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Jonathon Naylor Editor Mining companies don't usually like to be wrong when it comes to their ore deposits. But in the case of Trout Lake Mine, Hudbay could not be more thrilled with its miscalculation. When Trout Lake entered production just west of Flin Flon in 1981, the company _ then known as HBM&S _ projected a modest lifespan of five years. Now, more than three decades, hundreds of employees and untold millions in revenue later, Trout Lake will formally cease production on Thursday. 'It's been a good go, this mine,' says Bentley Busby, who has worked at the mine for about the past 15 years. 'It's too bad it couldn't have lasted another five years.' Busby is among just over 100 employees remaining at Trout Lake. Like a number of his coworkers, he is opting to retire along with the mine. Others have or will transfer to Hudbay operations at 777, 777 North and Reed Lake, but they know the special atmosphere at Trout Lake is unlikely to be duplicated. 'There's a great group of people at Trout Lake and the turnaround was quite low,' says Richard Trudeau, Hudbay's mines manager for Flin Flon and Snow Lake. See 'Granges...' on pg.6 Continued from pg. 1 'Guys liked it out there and they've done a lot of great things as far as production goes, (and) safety.' Granges Exploration Ltd. discovered the Trout Lake ore body in 1976 under the waters of Embury Lake, known locally as Trout Lake. A joint venture consisting of Granges, HBM&S, Manitoba Mineral Resources Ltd. and Outokumpu Oy formed to develop and mine the property. With HBM&S designated as the mine operator, road construction to Trout Lake _ about four kilometres east of Flin Flon _ began in July 1980. The first phase of the main decline was blasted in October of that year. Underground development and construction of the surface facilities proceeded simultaneously. First production was in December 1981. In time production would peak at about one million tons a year, but the mine often seemed overshadowed by the South Mains and 777s of the area. Continual exploration repeatedly extended the life of the copper-zinc mine. Five years on, Trout Lake was still going strong. Then 10 years on. Then 20. In the 1990s, there was enough untapped potential at Trout Lake to warrant the paving of the road between the mine site and the Perimetre Highway. That meant a much smoother ride for the steady stream of ore trucks and worker buses coming to and from the 'round-the-clock operation. But in recent years it became clear Trout Lake's time was nearly up. There was talk of closure in 2011, but, in one last extension, operations stretched into the first half of 2012. Trout Lake will end its remarkable run as the third most successful mine in Hudbay history, behind the Flin Flon Mine and Leaf Rapids' Ruttan Mine. It will have produced about 24.16 million tons. Trudeau, who has spent part of his 29-year Hudbay career at Trout Lake, says the mine always maintained a strong efficiency. 'They were able to make the (projected) tonnes consistently and safely,' he says. Over the years, Trout Lake garnered a solid reputation and racked up many mining 'firsts' on the local, national and even international stage. It was the first Hudbay mine to recycle its discharge water and use a remote-controlled rockbreaker from the crusher station. Trout Lake was also the first company mine to feature an underground radio communications system, and to have surface-type vehicles move workers and material underground. Nationally, Trout Lake was the first mine in Canada to use 50-tonne diesel trucks underground as well as a chemical dust suppression system at underground 'rockbreaker' sites. Globally, Trout Lake was frequently recognized as a leader in mechanized mining. Mining personnel from around the world have visited the mine to see what all the fuss was about. Trout Lake staff were so renowned that they were once chosen to test a prototype scooptram _ used to move loose rock and ore _ at a mine in Sweden. More impressive is the fact that Trout Lake was once believed to be the most productive mining operation in the world to utilize the 'cut and fill' method of short-hole mining. 'There's a tremendous list of accomplishments (at) Trout Lake,' says a proud Dave Etienne, the on-site manager of the mine. And not all of the accomplishments relate to mining. See ' Medicinal...' on pg.7 Continued from pg.6 In 2001, Trout Lake became world-famous when, within some of its vacant space, the world's first legal medicinal marijuana grow-op opened. It was an ideal location given that Health Canada, which funded the pot production, demanded extremely tight security. Many hoped the grow-op would lead to other plant-based medical initiatives and turn Flin Flon into a world leader in an exciting and emerging field. But the grow-op shut down in 2009 when the grower, Prairie Plant Systems of Saskatoon, failed to secure a lease extension from Hudbay. A year after the marijuana seeds were planted saw Trout Lake host 2002's Dinner in the Dark, a unique event still talked about a decade later. About 300 ladies and gents put on their Sunday bests (even though it was a Tuesday) for a formal supper in the main mechanical shop, 20 metres below the surface. Held as part of the Flin Flon-hosted Mid Canada Mining Corridor Conference, the dinner was believed to be the first underground banquet, certainly of its size, ever held. The atypicality of the evening may have been summed up best by Reg Hiebert, who was among the guests. 'I worked underground 32 years ago, and this was quite a different experience from bringing a lunch kit and work clothes here every day,' he said at the time. 'To come down here and have prime rib and chocolate mousse is really something.' Even at the banquet, though, there was some discussion over what would happen when Trout Lake inevitably closed. What would be the impact on the company workforce? On Flin Flon as a whole? Until fairly recently, over 160 Hudbay employees spent their shifts at Trout Lake. That's a lot of people, and concerns over the loss of Trout Lake only grew with time. However, thanks to retirements and openings at other Hudbay operations, not one person will be handed a pink slip when the mine ceases production. Still, some of those transferring out face 'a big transition,' as Trudeau sees it. 'Some of these employees have never seen another mine in Flin Flon,' he says. '...after being maybe 30 years at one mine, you get used to the guys, you get used to your locker, you get used to the routine.' While Hudbay employees will escape cutbacks, the same cannot be said of contractors. Trout Lake has already lost more than 30 contract positions, and the few left over will soon follow. Such is mining. After more than three decades of production, the coming months will see a new routine develop at Trout Lake as steps are taken to return the property to Mother Nature. Salvage work will take place this summer, with security still in place. The spacious tire shop will continue to be utilized until the end of next winter, supplying tires to vehicles for operations in Flin Flon and Snow Lake. With the exception of the tire shop, which will be moved into Flin Flon next year, the plan is to demolish or sell off the Trout Lake infrastructure. Hudbay is now entertaining offers for the hoist and hoist drill, and will look to find a buyer for the dismantle-ready plant that treats water discharged from the mine. Actual reclamation work is due to begin next year and could, as Trudeau notes, take a number of years to wrap up. For his part, Etienne is ending his 42-year mineral-fueled career with the mine he manages. Yet as he prepares for the tranquility of retirement, he knows he will miss Trout Lake. 'I've got a great crew out here and a very, very strong staff,' he says. 'They work well together and that makes it a pleasure to come to work.' As Trout Lake Mine has proven, it's okay for mining companies to be wrong.
