Yellowknife City Council held its governance and priorities committee meeting today.
The main topic of discussion was the ongoing closure process of Diavik Diamond Mine (DDMI) which is set to officially close by 2026.
According to the mine’s owners ‘Rio Tinto,’ DDMI contributes to 10% of the NWT’s annual GDP.
Rio Tinto is now looking to the City and Territorial governments for a partnership to keep jobs in the north, specifically the City of Yellowknife.
“Our first goal through the closure process is to keep as many northerners employed as we can.” Rio Tinto representative Tara Marchiori told MyTrueNorthNow.
“We expect a very short active closure period, but there will be work with communities to make sure there is ongoing monitoring of the process,” she added.
As a solution to potential job loss through the process, Rio Tinto says they plan to introduce a program to guide employees looking for work after layoffs gradually begin.
‘MyPath’ is a program introduced by Rio Tinto to provide skills certification in similar fields, severance payments when needed, and financial planning for current DDMI employees.
“Where possible, we will re-train internally to move employees into different positions at Diavik,” Marchiori said.
Rio Tinto says they plan to continue apprenticeship programs at the mine until 2026 and have committed to continuing Yellowknife Community Foundation scholarships until 2050.
