, estimating number of jobs in terms of person years requires summing the total number of hours worked by all employees and dividing that number by 2,184. n employment target of 300 person-years for NWT residents was established for the Snap Lake Diamond Mine during its environmental assessment, which was 60% of the 500 full-time equivalent jobs predicted A for the operations phase of the mine. De Beers continues to grow NWT resident involvement.
Table 2 provides information on the employment record of De Beers and our contractors for 2012. Our employees provided 466 personyears of labour to the Snap Lake Mine, 34 percent of which came from NWT residents. NWT Aboriginal labour provided 82 person-years of the employment, while other NWT residents contributed 79 personyears of labour. Another 45 person-years of employment came from Aboriginal labour residing outside the territory.4 In all cases, these gures represent increases from 2011, however, the contribution of each group relative to the overall workforce is essentially unchanged from last year. Snap Lake Mine contractors provided 291 person-years of labour to the Projectan increase of 33 over last year. NWT residents supplied 40 percent of this labour. De Beers contractors employ a higher percentage of NWT Aboriginal labour than NWT non-Aboriginal labour.
Note: Those that did not self identify in the survey are recorded as non-Aboriginal. NWT Aboriginal employees who were identied as residing outside the NWT are recorded as Non-NWT Aboriginal Residents in this table. Figures may not add up due to rounding error.
Snap Lake Employment by Priority Hiring Group (De Beers and contractors)
Peter Evanglok drives a haul truck on surface at the Snap Lake Mine.
4
The Employment Statistical Information (ESI) Form used for the Snap Lake Mine results in data that require some explanation and interpretation. Aboriginal employees can record their status in one of three categories within the survey: Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) Group, NWT Aboriginal or Other Aboriginal. An Aboriginal person who is a member of the North Slave Mtis Alliance, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Lutsel Ke and Kache Dene First Nation or Tlicho Nation can identify themselves as representatives of their IBA group, regardless of where they live. NWT Aboriginal is defined in the survey as Any Indian, Inuit or Mtis individual who originated in the NWT or is a descendant of an Aboriginal person originating in the NWT. De Beers assumes that this will capture every employee who represents any other Aboriginal group in the NWT regardless of their residency. Finally, De Beers assumes that Other Aboriginal captures all other Aboriginal people. It is important to note that someone who identifies himself or herself as part of an IBA group or another NWT Aboriginal group might not reside in the NWT. Also, a number of individuals choose not to self-identify themselves by their heritage or location. These individuals are recorded as non-Aboriginal, non-NWT residents.
Employment by Hiring Priority and Job Classification Tables 3a and 3b contain employment results by hiring priority and job classication. These results highlight the skills gap that exists in the NWT and its labour supply. The largest percentage of NWT resident labour is employed in unskilled jobs, lling 89 percent of the 103 available positions. A far greater number of jobs at the mine (81%) are classified as semi-skilled and skilled jobs, 293 and 315 respectively. These positions require additional education and/or work experience. NWT residents fill 30 percent of the semi-skilled jobs and 25 percent of the skilled jobs. In the case of professional jobs, such as the mine engineers and geologists, NWT residents ll 10 of the 31 jobs. In 2012, 58 percent of the mines management staff were NWT residents.
Table 3b reorganizes the data to highlight the number of Aboriginal employees working at the Snap Lake Mine. The table presents some interesting results. First, the number of Aboriginal employees who reside outside the NWT is growing faster than the number of Aboriginal employees who reside in the NWT. It is also interesting to see that almost all of the Aboriginal employees who reside outside the NWT are working in semi-skilled or skilled positions.
Management Professional Skilled Subtotal* Semi-Skilled Unskilled Subtotal* Total* Management Professional Skilled Subtotal* Semi-Skilled Unskilled Subtotal* Total* Management Professional Skilled Subtotal* Semi-Skilled Unskilled Subtotal* Total*
1.5 0.7 28.2 30.5 52.9 65.7 118.6 149.1 11% 2% 9% 8% 18% 64% 30% 20% 1% 0% 19% 20% 35% 44% 80% 100%
6.7 9.5 49.3 65.5 35.0 25.9 60.9 126.4 Percent of total by job classification 47% 30% 16% 18% 12% 25% 15% 17% Percent of total by hiring priority 5% 8% 39% 52% 28% 20% 48% 100%
8.3 10.3 77.5 96.0 87.8 91.6 179.4 275.5 58% 33% 25% 27% 30% 89% 45% 36% 3% 4% 28% 35% 32% 33% 65% 100%
6.1 21.0 237.7 264.8 205.0 11.8 216.8 481.7 42% 67% 75% 73% 70% 11% 55% 64% 1% 4% 49% 55% 43% 2% 45% 100%
14.4 31.3 315.2 360.9 292.9 103.4 396.3 757.1 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 2% 4% 42% 48% 39% 14% 52% 100%
Note: Those that did not self identify in the survey are recorded as non-Aboriginal. NWT Aboriginal employees who were identied as residing outside the NWT are recorded as Non-NWT Aboriginal Residents in this table. * Figures may not add up due to rounding error.
