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| Thar's jobs in them thar hills; New Gold will soon need another 100 employees for copper-gold mine |
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The Daily News (Kamloops)
Wed Mar 31 2010
Byline: Cam Fortems
Accelerating construction on its New Afton project will translate into New Gold increasing its mine workforce by more than half.
Ron Allum, New Gold's vice-president of operations for Canada, said Tuesday design and tendering work is underway to prepare for $50 million worth of construction activity that will ramp up later this year and into 2011. Work was originally scheduled for 2011 and 2012.
"It will get some surface activity done and out of the way," Allum said of the expenditure approved earlier this year. "That's before we get ore out of the ground and stockpiled."
New Gold Inc. plans to stockpile as much as a half million tonnes of copper-gold ore prior to mill commissioning in mid-2012.
"That will give us a good base to start commissioning work," Allum said.
The mill will be capable of processing about 11,000 tonnes of ore a day once it is fully operational.
To get there the company must complete surface infrastructure as well as continuing underground tunneling.
About 150 people are working on the mine site on the city's western boundary. Allum said the ramp up in activity will require "another 100 employees or so."
Venture Kamloops chief executive officer Dan Sulz said the jobs will be welcome for an economy climbing out of recession.
"Definitely these jobs at New Gold are good paying jobs."
The jobs will replace others lost this year, including at Pollard Banknote, which shuttered in February, and Convergys Corp. which is set to close in April. Together about 250 jobs will disappear.
Sulz said landing a "big whale" like New Gold and its workforce will boost the city economy. But Venture Kamloops is focusing efforts at small- and medium-size employers that could each bring 15-20 jobs here.
Also offsetting job losses is the 15-20 workers who will come to Kamloops from Victoria to staff the new provincial fire centre this spring.
Most of the hiring at New Gold will be toward the end of the year and into 2011.
"There will be a few people hired in the near term for construction on the underground conveyor," Allum said. "It won't be significant."
Hiring will include heavy equipment operators, millwrights and pipe layers for surface construction while underground work will require construction workers and miners.
New Gold is expected to spend $120 million on its New Afton project this year.
NUGGETS
Construction spending this year and 2011: $50 million
Processing capacity when fully operational: 11,000 tonnes of ore a day
New jobs: "another 100 employees or so" in addition to the current 150
© 2010 The Daily News (Kamloops) |
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