Controversial mining firm signs deal to train Canadians

The B.C. mining company that has prompted legal actions and a federal government policy review over the hiring of Chinese miners says it is working with a college in northern B.C. to develop training for Canadian workers.

The agreement between HD Mining International Ltd. and Northern Lights College calls for thedevelopment ofa curriculum for training people in the long-wall underground mining technique to be used at the Murray River mine near Tumbler Ridge, says company vice-president Jody Shimkus.

Shimkus says the mine will employ about 600 when it reaches full-capacity in the fall of 2015, and the company has a 10-year plan to transfer to a Canadian workforce.

Several unions have asked the Federal Court to conduct a judicial reviewof the temporary work permits, claiming the miners have been brought in from China for lower wages.

They want an injunction to stop the company from bringing in 60 workers scheduled to arrive in mid-December, until the case is resolved.

The company was reported to have also planned eventually to bring in another 140 workers from China.

Shimkus says HD Mining has federal government approval to bring in miners for exploratory work at the mine, and those plans stand.

However, the controversy has ledthe federal government to announce a reviewof its entire temporary foreign worker program.

Northern Lights College has six campuses in northern B.C., including one in Tumbler Ridge.