Management Professional Skilled Subtotal* Semi-Skilled Unskilled Subtotal* Total* Management Professional Skilled Subtotal* Semi-Skilled Unskilled Subtotal* Total* Management Professional Skilled Subtotal* Semi-Skilled Unskilled Subtotal* Total*
1.5 0.7 28.2 30.5 52.9 65.7 118.6 149.1 11% 2% 9% 8% 18% 64% 30% 20% 1% 0% 19% 20% 35% 44% 80% 100%
0.3 0.4 21.2 21.9 24.6 0.3 24.9 46.7 2% 1% 7% 6% 8% 0% 6% 6% 1% 1% 45% 47% 53% 1% 53% 100%
1.8 1.1 49.4 52.4 77.4 66.0 143.4 195.8 13% 4% 16% 15% 26% 64% 36% 26% 1% 1% 25% 27% 40% 34% 73% 100%
6.7 9.5 49.3 65.5 35.0 25.9 60.9 126.4 47% 30% 16% 18% 12% 25% 15% 17% 5% 8% 39% 52% 28% 20% 48% 100%
5.8 20.7 216.5 243.0 180.5 11.5 192.0 434.9 40% 66% 69% 67% 62% 11% 48% 57% 1% 5% 50% 56% 41% 3% 44% 100%
14.4 31.3 315.2 360.9 292.9 103.4 396.3 757.1 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 2% 4% 42% 48% 39% 14% 52% 100%
Note: Those that did not self identify in the survey are recorded as non-Aboriginal. NWT Aboriginal employees who were identied as residing outside the NWT are recorded as Non-NWT Aboriginal Residents in this table. * Figures may not add up due to rounding error.
350 300
Number of FTE jobs
Non-NWT Residents
NWT Residents
Employment by NWT Community The employment data by NWT community is presented in Table 4. This table reects the NWT communities where our employees and contractors, who are NWT residents, are choosing to live. These statistics are recorded as the number of person-years of employment as of December 31, 2012. Snap Lake Socio-Economic Agreement establishes priority groups within the NWT, which guides De Beers hiring practices.5
In an effort to increase the number of NWT resident employees, we have expanded the number of NWT community pick-up points to include Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells, and Inuvik.6 In addition, we provide a travel allowance to employees living in any other NWT community to assist them with travel costs to our pick-up points. Despite these efforts, attracting and retaining labour from outside the North and South Slave regions of the NWT has been a challenge. Residents of the Sahtu, Gwichin, and Inuvialuit regions combined to register a total of 10 person-years of employment in 2012. Overall, 15 communities were represented in the workforce. Most of these workers resided in Yellowknife, accounting for 68 percent of NWT workforce with 187 person-years of employment. The Town of Hay River contributed 36 person-years (13%), while Behchoko added another 18 person-years (7%) of employment to the Project.
Darryl Chocolate is an Operator Trainee in the process plant at the Snap Lake Mine.
5 6
See Section 3.2 in the Snap Lake Socio-Economic Agreement. De Beers continues to pick up employees in all Tlicho communities, Yellowknife (including Ndilo and Dettah), Lutsel Ke, and Hay River.
New Hires by Residency Table 5 presents the number of new hires by residency separated between employees of De Beers and our contractors. The data in this table is not in person-years, but rather number of individuals hired. 7 Over the course of 2012, 169 employees were hired to work at the Snap Lake Mine; 51 of whom were long-time residents (having resided in the NWT for more than 6 months) and 7 of whom were recent arrivals (having lived in the NWT for less than 6 months). The majority of new employees, 111, live outside the territory.
Mine contractors were much more active in hiring new employees.8 The total number of new hires by contractors was 309. Similar to De Beers, a majority (63%) of these new employees were hired from outside the territory. Of the 113 new hires that do live in the NWT, 75 are long-time residents. Tli Cho Logistics was the most active employer of all contractors. It hired 99 people throughout the year, 70 of whom reside in the NWT. Bouwa Whee Catering hired 40 new people in 2012, 37 of whom are NWT residents. As noted on page 3, 93 of the new hires for De Beers were into permanent, full-time jobs. The balance reects temporary or seasonal work contract hires.
