May 06, 2015 - 9:22 AM
LIKELY, B.C. - The union representing workers at a British Columbia mine hit by a tailings pond breach says continued layoffs have left a skeleton crew as the facility prepares for a potential restart.
Another 120 layoff notices have been handed out to employees handling cleanup, repairs and remediation at the Mount Polley mine operated by Imperial Metals Corp. (TSE-Ill).
The tailings dam at the gold and copper mine in central B.C. collapsed last summer, spilling millions of cubic metres of waste into area waterways.
Fifty people were laid off in February, and another 36 lost their jobs last November.
United Steelworkers Local 1-425 president Paul French says there is simply no work, but he expects operations to restart by mid-July if Imperial Metals is granted a permit to reopen.
Company spokesman Steve Robertson said last week that more than half of Mount Polley's 370 employees would be back at work if operations resume. (250 News, The Canadian Press)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2015