8/6/2019 May Magazine 2011 Pqge 82-83 (2)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/may-magazine-2011-pqge-82-83-2 1/2

COLUMNS | women in mining

In an industry that is slowto adopt gender diversity,Noront Resources stands outlike an oasis in the desert:over 50 per cent of itsemployees are female, com-pared to just 14 per cent over-all in the mining sector.

Although this remarkablegender split happened moreby accident than by design,Noront continues to promoteand capitalize on diversity asthe company transitionsfrom exploration to develop-ment and competes for a lim-ited pool of talent. “We’vetotally embraced the diver-sity and inclusion model andbecause of that, we’ll be ableto attract really intelligent,bright females from acrossCanada,” says Leanne Hall,

vice-president of humanresources for Noront, a Toronto-basedmineral exploration company withexploration activity in the Ring of Fire Region in northwestern Ontario.“For us, it is about creating a diversetalent pool that will enhance andengage our workforce for the future –this is also a win/win situation forthe mining industry and northernenvironments.”

Change starts at the top  Wes Hanson, president and CEO

of Noront, plays a critical role in set-ting the leadership tone for change –making workplace flexibility a keypriority. He understands that humanresource policies and programs thatincorporate work/life initiatives areimportant for attracting and retainingtalent as well as maintaining highlevels of productivity. Whether talk-ing about work practices or working

conditions, it is clear that barriersexist for women in particular.

Tilting the balanceNoront a model for gender diversity

T Virginia Heffernan

The Ramp-Up study report, pub-lished last February by the MiningIndustry Human Resources (MiHR)Council and Women in MiningCanada, focused on the status of women in the mining and explorationsector. Interestingly enough, thenumber one barrier for femalerespondents was the seven-dayin/seven-day out work schedule prac-tice at many remote camps.

Melanie Sturk, the director of attraction, retention and transition forMiHR, believes that this likelyexplains the drastic drop in the num-ber of females that make the transitionfrom school to paying jobs in theindustry, even though at least 50 percent of the students enrolled in post-secondary geology programs arefemale.

Here again, Noront is an anomaly: 44per cent of all of Noront’s female

employees are in management or intechnical positions, including geologists.

Camp accommodations include sepa-rate sleeping quarters, bathrooms andshowers for women.

Sturk believes there are a number of initiatives companies can take to sup-port work-life balance, including subsi-dized on-site day care, for example, orgiving female employees work scheduleoptions to choose from. “We’re going tolook at new initiatives such as flex-timeand childcare issues,” says Hall, “but

right now, because the majority of employees are in our exploration camp,we are more focused on keeping themhappy while they are in camp.”

The second major barrier identifiedin the report is the work culture withina male-dominated industry. Notionsabout women’s intolerance for physi-cally demanding tasks can impedecareer paths and need to be dispelled.“Eliminating assumptions aboutwomen’s ability to manage field work

is vital. In addition, there is a need toaddress practices that collectively

CIM Magazine | Vol. 6, No. 3

 Although more than 50 per cent of students enrolled in post-secondary geology programs are female, the number thattransition from school to mining careers is low.

    S   o   u   r   c   e   :    M    i    H    R

8/6/2019 May Magazine 2011 Pqge 82-83 (2)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/may-magazine-2011-pqge-82-83-2 2/2

women in mining | COLUMNS

contribute to perceptions of a male-dominated culture, including aware-ness training, closing the wage gap andimplementing mentorship programs,”the Ramp-UP report states in its recom-

mendations. Change starts at the top.

“Not just white males”The increased number of women

at companies like Noront is begin-ning to alter the way mining is pre-sented to young people considering acareer in the industry. Several womentook leadership roles at last August’s“Mining Matters” summer camp, runby the Prospectors and DevelopersAssociation of Canada (PDAC) andsponsored by Noront, in the commu-nities of Webequie and Marten Falls.They included Renata Smoke, anAboriginal student studying geologyat the University of Western Ontario,and Barbara Green Parker, Aboriginaleducation specialist for PDAC.

The camp introduced a total of 104youth, ranging in age from nine to 19,to geological and mineral explorationactivities, including prospecting, claimstaking, mapping and the use of GPStechnology. Providing role models

such as Smoke and Parker – alongwith Aboriginals who work in theindustry – to girls thinking of becom-ing mining professionals is crucial tochange the perception of mining as awhite, male-only field, says Sturk.

To this end, Noront’s goal of beingan employer of choice encompassesemployment opportunities for Aborigi-nal women and men from the commu-nities surrounding Noront’s exploration

May 2011

properties in the Ring of Fire – a vastarea containing several polymetallicand chromite deposits in Ontario’s

  James Bay lowlands. As the companygrows, it only makes sense to train andrecruit and train local talent, says Hall.

The strategy is already paying off.“When you see Noront at an event, yousee Leanne Hall, you see Glenn Nolan,vice-president of Aboriginal affairs and

former chief of the Missanabie CreeFirst Nation, and you see a diversegroup of people who love their jobsand are excited about what they do,”says Sturk. “Seeing female faces in theindustry and having these people to goto for support is critical for women.” Infact, mentoring has proven to be mostsuccessful in developing diverse talent.

Recently, Noront expanded its men-torship program by offering direct

Renata Smoke teaching Mining Matters in Martens Falls First Nation, summer 2010.

    C   r   e    d    i    t   :    E   n   g   a   g   e    L   e   a   r   n    i   n   g    S   y   s    t   e   m   s

access to successful mining women,including Hall, on the Mikawaa (anOji-Cree word meaning “discovery”)web portal developed by Noront toimprove communication, consultationand collaboration between the com-pany and surrounding communities(www.mikawaa.com).“Mikawaabreaks down the barrier of distance,”says Hall. “We are just a click away

from respectful, responsible andknowledgeable dialogue and the shar-ing of information with our communi-ties and stakeholders.”

Mikawaa is the kind of initiativethat will encourage the next genera-tion of women to join an industrywhere significant obstacles for womenpersist. One can be sure that when itcomes to diversity, Noront will beleading the charge. CIM

Published in CIM Magazine, Vol.6 – No. 3, May, 2011 issue.

Reprinted with permission of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum