Yellowknife, Canada – Diamond miners and manufacturers in Canada are working to support employees and adjust operations as “unprecedented” wildfires continue to burn in the Northwest Territories, forcing thousands to evacuate.
Yellowknife, the capital of the territory, has a population of about 20,000 and is located on the northern shore of the Great Slave Lake.
Benjamin King, CEO of Diamonds De Canada, a boutique diamond manufacturing company in Yellowknife, said in a phone interview Monday that the fire is approaching the city from the west, east and north.
While wildfires occur every year in the Northwest Territories, this year the weather has exacerbated the spread of the fires.”This year has been an incredibly dry season for the north, low humidity,” King explained. “Typically you get a lot of rain on and off throughout the summer, and that hasn’t been the case. It’s been a trend for the last couple of years; it’s been a lot drier in the summer.
“This is the first time I think anybody can remember that Yellowknife has been threatened by a fire.”
Residents were ordered to evacuate late last week, and King, who splits his time between Yellowknife and the United States, said they complied, except for those helping with firefighting efforts.
The Diamonds De Canada plant is closed, as is the Yellowknife office of mining company Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto is the sole owner of the Diavik mine, one of three major diamond mines in the Northwest Territories.
A Rio Tinto spokesperson told National Jeweler via email over the weekend that the office will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
The mine, located about 186 miles northeast of Yellowknife, is not directly threatened by the fire.
Operations can continue safely, albeit at reduced capacity, as Rio Tinto works to provide support and flexibility to employees who have been evacuated or need to be close to their homes or families.
It has evacuated employees from its Yellowknife office while operations at Gahcho Kué and ongoing closure activities at De Beers’ inactive mine in the territory, Snap Lake, continue.
The company also said it has donated a total of $70,000 to the United Way NWT Emergency Response Fund to assist with wildlife relief efforts, and is considering other ways it can help local residents.
“Our hearts go out to all those who have been displaced and lost their homes and businesses during this unprecedented wildfire season,” said Erik Madsen, Corporate Affairs Lead for De Beers Group Managed Operations (Canada).
“We are also working closely with our more than 40 Gahcho Kué colleagues who have been evacuated from Hay River, Fort Smith, Enterprise and Jean Marie River.”
Burgundy Diamond Mines Ltd, which recently completed the purchase of the Ekati mine, also said that while the mine is not currently threatened by the fires, it is assisting affected employees.
In a statement released on Monday, the company said several Burgundy employees who live in Yellowknife have relocated to cities in Alberta, while some Ekati employees who have specialised emergency response skills are volunteering to help fight the fires.
Most of the Burgundy workforce is flying into the mine from Calgary, Alberta, to work a two-week shift and then take two weeks off.
To help those who used to fly into Yellowknife but had to evacuate, the company said it is allowing flexible work arrangements and adding additional flights from Edmonton via Calgary, then on to Ekati.Burgundy Diamond Mines remains committed to supporting its employees affected by the wildfires and will continue to monitor and provide updates on the wildfire situation,” the company said.
“We will continue to work with the Government of the Northwest Territories to assist with wildfire suppression efforts and to support team members living in evacuated areas.”
As of Monday afternoon, NWT Fire, the information Facebook page maintained by the Government of the Northwest Territories, said the Behchoko/Yellowknife fire was about 15 km (9 miles) northwest of Yellowknife, but was “highly unlikely” to reach the outskirts of the city in the next three days because it had been held back by aerial support and rain.
King said it is unknown at this point when people will be allowed to return to Yellowknife. It could be two to three weeks as the Government of the Northwest Territories tends to be cautious, especially since there is only one highway in and out of the city.
He said Diamonds De Canada will resume fulfilling orders as soon as it is able to reopen, but customers should expect some delays.
In the meantime, he wants the industry to know about the strength and resilience of the people of the Northwest Territories.
“If you’re from the North, you’re naturally as tough as a diamond,” King said. “Despite all the changes that the world has thrown at us with the climate, the one thing you have to know about [northerners] is that they adapt and they overcome all these difficulties.”
