With Eeyou Istchee recognized as a top-tier global mining destination, Cree leaders are now more visible at influential industry events. A pragmatic approach to government-industry collaboration has enabled extensive Cree participation in the region’s exploration and extraction projects.
At the Resourcing Tomorrow conference in London last December, former Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty emphasized that as sustainability is central to project development, collaboration must focus on mitigating long-lasting impacts while promoting development opportunities and knowledge sharing with community members.
“Engaging early with the Indigenous community allows for the protection of your investment,” Gull-Masty asserted. “It removes barriers to communication and surprises in the project management chain. Social acceptability begins with the point of contact.”
Most companies operating in Eeyou Istchee today appear to have learned that lesson, partnering with communities to overcome resistance and engage local workforces. Ahead of a copper-gold exploration drilling campaign near Chibougamau this year, Cygnus Metals sponsored events and identified community priorities in Ouje-Bougoumou.
“Working with the community for a project that benefits them as well is important,” said Nick Kwong, the company’s chief operating officer. “It’s producing well-paying, long-term jobs, building that training so the next generations can be part of the workforce. What’s really nice in Ouje, there’s a new training centre that was just built last year.”
At the CIM Connect conference in Montreal May 4-7, Kwong worked with Jarris Gull, director of mining services at Waswanipi’s Asinii Consulting. Waswanipi Development Corporation president Marcel Happyjack delivered a presentation about a transmission line the community built to connect the Windfall mine to the Hydro-Québec grid.
Working relationships with mining companies have changed immensely since the Cree Mineral Exploration Board (CMEB) was created out of the Paix des Braves agreement in 2002. Its efforts at bridging companies with communities were acknowledged with a sustainable development award at the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association’s gala in November.
“I’ve made conferences and presentations in Alberta, BC, Australia about how the Crees are doing,” said Youcef Larbi, CMEB chief geologist and director general. “The Crees are doing very well because they thought about good strategy from the beginning, benefiting from this development that’s going to happen anyways.”
Noting violent confrontations worldwide between mining companies and Indigenous communities, Larbi suggested that Billy Diamond wisely negotiated a compromise with developers in the 1970s while the more resistant neighbouring Algonquins have remained relatively impoverished.
With about 630 active projects in Eeyou Istchee, CMEB’s mandate is to highlight the region’s mineral potential while guiding exploration companies in respecting the people, culture and land. While mining claims are filed across nearly the whole territory, there are currently only about 30 significant projects.
“There are a thousand projects before you get one off the ground,” Larbi explained. “We have seven Cree exploration companies and 30 Cree prospectors on the land, all of them independent. The Australians can’t be here, so they deal with our companies.”
After new provincial regulations introduced last year, exploration companies must apply for authorization to carry out work like excavation or rock stripping that impacts the land. The CMEB communicates extensively with the Cree Trappers’ Association about activities on the land while promoting the hiring of Crees to increase social acceptability.
Although gold was CMEB’s initial focus, lithium is increasingly important and, despite Stornoway’s bankruptcy, a huge diamond deposit remains. Altogether, Larbi estimated that less than 200 Crees work directly in mining, which he suggested wasn’t necessarily bad because “mines are not a way of life” and rarely active more than 15 years.
He believes their geology program at Centre d’études collégiales à Chibougamau in partnership with Apatisiiwin Skills Development (ASD) offers more empowering career opportunities. Although the challenging program’s success rate is less than half, graduates are in high demand.
ASD provides training funds and salary subsidies to promote Cree employment in the industry, working with companies to support Cree capacity building and developing courses to meet specific needs through the Cree School Board.
At the Éléonore goldmine on Wemindji territory, the Opinagow Collaboration Agreement signed in 2011 states a goal of employing as many Crees as possible. Although Newmont sold the mine to Dhilmar in November, regular on-site training programs should continue. At the end of 2024, 53 of its 807 employees were Cree.
“They’re predominantly heavy equipment operators,” said ASD program manager Stephane Petawabano. “Unfortunately, the current workforce isn’t too happy regarding their promotional opportunities. They see their peers climb the ladder faster, which is concerning.”
With Cree turnover at the mine three times higher than average, a recent employee retention report revealed allegations of stereotypical attitudes and favouritism affecting promotions. The report addressed cultural communication differences and the challenges of being far from family.
“Some guys don’t like working with women,” said Mary-Jane Rabbitskin. “Some guys talked in French on the radio [thinking she couldn’t understand] and I responded back. That’s when they got quiet. I think for some Crees they put down their confidence – they can’t get me.”
Rabbitskin was one of only four Crees selected from 200 applicants for Éléonore’s semi-annual training program. She thinks the other woman in her cohort quit after some explosives blasting underground were too close for comfort. With experience driving 12-wheelers in Chisasibi, Rabbitskin enjoyed driving all types of trucks in the mine.
“I got to drive 45-ton and 60-ton trucks underground,” Rabbitskin said. “At first it was scary because it was so dark – it was really deep. But I was confident and good at it and I’m going back again.”
She’ll initially be working above-ground with Tawich Construction when returning to the site next month. Saying that there’s demand for drivers at the Galaxy lithium mine near Km381 of the Billy Diamond Highway, Rabbitskin appealed for more women to join the profession.
“In Chisasibi, people are so proud to see a woman be a truck driver and I’d like to see that in the mining industry,” said Rabbitskin. “I’ve always been all alone. I see little girls wanting me to use the biggest horn and I get so proud. A woman told me her girl saw me and wants to be a truck driver too.”