Labrador West buzzing with interest as Scully mine returns from the dead

Hundreds of eager people flooded the Arts and Cultures Centre in Labrador City on Tuesday night to hear what TacoraResources had to say about job prospects.

The seats filled up and people spilled into the aisles as the iron ore company hosted its first information session on the reboot of the Scullymine.

They were told hiring would start small with a few jobs as early as January, with the majority of positions being filled in March.

"We're very excited to see the interest and it says a lot about what we're about to take on and what it means to the community," said Tacora general manager Bob Gagne.

In the crowd were people desperate to get back to work after some tough economic times in Labrador West. The mine shut down in 2014, as iron ore prices slumped and costs increased.

More than 400 people were put out of work then, and about 260 people are expected to be hired before the mine reopens in June2019.

We want people that are willing to be multi-skilled and multitask.- Bob Gagner

The former employeesaren't guaranteed work again, but the company is encouraging them to apply again.

The mine is looking to put more responsibilities on its employees, Gagne said. Rather than just truck drivers or mill attendants, they want people who can do a variety of jobs.

"We want people that are willing to be multi-skilled and multitask, which will give us a competitive advantage at work," Gagne said.

Who wants a job?

Shannon Curlew was at the Arts and Cultures Centre hoping to hear promising news on Tuesday night.

"I came out to look for a job in public relations so I'm just hoping that I can fill a role there that's needed and get hired," she said.

She wasn't surprised by the crowd that filed into the building and filled every seat.

"It's a mining community and it's very passionate, and everybody here is just itching to get back into the mines andstart doing what they're really good at."

It's also good news for businesses in the community, ones that stand to make money on the mine reopening after fiveyears sitting empty.

"We've done some work already with Tacora over the last couple of years getting some of their equipment assembled, inspected," said Todd Grouchyof TMH Mechanical."Looks really good for the community."

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