Employment by Gender and Job Classification We support and encourage the participation of women in all aspects of work related to the Snap Lake Mine and encourage similar commitments from contractors.9 Table 6 and Table 7 provide evidence of our record in this area. Men dominate the overall workforce at 86 percent, virtually unchanged from one year ago. There were 109
women employed at the Snap Lake Mine in 2012, representing 14 percent of the workforce. Women are most represented in unskilled positions lling 42 percent of jobs in that category. Women are least represented skilled positions at seven percent. Women provided the mine with 28.4 person-years of employment in jobs classied as management, professional, or skilled.
Women Person-years 1.5 4.4 22.5 28.4 36.9 43.5 80.4 108.9 Percent 11% 14% 7% 8% 13% 42% 20% 14% Person-years 14.4 31.3 314.9 360.6 292.6 102.8 395.4 756.0
Total Percent 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
he gures representing hiring will appear inated or would otherwise suggest excessive turn-over. This is not the case, however. It is not uncommon for someone to accept several short-term positions with T different contractors throughout the year. Depending on the duration of their work term, which could be as short as two weeks (a single work rotation), it is possible for the same person to be entered into the system as a new hire multiple times each year. The system also counts the movement of an individual from one job to another between contractors and De Beers as a new hire. 8 Bearing in mind the issue with over reporting. 9 See Section 4.10 in the Snap Lake Socio-Economic Agreement.
7
10
Women in Mining
When it comes to building a mining workforce, women are a relatively untapped potential source of skilled employees. We recognize this and are committed to encouraging women to consider mining careers. In 2012, 109 full-time jobs were held by women at the Snap Lake Mine, the highest number since we started operations in 2008. While this is good news, women continue to be most represented in unskilled positions at the mine. Our aim
in promoting opportunities for women at the mine is focussed on encouraging women to consider opportunities in the skilled, professional and management positions. We have done this in a number of ways. For example, we targeted 50% of our new NWT Post-Secondary Scholarships to support educational advancement of qualied female applicants and eight of the 15 scholarships in 2012 were awarded to women in the study areas of Commerce, Human Resources, Mining Engineering, Aquatic Resources, Accounting, Earth and Ocean Sciences, Science and Engineering. We have also
worked with Skills Canada to provide female role models to those considering careers in the trades through both nancial support of Skills Canada in the NWT and by providing female role models in the Power-Up Youth Conferences. We have also promoted opportunities for jobs as part of our annual visits to schools during our Books in Homes Program, ensuring female role models are actively participating We have women miners, apprentices, process plant operators, human resources professionals, senior managers and more. In this section we prole just a few of the women who work at Snap Lake.
11
Adventure isnt usually the word that comes to mind when most people think of geology. But thats exactly how Aaliya sees it. She discovered the field halfway through university and fell in love with the lifestyle that came with it. I see the mine as a mini-adventure, she says. I commute on a plane and get to work in a remote area before going back home at the end of the week. She loves not knowing what each day will bring. She could be in the office, underground or outdoors, working on a range of projects. This is definitely for me, she says. I cant ever go back to a Monday to Friday job.
Aaliya Adam Yellowknife, NT Mine Geologist
They say that landing a job is about who you know. When youre from a small community, it helps that you already know everyone in town. Three years ago, the coordinator at the learning centre in Wekwet called Calinda out of the blue to let her know that the Mine Training Society was offering an underground mining course in the community. Calinda signed up and in just a few months she was working underground at Snap Lake. She has a messy job: keeping fluids like fuel and oil topped up in the heavy equipment. But she loves it. Its been an amazing learning experience over the past three years, she says. And it helps that everyone I work with is so nice, outgoing and fun to be around.
Calinda Football Wekwet, NT Field Truck Operator
Deanna hadnt planned to become a mechanical engineer. But a summer job helped her find her calling. While on a break from the University of Saskatchewan she took a job at a pulp and paper mill. Among the noise and the equipment, she discovered she enjoyed the mechanical side of science and math. After finishing her degree, she was attracted to the adventure of working in the North and working in a mine posed unique challenges she was ready to embrace. Keeping everything running smoothly can be especially tough. As Deanna notes, Crushing rock tends to be a little hard on equipment.
Deanna Astill Whitecourt, AB Maintenance Engineer
Some people take a while to find what they want to do in life. Others know from the start. Growing up in a family where caring for the environment was important, and loving the outdoors, Guylaine was drawn to the environmental sciences. And being a lifelong northerner, she was exposed to mining all her life and knew she wanted to work in the industry. She applied for a summer job at De Beers while on a break from university. More than three years later, shes still at Snap Lake and loving it. Shes even finishing her degree while working at the mine. Its great working here - weather permitting, she says with a chuckle. I work outside a lot, so it can get cold. Its a lifestyle that requires adaptation, but I love the job, the accommodations and the people.
