Ontario’s mining industry will need 5,000 more workers by 2030 to meet growing demand, according to the Ontario Mining Association.
“The need is there. We’re in the crunch of it now,” Ontario Mining Association president Priya Tandon told CBC News.
“At round tables or meetings that I’m at, whether it’s with government or industry, it’s one of the number one conversations that come up time after time.”
According to the provincial government, Ontario has “35 significant mineral projects” underway with the potential to reach production in the next decade.
Tandon said an aging workforce and a lack of awareness about the opportunities in the mining industry are some of the main contributors to the labour shortage.
The Ontario Mining Association says 21 per cent of the province’s mining workers are over the age of 55.
Tandon said Ontario’s mining industry needs more people in a variety of roles, from mining engineers, to geologists and skilled tradespeople like millwrights and heavy equipment mechanics.
“I would say we’re competing a lot with the skilled trades,” she said.
“So if you think of Ontario alone and southern Ontario, and other industries like energy and construction and manufacturing, you know, we’re competing. They have talent crunches as well.”
Investments in training
To help meet that demand, the federal government launched the first of six planned workforce alliances for mining and minerals.
The Mining and Minerals Workforce Alliance will “identify and advance industry-led solutions to strengthen the skilled workforce needed at all stages of producing minerals and metals,” according to a news release.
“The alliance will serve a crucial role in ensuring that Canada’s mining workforce is well equipped to support the ambitious national infrastructure projects that will strengthen Canada and enhance our economic independence,” said Patty Hajdu, Canada’s minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, in a statement.
On June 4 the province announced it would provide $3,270,899 to Science North to establish a new training centre at its Dynamic Earth site in Sudbury, Ont.
The provincial government says the centre would help train 7,000 individuals annually in mining, construction and other sectors for a total of 35,000 new trainees over five years.
Tandon said some mining companies have also taken it upon themselves to invest more in employee training.
Agnico Eagle, for example, runs a three-month training program for people with no prior experience in mining at its underground school at the Macassa Mine in Kirkland Lake, Ont.
The company pays participants while they’re in the program and claims those who complete it are guaranteed a full-time job.
Northern College recently made significant changes to the mining engineering technician program at the Haileybury School of Mines.
Jamie Johnston, the college’s dean of mining, trades technology and apprenticeships, said they listened carefully to recommendations from industry partners when developing the new curriculum.
“We’re looking at more intentional integration of mine operations and systems,” she said.
Before joining Northern College, Johnston said she worked as a teacher, principal and guidance counselor at K to 12 schools.
“Even 10 years ago in the education system, I would have said I don’t want my kids going into mining,” she said.
“It’s a dangerous, dirty field. And I’ve completely changed my mind about that because I’ve taken the time to learn more about what it is.”
Sudbury MPP Jamie West, the NDP’s labour critic and a former worker in the mining industry, said he believes children should be informed about opportunities in mining at a younger age.
“We can’t just go fishing for people who are looking to change careers or people in their 20s and 30s. We need to have people at a younger age thinking about, ‘Maybe this is a career for me?’” he said.
Optimism about meeting labour demand
Because mining is primarily concentrated in northern Ontario, West said there’s especially a lack of awareness in southern parts of the province, where the population of available workers is the greatest.
Mining companies, which often have global operations, have also turned to immigration to bring in skilled workers.
Tandon said many use the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program to bring in qualified workers.
As to the challenge of filling 5,000 roles in the next four years, Tandon said she is optimistic that it can happen.
“With mining being under such a spotlight right now and a lot of good initiatives happening to help mining projects get going and a lot of even existing operations looking to extend the life of mines or expand projects, it requires people to get it done,” she said.
