In early February of 2013, the empty holder on Elm Street’s Snow Sound building was filled with the sign of a company that was no stranger to Snow Lake – J.S. Redpath Ltd.
It was a cause for celebration to see that new sign go up, and many sensed a revitalization of the downtown was instilled along with it.
However as we all know well, the mining industry is fickle, unforgiving, and cyclical. When it gives, it gives good, but when it takes away, it hurts bad.
So is the case with Redpath’s office on Elm and their sign above it.
Two workers worked through the morning of Aug. 29 removing the sign, and the holder once again sits empty.
Asked to comment on the move, the paper contacted Redpath’s vice-president of Canadian operations, Paul Healy. Healy was out of the country; however, he did reply.
“Redpath’s scope of work at the Lalor Project is essentially complete and Hudbay’s immediate goal is to be self-sufficient as the mine operator,” wrote Healy in a Sept. 4 email. “This coupled with current business opportunities in northern Manitoba being limited, has resulted in the decision to close our Snow Lake regional office. Redpath wishes Hudbay all the best in transitioning Lalor into an operating mine and hopes to return to northern Manitoba to support Hudbay or other operations in the future.”
Snow Lake mayor Clarence Fisher was also out of the country when he was asked to address the situation on the day it happened.
“I actually have little comment to make about Redpath,” said the mayor, also by email. “We were happy to see that they chose to join us in Snow Lake and are disappointed to lose any business in the community. I hope that the mining economy in the country gets back on its feet again, so that companies like Redpath can be busy once again in our area.”
In addition to their headquarters in North Bay, Ont., Redpath has regional Canadian offices in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Timmins, Ontario, Sudbury, Ontario, and Red Lake, Ontario, as well as a global work force of close to 6,200 personnel.
Included in that number were the approximately 50 people they had working at Lalor and the two people who once staffed their Snow Lake office.
My Take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
