Workers at Donkin mine laid off as stop work order remains in place

Two rockfalls in less than a week last month has the Donkin Mine still closed -- and now there's layoffs.

“We found out just yesterday that close to 40 employees were temporarily laid off at the mine,” said CBRM councillor James Edwards on Wednesday.

Edwards says Kameron Coal has made the necessary repairs and he has been assured the mine is safe.

He says it's a tough time in his community right now and the workers want to be back on the job.

“The mine is ready to go as soon as the province comes in and does the inspection. They're confident it will pass,” said Edwards.

Nova Scotia's Labour Department says repairs carried out by the company will be reviewed by an outside consultant before any decision is made.

The latest rockfall on July 15 followed another temporary closure just days earlier, after inspectors found what they said was "a very small amount" of roof material which had fallen on the floor of the tunnel.

“It's not worth it. It's not worth the risk to human lives,” said CBU political science professor, Tom Urbaniak.

Despite there being no injuries, some people want the mine to stay closed.

Urbaniak says there have been dozens of safety orders since the mine first opened in 2017.

“There has to be a higher level of discussion about this and quickly,” he said.

In an email, Morien Resources, which has royalty interest in the mine, said Kameron Coal made an internal decision to implement a comprehensive remediation program, which included extensive roof bolting over the full length of the 3.5-kilometre-long access tunnel in order to safeguard against future falls.

“In conversation with mine officials, they're a little baffled as to what the holdup is,” said Edwards.

The province says the focus now is to ensure the mine can open safely.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.