A little over 11  years ago, De Beers Canada took control of operations at Victor Mine. Earlier this month, the final haul truck brought the last load of ore from the pit “to mark the end of mining activities at Ontario’s first and only diamond mine”, De Beers said.

Marking the end of an era, it was a historic moment. And the honour of driving that truck went to Nancy Wesley, of Kashechewan First Nation. Fittingly, she had worked at Victor for 11 years, as a haul truck driver, dozer operator and production drill operator.

“Last haul truck out of Victor Mine,” Nancy called over the radio, as, at the top of the ramp, two dozen colleagues gathered to send her off.

“I remember when it started with small five metre benches at the top, and now when I drive down nearly 300 metres to the bottom I can see all the work we’ve done and it’s hard to believe,” said Bernard Trapper, a member of the Moose Cree First Nation. Beginning work with the Company in 2008 as a haul truck driver, he ended his career at Victor Mine as a mining supervisor.

Since 2008, an estimated 900,000 truckloads moved more than 88 million tonnes of rock and ore from the pit that now measures 1,000 metres long and 1,000 metres across, De Beers recounted.

“The mining department has been a pillar for the rest of the mine over the past couple of months,” said Alistair Skinner, Operations Manager. “They have done exactly what we needed to do and they gave their all to get the last of those tonnes out safely.”

Victor Mine has been a winner of several local, national and international awards, including ‘International Mine of the Year’ in 2009, and the 2015 and 2016 John T. Ryan Awards as one of the safest mines in Canada. Most recently, the mine received the 2017 Eastern Region John T. Ryan Award, the 2018 Workplace Safety North President’s Award and a Workplace Excellence Award from Workplace Safety North.

“Victor is ending production the way it began, with a strong safety and production performance,” De Beers noted.

The Mine, which was forecast to produce six million carats during its life, has already produced more than eight million carats – a record 935,000 carats being recovered during 2018 alone, a figure 58% higher than the 2018 forecast. Victor will continue to process stockpiled ore until early May.

“That is something really special,” said Brian Kilbride, Senior Mining Manager, who has worked at Victor since before it went into operation. He was speaking at an emotional final toolbox meeting with the mining team after the last ore was hauled from the pit, and concluded by saying: “I’m extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish in that pit and I think everybody has gained a lot of great skills that you can take anywhere in this country.”