Plan for B.C. mine leaves Canadian workers out for four years

Two unions are challenging a mining company in court, in light of foreign employment for a northern B.C. mining project.

According to the Globae & Mail, the challenged company, HD Mining, obtained temporary foreign worker permits for the project. The course case shows that HD Mining will employ 201 Chinese miners using the work permits. The case also reveals the long-term plans for the project.

While the project intends to transfer to a fully Canadian workforce, this transition will take at least 14 years to complete. In the meantime, the company does not plan to hire any Canadian miners within the next 4 years. And after four years, they will shift work to Canadians, at a rate of about 10 percent of the workforce per year.

The plan also explains that the foreign workers will help with initial construction demands for the project, and that HD Mining will set up a training school to assist the transition to a Canadian workforce.

Flickr Photo by: hushed_Iavinia

STORY WRITTEN BY: Patrick Miller