Guylaine Gueguen Yellowknife, NT Environmental Technician
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Nicole Harris, Sr. Human Resources Coordinator, sits with youth attending a career fair in Lutsel Ke
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Strategic Job Postings Its hard to nd workers if those workers dont know where the jobs are. We make sure that all of our job postings are highly visible throughout the North. All opportunities are published in NWT News/North and posted online at jobsnorth.ca and on the De Beers Canada website. Our job opportunities are also provided to community career centres and regional employment oces. In 2012, our careers web page received 140,000 unique visitors, representing over one-third of the total trac on our website. In some of the smaller NWT communities, internet access and speed can be limited, so we dont just rely on our website. All job listings are sent to Aboriginal governments, community organizations, and community learning centres. To encourage applicants from our top hiring priorities, we send job ads directly to Impact Benet Agreement coordinators for posting and circulation in their communities. Training and Incentives At De Beers, we are promoting as many opportunities as possible for northerners who want to work or train with us. We believe in building capacity so that we get qualied, dedicated employees and the NWT has a trained workforce ready for the future. Thats why we provide training and incentives for northerners to learn and work at Snap Lake. We start with northern-focused apprenticeships and training programs in mining-related trades. We offer training and professional development to all of our employees so they can continue to improve their skills throughout their careers. You can read more about our training initiatives on page 15 of this report. In addition, we offer an attractive NWT allowance for all employees who are NWT residents. This helps offset some of the higher cost of living in the NWT. For employees hired from outside the NWT this NWT residency allowance is a tool we use to help them consider making the NWT their home. We believe that having local employees is an important way of contributing to the local economy and to building community. Challenges Although we use creative ways to recruit and retain NWT residents, we still face challenges with lling as many jobs with NWT residents as wed like. The Snap Lake Mine was the third diamond mine to start production in the NWT, and while there is unemployment in a number of NWT communities, a small population from which to draw on with limited skills often means we often have only a small number of qualied NWT applicants for our job opportunities. Where there are skilled workers in the NWT, we face stiff competition in hiring them as other mining companies, including southern companies are also looking north to recruit trained mine workers. In 2012, a number of companies were in the NWT recruiting skilled workers for jobs outside of the NWT. Even though we face these challenges, we understand that building the employment skills for NWT residents is a key to the long-term success of NWT communities. Thats why we continue to recruit, train and develop NWT residents for available career opportunities with us.
Travis Guild, an apprentice at the Snap Lake Mine, works with a judge at Skills Canada NWT Territorial Competition in Yellowknife.
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Seven apprentices were working for De Beers at the Snap Lake Mine in 2012, all on track to become journeypersons. Two apprentices are female, including a millwright apprentice and an electrician apprentice. There were also nine trades trainees and ve underground mining trainees from the NWT. Since the mine opened, 39 northerners have graduated from these programs. Most of them have become full-time De Beers employees. To help apprentices succeed, De Beers has a very competitive package that includes providing nancial support for travel to their destination school, housing, and tuition while the apprentices are attending classes. While they are attending school, apprentices also remain on the De Beers payroll. Site-based contractors also employ apprentices and trainees, although these are not included in this report. Learning Centre Snap Lakes learning centre is a resource for all employees. Most of the sites classroom-based learning happens there. All new employees start their training at the centre, spending 3 5 days there for orientation to ensure they can work safely and that site and job specic procedures are understood. The learning centre is also a resource for employees who wish to learn on their own time. It has a large number of computers and is building a library of books and videos so employees can brush up on their literacy skills, look up building and electrical codes, or even learn more about engineering. The annual training budget for Snap Lake also includes funds to support employee professional development. This fund enables employees to enrol in professional development programs that can be either taken as web-based programs or off-site programs. A total of 27 employees were pursuing professional development opportunities with the companys nancial support in 2012. Of these, 20 are NWT Resident employees. We also offer our own program, called Facets of Leadership, aimed at improving the safety and leadership skills of De Beers and contractor managers and supervisors (see page 17). While we sometimes face challenges, we are committed to making our employees the best and brightest they can be, whether theyre current employees or NWT residents training to be our workers of the future.
Much of the training at the Snap Lake Mine Learning Centre is done on computer.
15
I wouldnt be able to do this without De Beers, he says. Their support package for apprentices is one of the best. If I was trying to do it on my own, theres no way Id be going back to school.
