The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Snow Lake has been dealt a grave blow with the announcement that the New Britannia gold mine will close later this year, leaving about 170 workers at the town's largest employer without jobs. High River Gold Mines Ltd. and Kinross Gold Corp., which own the operation, have reached an agreement to suspend development, with a closure anticipated in mid to late September. The mine has for months faced an uncertain future but until now at least a flicker of hope existed in the town of about 1,200 people that a shut down could be averted. Mayor Garry Zamzow wasn't surprised by the announcement and is optimistic that the impact on the town won't be as severe as some fear. "We'll undoubtedly have a lesser population base, but we really don't anticipate a mass exodus," he said. "We're hearing that some of the mine workers and their families will likely use Snow Lake as a home base for their initial plans. We have a good school system and we have good recreation facilities, and there's a good family lifestyle. A lot of the mine workers recognize that." The companies that own the mine had warned last fall that operating costs were becoming unmanageable and a shut down would occur if efforts to extend the life of the mine proved unsuccessful. In a press release announcing the closure, the companies said the mine's production is "being negatively impacted by a thinning and flattening of the ore body in the current area of mining, contributing to fewer tonnes and a diluted grade." "The increased costs resulting from mining at deeper levels, a reduced strike length of the ore zones, and a flattening of the ore zones . . . caused High River and Kinross to reevaluate the mine and its future operations," read the release. Now that the anticipated announcement has come, Zamzow said residents can focus on the future of their town. "We have had open public forums inviting Snow Lakers to attend, and we welcome their suggestions as to the direction that we could be going to maintain our community," he said. Issues that have been discussed include placing more focus on tourism and cabin lot development, as well as promoting Snow Lake as a retirement community. "We have a substantial senior population in this town," said Zamzow. "I can't give you an actual number, but that retirement living (aspect) has been gaining strength as more and more workers retire, and that's a good thing." See 'More' P.# Con't from P.# In the future, there may even be more mining activity. "It goes without saying that there is a lot of potential here for exploration to happen," said Zamzow. "The challenge is going to be for the town of Snow Lake, the councillors, and myself to make sure that industry and government and all the stakeholders are constantly working towards seeing a new mine happen here." New Britannia's owners are also optimistic about the mining potential in the area. "The Snow Lake area remains an attractive area for gold exploration," read the press release on the closure, "and High River is continuing its discussions with Kinross to consider new initiatives under which High River could pursue an aggressive exploration program in the area." After the shut down, Snow Lake will still have a zinc and copper mine, operated by HBMS, that reportedly employs about 50 people. The exact role the Manitoba government will play in helping Snow Lake through the closure is unclear, though Flin Flon and Snow Lake MLA Gerard Jennissen has pledged the province's support. "We will help them as much as we can with community adjustment programs, worker adjustment programs," he said in an interview earlier this year. "In fact, I was there recently, talking to the mayor, the council, the mining people, seeing how we can soften the blow, look at various options, training, and so on." Jennissen believes the closure could mean 300-500 residents leave Snow Lake, while Zamzow would not hazard a guess as to how many people may move. This won't be the first time the gold mine has closed. The New Britannia gold deposit has had two periods of operation from 1947-1957 and again from 1995-present. Over the total life of the mine, approximately 1.4 million ounces of gold have been recovered.
