Supportive Communities

To maintain public support for our operations (our social licence to operate) and our global reputation, we need the respect and support of communities, indigenous people, governments and regulators affected by our operations.

We work with communities who are affected by our activities to tell them what we are doing and to receive feedback and further input to build and sustain their trust. For example, in Saskatchewan, we participate in the Athabasca Working Group and Northern Saskatchewan Environmental Quality Committee. In Ontario, we liaise with our communities by regularly holding educational and environment-focused activities. Public opinion research shows that we have strong local support in these communities.

We build and sustain the trust of local communities by being a leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Through our CSR initiatives, we educate, engage, employ and invest in the people in the regions where we operate.

For example, in northern Saskatchewan in 2012:

• just under 50% of the employees at our northern mines were local residents (756) and were paid over $73 million in wages
• over $460 million was paid to northern businesses, which provided 73% of services to our northern minesites. This is the most that we have ever procured from northern vendors in one year.
• we made over 85 community visits in northern Saskatchewan to discuss potential projects at our northern operations and to provide career information to high school students and community members
• we donated over $1.7 million to northern and aboriginal initiatives for youth, health and wellness, education and literacy, and culture and recreation
• we provided $100,000 in scholarships to post-secondary students

In an effort to formalize our relationship with local communities and guide future cooperation and the sharing of benefits from our operations, we negotiated the first of several collaboration agreements with northern Saskatchewan communities in 2012. In a joint effort with AREVA Resource Canada Inc., we signed a collaboration agreement with the Northern Village of Pinehouse and the Kineepik Metis Local Inc. The agreement sets out specific commitments by the mining companies with respect to workforce development, business development, community engagement, environmental stewardship and community investment. The agreement confirms the support of the village and local for our existing projects and operations subject to our continued work to protect the health and safety of people and the environment.

Our operations are closely regulated to give the public comfort that we are operating in a safe and environmentally responsible way. Regulators approve the construction, startup, continued operation and any significant changes to our operations. Our operations are also subject to laws and regulations related to safety and the environment, including the management of hazardous wastes and materials.

Our objectives are consistent with those of our regulators—to keep people safe and to protect the environment. We pursue these goals through transparent and respectful efforts with all of our regulators. We work to earn their trust and that of stakeholders by continually striving to protect people and the environment.