When he was nine years old, Austin helped his dad take the good parts from two old SUVs and make them into one working vehicle. Thats when he caught the bug. I didnt know what I was doing at the time, he says, but I liked the end result: being able to cruise around town with my dad in a big Suburban. Being a mechanic seems to be in his blood. He has already trained to be a journeyperson heavy equipment technician at the Snap Lake Mine, his father is a mechanic, and his brother is a 3rd year heavy equipment technician apprentice. With the help and encouragement of his father, he learned that he could walk into a career development centre, write his trade entrance exam on the spot and see if he would qualify. He did and he qualied for his rst apprenticeship. Now, nearly three years after nishing his rst one, hes going back for more.
Austins progression as an apprentice at Snap Lake was with three different companies, including De Beers. Hes been with De Beers as a journeyperson since 2010. But recently, hes become an apprentice again to switch from heavy equipment to passenger vehicles, gaining new skills. Last year they needed someone in an automotive role. I guess they liked my work and they asked me. That good work has shown itself in other places, too. In 2010, Austin won a gold medal in the NWT Skills Canada competition for apprentices. Life as an apprentice was a little easier the rst time around. He didnt have many responsibilities, so he could go to school and be away from home as long as he wanted. Now hes a dad with a three-year-old daughter to take care of. I nd the work/home balance pretty easy for now. When I go home for two weeks, my daughter has nothing but my time. When I go back to school, though, Ill have to set up child care and be away from her. He wont be completely away from family, though. His brother is due to go back to school around the same time, and they would like to go together.
Luckily, he wont have as much schooling this time around. Because he is already a licensed heavy equipment technician, he has been given credit for the rst two years of his automotive apprenticeship. That means that he will only have to go back to school for two sessions of technical training. I wouldnt be able to do this without De Beers, he says. Their support package for apprentices is one of the best. If I was trying to do it on my own, theres no way Id be going back to school. You know, overall, working at the mine has been great, he says. I really love the fact that I can go home for two weeks and my daughter gets my full attention. She is young enough I can take her travelling or camping and not have to worry about getting back in time for work or school the next day. I guess Ive just been fortunate. Austin Larocque Hay River, NT, Automotive Technician Apprentice
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We developed a series of two-day courses covering areas like health and safety, team building, communication and conict resolution. The program, called Facets of Leadership: Living up to Diamonds, is spread out over a year. This accommodates shift rotations and lets people use what they have learned before taking the next course.
To help the managers and supervisors who take the course remember what they have learned, cheat sheet cards and a reference website were developed. Seventy-ve managers and supervisors from the Snap Lake Mine, including 29 NWT residents, took Facets of Leadership courses in 2012 and the program is continuing in 2013. This is proof that we are committed to building stronger leaders every day.
17
Your Money Matters online nancial training is used during a workshop in Dettah.
Your Money Matters is an online program. The table shows the number of times the program was accessed from each community/location.
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Scholarships
Investing in Education
De Beers Scholarship Programs Post-secondary education is expensive for any student, but for students in the NWT, who must leave home and the support of family close by in order to attend school, every little bit of nancial help makes a measurable difference. Since 2006, we have provided scholarships to NWT students through our Impact Benet Agreements, however in 2012 we expanded our scholarship program, providing more opportunities to NWT students. To train the next generation of northern mining leaders, we introduced NWT Post-Secondary Scholarships, a territory-wide program open to all NWT residents enrolled or accepted to a post-secondary institution in one of the following courses of study: Mining Engineering Geology Finance and Accounting (Commerce) Human Resources (Commerce) Occupational Health and Safety Environmental Sciences Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering Mechanical and Electrical Engineering This new program is designed to attract more NWT residents to professional roles at De Beers in the professions where we have had the most diculty nding skills in the NWT. This program reects our commitment to nd new ways to increase the involvement of NWT Residents in our workforce. The scholarships are worth $2,000 each, adding up to $30,000 a year. With our existing programs, our scholarship fund is now $50,000 annually. Since 2006, we have invested $180,000 in nancial support for NWT students. We are also looking to expand the program in 2013. Our new scholarship program is aimed at building NWT capacity and future leaders, says Cathie Bolstad, Director of External and Corporate Affairs. We had many excellent applicants and while we couldnt select every applicant for a scholarship, the process of reviewing the applications enabled us to see what NWT students are studying, where they are in their programs and it gave us an opportunity to promote the mine and the opportunities it can present to NWT students who would like to consider a career with us.
Aimee Gauthier, a mining engineering student at Queens University, received a new De Beers Post-Secondary Scholarship.
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Underground haul truck driver Candy Champagne waits for her work assignment.
In 2013, we will add tertiary scholarships to our program creating links for permanent employment to nancial sponsorship of students in key study areas. Cathie is proof that northern tertiary scholarship programs work. In the early 1990s she completed two university degrees with the help of another northern company that she was employed with at that time. Today she remains in the North, with a successful career and as an active community contributor. 2012 NWT Scholarship Recipients Agamani Chakrabarty Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) Pamela Norwegian Business Administration (Human Resources) Aimee Gauthier Bachelor of Science (Mining Engineering) Michael Canam Chemical Engineering Lindsay Vician Science (Aquatic Resources) Melanie Joan Desjarlais Business (Accounting) Tyler Bell Engineering Keelan Mooney Chemical Engineering Wesley Lines Engineering Aaron G. Doan Earth Science Kaitlyn Menard Earth and Ocean Sciences Alexander Hunt Engineering Nicole Labine Science Ashley Mulders - Engineering Jordan Bryan Geology, Engineering
IBA Scholarships
Since 2006, we have funded scholarships for NWT students through our Impact Benet Agreements for the Snap Lake Mine. Each year, approximately $20,000 in scholarships are awarded to students through IBA agreements to help them fund their education. In some cases, communities have provided scholarships to encourage the completion of Grade 12 or its equivalent for mature students. To date, IBA Scholarships awarded by the Snap Lake Mine total $150,000. In 2012, the following individuals were recipients of scholarships from De Beers through Impact Benet Agreements. 2012 Yellowknives Dene First Nation Scholarship Recipients Laurie-Ann Lines Wesley Lines Roseanna Sangris Jessie Mackenzie David Staples Ashley Chapple-Sangris Eileen Liske Cindy Allen Mary T. Black Kirsten Sangris Lila Lines Brandon Etsemba-Sangris Bobbie-Jo Black Eric Tsetta Jonathan Goulet Stacey Sundberg Garrett Tsetta 2012 North Slave Mtis Alliance Scholarship Recipients Stefany Bulmer Deborah-Ann Clunie Thomsen DHont Lauren Mercredi Chloe Smith
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Employees work out in the cardio tness centre at the Snap Lake Mine.
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The apron at the Snap Lake Mine airstrip doubles as a ball eld for a summer activity at the Snap Lake Mine.
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Our focus on education, training and youth is about building capacity in the NWT. Developing literacy, nancial skills and job skills all help create the workers of today and tomorrow. De Beers benets from skilled workers for our mine, and northerners benet because they develop skills that will help them succeed in jobs today and in the future. Because investment in building employment skills is challenged without strong, healthy, vibrant communities in which to live, we invest in communities too. Contributing to health and wellness, arts and culture initiatives that are the priorities for communities for example, helps nurture community culture that makes the North unique. De Beers knows that strong communities are an important ingredient in successfully operating in the North. They also play an important role in our ability to retain the skilled northern workforce that we have developed. Northern communities, and the people who live there, play an important role in how we do business. Thats why we want to leave a legacy. We want to leave communities better off after us, than before us.
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Health: 1.59% Education and Youth (Literacy): 83.73% Environment: 7.41% Arts, Culture and Heritage: 2.04% Small Business Development/ General Community Development: 4.63% Sports/Other: 0.60%
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Investing in Culture
The NWT has a rich cultural heritage. Today, many Aboriginal northerners still speak their language, practice traditional ways and keep close ties to the land. We are proud to honour and uphold northern culture as part of our commitment to social investment. At the Snap Lake Mine, we have a culture centre where non-Aboriginal employees can learn about Aboriginal culture and build a cultural understanding. Last year we held scrapbooking and carving workshops there, among other classes. We also support initiatives throughout the territory. Much of our nancial support for arts, culture and history in the NWT was spent supporting Aboriginal cultural activities such as hand games tournaments and annual gatherings and assemblies. Promoting northern culture and heritage and supporting activities that celebrate culture, history and tradition is important. It strengthens community bonds, builds bridges across generations and upholds values that are important to communities. We think thats an investment worth making and are proud to contribute.
A youth drums during a Christmas season hand games tournament held in Dettah by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.
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Randy Sibbeston, of Fort Simpson, works on his sculpture at the rst annual De Beers Inspired Ice NWT Ice Carving Championship.
Stephan and Mike Koch, from Indiana, pose with their winning piece from the rst annual De Beers Inspired Ice NWT Ice Carving Championship.
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Nicole Harris, Sr. Human Resources Coordinator, reads to youth during a Books in Homes visit to Lutsel Ke Dene School.
