THUNDER BAY – The head of the local United Steel Workers Union chapter isn’t calling for mines in Northwestern Ontario to be shut down.
But Herb Daniher isn’t ruling out the possibility of it happening down the road.
Daniher was reacting on Thursday to news that an employee at the Lac des Iles Mine north of Thunder Bay had tested positive for COVID-19. The employee, plus five of his co-workers, was sent home to self-isolate after the positive test was returned.
“It’s a difficult question,” Daniher said, asked if the mines should be closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
”But that is a legitimate question. Is that really the best course of action? We follow the directions and mandates of the health authorities and the experts that are out there. That’s sort of our guidance with it. If it came a point, where we really thought that it was an immediate concern and you opened up the site and everybody’s going to be subjected to it, then you need to take a serious look at the circumstances as they arise.”
Dr. Janet DeMille, chief medical officer at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, said it's a fluid situation, adding they've had several converstations with mine management over the past two days.
DeMille said she doesn't have the power to shut down the mine, but said she does feel a significant level of concern about what's happened at Lac Des Iles.
"We have reached out both yesterday and today to the mine to work with them to gather the additional information. So it's very complicated with all the people going in and out with getting all the information," DeMille said on Thursday. "We have done some follow-up, certainly of the people who were close to this individual, but there's still a lot of work that needs to get done and that will continue today and tomorrow.
"It's a concerning situation. We have things that we're thinking about in relation to being able to manage that."
Asked if workers at the mine would be allowed to leave during Tuesday's scheduled shift change, DeMille could not definitively say yes.
"We're talking to them about that right now," DeMille said.
Daniher praised the mine's parent company, Impala Canada, which he said has taken extraordinary precautions to keep workers safe during the COVID-19 threat. The worker in question passed all screening protocols before being allowed on the site and did not show signs of the virus while at the mine, from March 29 to April 4.
Daniher said it’s not surprising to see a case arise at a mine, where employees are in and out, often traveling long distances to get to and from the job site.
With 85 per cent of USW’s 7,000 workers in the region still on the job, it’s bound to happen.
“We have challenges everywhere,” he said. “In this particular case, you cannot second-guess their safeguards. (Impala) has gone beyond the call of duty to social distancing and a number of other policies, testing inside and outside the plant.
“They have a unique experience there bringing people in from across the country. There are unique challenges and they really are trying to keep people safe there.”
Daniher said at least 23 employees have been written up for not following physical distancing policy at the mine site, which will remain open, according to company CEO Tim Hill.
This story has been updated to include comments from Dr. Janet DeMille, chief medical officer at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
