Iron ore production to restart in Labrador mining town

The Labrador town ST. JOHN’S, N.L. of Wabush is in for a much-needed economic boost as one of Canada’s largest iron ore mines restarts production next year. Premier Dwight Ball travelled to Wabush on Tuesday to announce the official reopening of the Scully mine, with hiring for 260 new jobs to begin over the next few weeks. “The work starts today, the hiring process starts today,” Ball said. “The restart of the Scully mine is a major accomplishment for the mining industry in our province.” Ball spoke to the mining industry’s importance to rural Labrador communities like Wabush, referencing the expected positive economic effect an active mine will have on other local businesses. Hundreds of people lost their jobs when Cliffs Natural Resources closed the Scully mine in 2014 after almost 50 years in operation. At the time, Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. blamed rising costs and falling commodity prices for the closure. Minnesota-based Tacora Resources Inc. bought the mine and its assets in July 2017. Ball said the reopened mine would see an estimated production rate of about six million tonnes of concentrate per year. Tacora CEO Larry Lehtinen said production is expected to begin in June 2019.