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De Beers believes that literacy is the rst step in empowering people to shape their own future. It is a key to individual opportunities, community development and economic success. Thats why we started Books in Homes in 2003. Every year we give three books to every student at nine schools close to our operations. The program started in 2003 with students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 picking books from an order form. Today, the company uses a ying bookstore, setting up a book fair in each community. Students from preschool to Grade 12, as well as teachers and school staff, can visit De Beers book fair and make their book choices right there. We partnered with the Yellowknife Book Cellar in 2007 to create this ying bookstore approach. In addition to getting books into the hands of eager readers more quickly, it lets us buy northern. More importantly, an established bookstore has the knowledge to provide the titles that people want, and the staff at the Yellowknife Book Cellar work with the teachers and principals at the schools to make sure the reading levels match the students abilities and interests. The students get excited about this when it comes to town, says Blair Hagman, principal of Mezi Community School in What. Because its been going for so long, people have grown up with it and theyve built libraries at home. Having books to take home and call their own helps motivate the kids to read. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program, every student signed a banner that was displayed at the Snap Lake site so mine staff could be reminded of the impact that this program makes. Birthday cupcakes were also provided for the students at each school The program has been a huge success, as Book Cellar staff have discovered. Kids visiting Yellowknife from the communities now come in to the store with lists of booksboth to buy and to request for the next Books in Homes visit.
By the Numbers 1,200: number of NWT students reached annually 9: schools visited each year (Dettah, Ndilo, Lutsel Ke, Behchoko, Edzo, Gamt, Wekwet, What, Fort Resolution) 775: distance, in metres, that would be covered if all books given away in 2012 were placed end-to-end (thats longer than 70 school buses!) 3 1,000: estimated number of books distributed by the end of 2012 (enough to ll the libraries of 11 average NWT community schools) $71,000: amount spent in 2012 $640,000: investment in the program to date 391: students in largest school (Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Behchoko) 32: students in smallest school (Alexis Arrowmaker School in Wekwet) Books in Homes History 2003: program founded 2004: program expands to include Preschool to Grade 12 students 2007: ying bookstore approach adopted; all books purchased through the Yellowknife Book Cellar 2009: De Beers Canada receives NWT Ministerial Award for Literacy for Books in Homes 2010: Deninu School in Fort Resolution added to the program; representatives from Student Financial Assistance (SFA) program begin travelling with De Beers to explain the territorial governments post-secondary nancial assistance program to high school students in remote communities 2011: Your Money Matters, online personal nancial training, made available in communities as part of the Books in Homes tour and De Beers commitment to growing nancial literacy 2012: Books in Homes celebrates 10th anniversary
Young students at Lutsel Ke Dene School read their new books during Books in Homes visit to their school.
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Drummers play a beat as Snap Lake Mine employees play hand games during a workshop held at the mine.
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Coming Home
Stories from the Northwest Territories For years, NorthWords dreamed of publishing a collection of stories by NWT writers to showcase the talent in this vast territory. But they didnt have the resources to fund the project. Because we work to encourage northern literacy and writers as much as NorthWords, we were happy to get on board. Our contribution turned the dream into a reality. From 94 submissions, 17 stories were chosen by an independent panel to show the diversity of life and of the writers in the NWT. There are tales of life on the land, going to jail for breaking a dog bylaw, the experience of coming north for the rst time, of growing up in small communities and so much more. Coming Home: Stories from the Northwest Territories is a rst of its kind. Its the rst collection produced in the NWT, about the NWT, by NWT writers. And many of the authors have been published for the rst time. The book was released in November 2012 and is available for purchase at the Yellowknife Book Cellar, online at Amazon, Chapters and Great Plains Publications, and at select book stores across Canada. NorthWords is a non-prot organization that supports northern and Aboriginal writers. It promotes a culture of reading and writing in the North. De Beers has been the premier sponsor since 2006, and is proud to support the annual NorthWords Festival, the NorthWords Prize and the Great Northern Canada Writing Contest.
