Canadian HR Reporter

22 www.hrreporter.com F E A T U R E S I'M a member of the Missanabie Cree First Nation located in northern Ontario. Seventy years ago, ours was an isolated community, with only the Canadian Pacific Railway as a means to travel to other nearby communities (if you didn't want to canoe or walk). In the late 1940s, the Renabie Gold Mine went into production. With little fanfare, the company created a town with electricity, running water, flush toilets and streets to every home. Most Missanabie Cree members lived with no running water, unreliable electricity and only paths connecting family homes. Men hunted and fished year-round, selling what they didn't eat or exchanging it for staples such as flour and canned milk. To supplement their income, locals took seasonal jobs as guides or loggers, requiring them to leave home for weeks at a time. Many Missanabie Cree men took jobs at the mine and moved their families to the townsite. It must have been a difficult decision to leave close family to move to a place with many strangers and new rules. On a positive note, they weren't too far from their original community and lived in better homes, with a two-room schoolhouse and steady wage. Over time, my father, brothers and other relatives found work at the mine. They were offered training in an industrial trade so that my father became a welder, then a millwright, then a power engineer. The opportunity helped shift the world view of the Missanabie Cree. Within a generation, community members transitioned from hunter-gatherers to participants in the mining industry. One aspect that made for a successful transition was that the families continued to go out on the land. Another was the way that the mine manager looked to his Indigenous workers — as valued team members at the mine. He supported an environment where everyone was an equal participant in all aspects of community living. Missanabie Cree members worked side by side with other miners to build recreational facilities such as a swimming pool and skating rinks. They managed the curling club, served as scout masters and local school board trustees. They felt valued, important and respected by management. As a result, they trusted the company and that trust continued to build. Building trust Trust is the foundation of any meaningful relationship. It gives The team at Noront understands that every community moves forward at its own speed and has its own values, vision and priorities. This creates differences in their needs and desires, but through ongoing discussions over months and even years, common themes of agreement emerge, which lead to greater engagement and trust. Noront also walks the talk. When a commitment is made, the company delivers, whether that means hiring f r o m l o c a l c o m m u n i t i e s , u s i n g c o m m u n i ty - b a s e d b u s i n e s s e s o r ensuring that the community has a substantial stake in the project through direct ownership. It understands that each promise must be acted on to everyone's satisfaction. It has taken Noront years to build trust and create a respectful dialogue with community partners. Maintaining this is a priority. The goal is to continue building strong mutual trust with all of the Indigenous par tners. Community members, chief and council must feel valued and respected — they need to trust the company. Noront is asking them to allow it to build a mine, hire their members, work on their lands and, ultimately, change their lives. By working together, those changes will benefit their members today and for future generations. My father trusted the Renabie Gold Mine enough to give up his hunter- gatherer world view. This helped him build a future of hope for himself and our family. Mutual trust empowered the Renabie Gold Mine and its relationship with the Missanabie Cree. Most importantly, it helped my father succeed. CHRR BUILDING TRUST TO BUILD A MINE Having grown up in a mining family as a member of the Missanabie Cree First Nation, Glenn Nolan of Noront knows well the importance of building — and maintaining — trust and respect with local community partners C S R communities and companies the opportunity to speak candidly with each other without fear of reprisal or rejection. It provides a parallel path for community and company to work in partnership, addressing concerns, sharing ideas and learning from the each other. Similarly, the mining company Noront has made it a priority to build trust with local community partners. Ten years ago, as the company's plans for development began to ramp up, it engaged these communities early and often. The company shared its development plans, listened to and understood community concerns and considered their ideas about how to address them. As an example, one of the outcomes was a change to the mine design. Trust is the foundation of a meaningful relationship. It gives communities and companies the opportunity to speak candidly without fear of reprisal. Glenn Nolan is vice president of government affairs at Noront Resources in Toronto. He can be reached at g l e n n . n o l a n @ n o r o n t r e s o u r c e s . c o m o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t www.norontresources.com.

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