De Beers Canada received a national Silver Award in the Mining and Natural Resources Division as one of Canada’s safest employers, for the second consecutive year. This also happened to be the third major safety award received by company during 2018.

The Canada's Safest Employers awards recognise companies for their outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their workers.  This year a total of 38 companies received recognition in 14 categories. Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine has presented the awards annually since 2011. De Beers Canada received the award at the 2018 Canada’s Safest Employers Gala held on October 18 in Toronto, Ontario.

“This recognition is shared by all employees because everyone at De Beers Canada is empowered to be a safety leader, even if this means stopping a task. Zero Harm is always our goal,” said Kim Truter, Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Canada. “We are honoured by the award and will use this as incentive to strengthen our performance in the year ahead as we continue to transform our company with new projects and new contract partners who will be part of our ongoing safety journey.”

In its announcement statement, the Company noted that its “outstanding safety culture” has time and again received recognition over the past few years. During 2018, the De Beers Canada Victor Mine received the eastern region John T. Ryan award for mining safety as well as the President’s Award from Workplace Safety North in Ontario.

“Victor Mine earned two successive national John T. Ryan awards for mining safety for both 2015 and 2016,” recalled De Beers Canada. “Gahcho Kué Mine received the Hatch-CIM Project Safety Award from the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) in 2017 and the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce Workplace Health and Safety Award in 2016. The company’s exploration division is also a multiple safety award winner and Snap Lake Mine, now in extended care and maintenance, received two western region John T. Ryan safety awards, in 2009 and 2013.”

De Beers Canada operates Victor Mine, located in the James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario, and the Gahcho Kué Mine in the Northwest Territories (NWT), a joint venture with Mountain Province Diamonds. The company has over 800 employees across the country and in September purchased the Chidliak diamond project located on Baffin Island in Nunavut territory.