Christine Raves reads from her story published in Coming Home
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Business Policy
Committed to the NWT Economy
NWT Business Policy When northern businesses are competitive and succeed, its good for De Beers and good for the NWT. Thats why our NWT Business Policy is an important foundation in how we approach doing business. It underpins the way we tender and contract opportunities at the Snap Lake Mine, and the choices we make when purchasing the goods and services we need. At the end of December 2012, De Beers has spent $1.89 billion dollars on the construction and operation of the Snap Lake Mine since commencing construction in 2005. Of that expenditure, $1.3 billion (69% of total expenditure) has been with NWT and Aboriginal businesses. Over this time period, 58% of expenditure with NWT businesses was spent with Aboriginal businesses. For the Operations phase of the Snap Lake Mine, our commitment is to purchase seventy percent (70%) of our goods and services from NWT businesses. In 2012, we spent $194.9 million dollars in the procurement of goods and services for the Snap Lake Mine. Of that expenditure, $134.1 million was spent with NWT businesses, which is just over 69% of our expenditure and $52 million was spent with Aboriginal businesses, which is 37% of our NWT expenditure. While we aim to purchase as much as possible from NWT businesses, our partnerships with Aboriginal and NWT businesses are also aimed at contributing to their long term success. Long term success for any business means remaining competitive and ecient while growing skills that build business capacity to seize existing and new opportunities. For both De Beers and its business partners, these are important ingredients to our collective success. This means that we are in conversation with our business partners regarding what capabilities already exist, how their capacity can be further developed, and what we and they can do to match our needs with their northern business capabilities and capacities. Approaching relationships this way better positions our business partners to provide services not just for us, but to other mines and other clients as well. Thats where Tim Harris, De Beers Manager of Business Development, comes in. Tim works with Aboriginal and NWT companies in a number of ways to support the success of NWT businesses, including: Maintaining a business registry where NWT businesses can keep us informed regarding their businesses, the goods and services they provide and the qualications they have; Providing advance notification to Aboriginal and NWT companies regarding upcoming business opportunities, so they can prepare for and provide competitive bids; and Whenever possible, adapting the scope and size of our contracts with our materials management staff to match our opportunities to the capacities of businesses that already exist in the NWT.
Ocials from Sandvik Mining Americas and De Beers celebrate Sandviks ve years without a Lost Time Injury at the Snap Lake Mine.
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In November, we hosted business opportunities briengs as part of our participation in the Yellowknife Geoscience Forum. There, nearly 100 business people met with our Manager of Business Development, attending his presentations to hear about our plans and upcoming opportunities for both the Snap Lake Mine and the Gahcho Ku Project in 2013.
Our business registry was upgraded in 2012. In the year ahead, our plans include promoting the business registry so NWT businesses can register or update their information such as the goods and services they provide; the size of project they can handle; how they con contribute to our socio-economic commitments; and their safety, health and environmental track records. The updated registry information will be used by De Beers to match qualied businesses, including NWT businesses, with contracting opportunities across Canada. This way, we can invite companies that have the capabilities we need to bid on all of our projects.
* NOTE: In preparing the 2012 Socio-Economic Report, an error in the 2011 cumulative spend report was identied. The 2011 cumulative expenditures were overstated. This has been corrected in reporting the 2012 cumulative expenditures.
We also had an extensive backhaul program, shipping out the majority of units that made up our construction camp. Of the remaining units, some continue to be used as overow accommodations. Other units are to be sent to the proposed Gahcho Ku Project site in 2013. By the Numbers: 2012 Winter Road 894 loads of fuel (33.5 million litres) 589 loads of freight 265 backhauls
Trucks are unloaded at the Snap Lake Mine laydown yard during the annual winter road resupply.
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Better TOgether
Greg Crews, with Bouwa Whee Catering, prepares an omelette in the kitchen at the Snap Lake Mine.
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Nelson Football, left, passes a box to Logistics Lead Hand Ben Goulet as they unload a plane at the Snap Lake Mine.
Dene-Emco Ltd. A partnership between Denesoline Corporation and Emco, Dene-Emco sells mining products in the Northwest Territories. Every year the company sends thousands of products to the Snap Lake Mine. The company is important to the Denesoline Corporation, which manages investments, partnerships and joint ventures to help create and maintain a sustainable economy for the community of Lutsel Ke and the Lutsel Ke Dene First Nation. North Slave Freighters Ltd. Since 2006, North Slave Freighters has been hauling goods over the winter road to the Snap Lake Mine. The company is a subsidiary of MTCOR Inc., the economic development arm of the North Slave Mtis Alliance. Most of North Slave Freighters trucks head to the mine loaded with shotcrete (a type of concrete designed to be sprayed onto surfaces). The shotcrete is manufactured by another MTCOR joint venture: Metcrete Services Ltd., which operates near Edmonton. These companies operate seasonally. And every year, when seasonal workers are needed, more than half of those workers come from the North Slave Mtis or other Aboriginal groups.
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FeedbaCK: We appreciate your feedback on this report or any other aspect of our performance. Please contact us at: External and Corporate Affairs 300-5120 49th Street Yellowknife, NT X1A 1P8 T: 867 766 7300 F: 867 766 7347 E-mail info@debeerscanada.com Feedback form www.debeersgroup.com/canada/Feedback Related LINKs: Mining, Canada | www.debeersgroup.com/canada Donations and sponsorship | www.debeersgroup.com/canada/Sustainability/Social-Investment/ Careers | www.debeersgroup.com/canada/Careers