MINING FOR INCLUSION
Saskatchewan Mining Supply Chain Forum shines spotlight on diverse success stories
Hundreds of companies involved in supplying the mining industry in Saskatchewan have been getting together each year in the spring for a decade to do some networking, make new business connections and compare notes.
But the Saskatchewan Mining Supply Chain Forum is more than just a chance to hawk the equipment that make the industry go, it is also an opportunity to celebrate success and share inspiring stories.
Attendees at the Diversity and Inclusion in the Mining Supply Chain session at Saskatoon’s Prairieland Park on April 10 heard three such stories.
Facilitator Winston McLean, president of Iron Wolf Consulting, has worked for more than 20 years in First Nations development.
He said those success stories were a long time in coming, but he is now seeing a shift in the industry and society in general.
“What really impresses me is the fact that 20 or 25 years ago we wouldn’t have seen these kinds of events happening. But the fact that they’re happening more and more frequently tells me that this country is changing and moving in a healthy direction for everyone.”
The result will be connections and business partnerships that are going to create some great futures for Aboriginal people going forward, he said.
Misty Chemco Contractors is a story of the power of partnership.
Bryan Lunge, director of business development, said the joint venture between Chemco and the Mistawasis First Nation — which began in January 2017 — came about because trust was established and good communication brought the community on board.
Misty Ventures is made up of seven companies, each providing a unique service such as the gas station and café near Leask, as well as property management, storage, etc. Chemco is an employee-owned industrial contractor with more than 2,500 workers.
Lunge said Chemco fit well with Misty Ventures, and together, Misty Chemco Contractors Ltd. focuses on the construction and maintenance of industrial projects in Saskatchewan.
It is also hiring and training workers with the skills the company will need.
“How did it start? You meet and you build trust. You can’t do anything if you don’t have trust,” said Lunge. “We have a vision to be a multi-faceted construction company leveraging the ever increasing talent of the Indigenous workforce, and backed by the construction experience of Chemco.”
So far the company, with a 33 per cent Aboriginal workforce, has done a road drainage project
What we’ve found is that if we get local partners from the different Indigenous communities, those people come in and they bring the money home to their communities, and that’s where it really is needed.
RON HYGGEN, above, CEO, Athabasca
Basin Security
worth $5.5 million and built a $7-million pad for a BHP Billiton facility.
“We look for projects where there is a fit in scope, where we can employ local Indigenous people and where everybody gets value from the project,” said Lunge. “It’s people first.”
Rob Tebb, president and chief executive officer of Xtended Hydraulics & Machine Inc. of Regina, is taking training a workforce to the next level.
Tebb is an Indigenous business owner. He said while a lot of firms have tried to hire Indigenous people with varying levels of success, his understanding of the culture and the community has worked well.
“We’ve given opportunities to individuals that wouldn’t necessarily get them from other companies, or have been fast turnovers at other companies.”
Knowing that he can’t hire everybody, Tebb said he has started a joint venture with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies that entails bringing in some young people who need an opportunity to get into an apprenticeship and a trade, and build their future and their career for their families.
He plans to use his equipment and facility in the evenings and on weekends to help train young workers. They will do the classroom part at SIIT, and the handson will be in the shop, where one of the employees at Xtended Hydraulics & Machine is a retired SIAST (now Saskatchewan Polytechnic) machine shop instructor with 35 years experience.
“We want to make sure we leverage that as much as possible to get some young people training and into the workforce.”
The first group of six will begin their course in the fall.
“I’d say our crew that we have working for us, which is over half Aboriginal, is one of the most dedicated crews I’ve ever worked with and I’m very proud of that.”
Ron Hyggen, chief executive of Athabasca Basin Security, told the conference attendees how his company started with one single, small contract and has blossomed to where it is today, with 14 different divisions and more than 300 employees.
“We started with one person opening and closing a gate — that was our security company. Now we have worked with Cameco, BHP Billiton, Nutrien. We have a vision to be a nationally recognized leader in the industry in the provision of security solutions, that supports a thriving and diverse workforce.”
Hyggen said Athabasca Basin Security is 100 per cent Indigenous owned. Three quarters of Athabasca’s employees are Indigenous and most of those people are from rural areas and their home reserves, Hyggen added.
“What we’ve found is that if we get local partners from the different Indigenous communities, those people come in and they bring the money home to their communities, and that’s where it really is needed. It’s those role models in those communities where we’ve seen the biggest impact for all of our people.”
It’s a source of pride for Hyggen that a lot of Athabasca Basin Security employees get their start with the company but then move on to work directly for the big resource companies.
“Those are our best success stories, and then it opens up spots for new people.”