“o. itemList. length” “this. config. text. ariaShown”
“This. config. text. ariaFermé”
From June to September, Michelle Polson obtained a hug or a single kiss from her two young children, her daughter Payton, 10, and her son Keyton, 8.
Like You Believe in the Mining Sector, Polson’s life consisted of a brutal routine of 14-day paintings, followed by 14 days of self-de-insulation, as required by the COVID-19 restrictions of the Cree nation government.
And it’s not just about the mining workers.
Under restrictions, all Hydro-Québec mines, exploration sites, forest camps and structure sites are “risk zones” and require Cree staff to isolate themselves for two weeks at the end of their shifts, to protect vulnerable populations Cree Communities from COVID -19.
It was emotionally difficult. – Michelle Polson, underground miner
“It was emotionally complicated to be away from my family,” said Polson, 26, who works as a background miner for an exploration company at Osisko Mining’s Windfall site, located in the classic territory of the Waswanipi Cree nation, about 700 kilometres northwest. Montreal.
Only in contact
Every day of last week, about 425 people moved away in all Cree communities, according to figures informally followed by Cree officials. Not all are mine paintings, forestry or hydroelectric sites, but many are.
For Polson, restrictions meant living in a caravan in Waswanipi when she wasn’t running and being in touch with her family circle only through video chat or outdoors remotely.
But then, in August, Osisko Mining announced an investment of more than $500,000 to build an on-site lab for COVID-19 testing.
The type of control it is capable of is that of southern laboratories, according to Cree officials.
“I am so pleased to see my family, hug them, sit and eat with them, laugh with them,” Polson said when talking about her first 14 days off after the lab took over.
“My mom cried Array . . . my kids left me,” she says.
Priority for the company
Although not a requirement of the Quebec government, the resolve to invest in the lab was mandatory to create a safe site for all workers, contractors and surrounding communities, according to Alix Drapack, senior vice president of sustainable progression at Osisko Mining.
And allow staff to believe like Polson to be with their families when they’re not working.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Drapack wrote in an email, adding that many Cree staff members had opted for a transitional layoff and that it is a priority for the company to allow them to return to work safely.
All Osisko staff undergo two tests, one on arrival and one moment on the tenth day of their 14-day shift. Cree staff also undergo a third test, just before returning home, and get a letter confirming their results. The protocols were developed in close collaboration with the government of the Cree nation.
It’s a welcome gesture from The Cree partners to Waswanipi’s chef, Marcel Happyjack.
And in my people. – Marcel Happyjack, leader of Waswanipi
“Your help is not a document, but an investment in my people,” Happyjack said in a statement through the Government of cree Country.
“I’ll be grateful to Osisko for his status with [us],” Happyjack said.
Three operations now have COVID-19 labs on site
Currently, there are 3 mining or exploration companies in the territory believe that they have laboratories and whose staff have been granted an exemption from the requirement to isolate for two weeks.
In addition to Osisko, there is also COVID testing at the Stornoway mine near Mistissini’s Cree network and, more recently, at the Eleonore mine near the Cree Wemindji network.
As of this week, Eleonore no longer has to isolate himself once his shift is over.
The Great Chief of the Cree Nation, Abel Bosum, would like to see more promoters such as the example of Osisko, Stornoway and Eleonore and make the same investment in their Cree workforce.
“The progression of herbal resources is not just a matter of taking,” Bosum said in a statement.
“If all the promoters in our territory behaved in this way Array . . . [we] could make an even greater contribution to what will be the largest economic recovery in the history of Quebec.