Deal signed in 2011 details benefits for Wemindji from Éléonore gold mine

Wemindji’s golden opportunity for the creation and operation of the Éléonore gold mine – detailed in the Opinagow Collaboration Agreement – finally became public June 19, save for the deal’s financial terms.

It’s been more than four years since Goldcorp, the Cree Nation of Wemindji, the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) and the Cree Nation Government signed the deal on February 21, 2011.

The agreement outlines a collaborative agreement for the development and now operation of the mining project that would provide economic benefits for all parties involved.

“What is good about this agreement is that it ensures that the Crees are able to participate in any of the extraction industry related to the Éléonore mine,” said Andrew Baribeau, a former member of the Grand Council of the Crees and now the GCC’s mining advisor. “This is one part. The second part is that it allows the Crees to ensure that all mining activity is done according to Cree values and vision in respect to the long-term use of the land, the continuation of cultural activities.”

According to Baribeau, the project employed hundreds of Crees in its construction phase and now will provide skilled positions to Crees who have been training over the last few years in preparation for this phase. The mine opened up for production this past spring and this year is expected to produce between 290,000 and 330,000 ounces of gold. Once it is running at full capacity come 2018, production is forecast at 500,000 to 600,000 ounces of gold per year.

Currently, the mine employs 1,265 people, with 21% of that workforce self-identifying as Aboriginal.

With the release of the agreement, the Cree public will now be able to see how well it honours their needs and desires and how it benefits the local and regional economy.

“The development of the community is far from being something that is just tied to economic development; it is something that is tied to who the community is in terms of their cultural identity, their language, their vision for their future and their children and everything else,” said Baribeau. “All of these things have been taken into consideration as much as possible.”

The Opinagow Agreement is Goldcorp’s second deal of its kind in Canada, with the first being in northern Ontario. Whether it should be a model is something that only time will tell, as every First Nation has different priorities and realities. What has worked in this instance for the Crees may not work for another First Nation.

“This is the greatest thing because before everybody knew more or less about the agreement, whether or not they were in the Cree world or elsewhere, we did not have forums where we could discuss this openly. This is the first step towards that,” said Baribeau.