Like so many other companies, Agnico Eagle is working around the clock and around the world to respond to the dramatic spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the health and safety of our employees and our local communities.  

In these unprecedented times, it is the strength and resilience of our people, working together in the spirit of cooperation, who will help us overcome one of the greatest challenges faced in generations.   

Our CEO Sean Boyd emphasizes, “We are working very hard to find new and innovative ways to minimize the spread of Coronavirus. I want to assure everyone that we will continue to go above and beyond to protect our Agnico Eagle family, our communities, and our collective livelihoods during this pandemic. We will remain a strong and efficient operator, a thoughtful employer and an unwavering supporter to our local communities and governments. We will continue to act quickly and do the right thing, remaining as agile as possible in order to face the future with confidence.”

Here are just some of the actions Agnico Eagle has taken to tackle the pandemic and to protect our employees, our communities and our operations.

Protecting our employees

Agnico Eagle is sparing no effort to support our employees both physically and financially. We have taken extraordinary measures to continue improving our hygiene protocols and the protection of our workers from COVID-19: 

• We have implemented screening procedures at our sites to ensure that people exhibiting symptoms, travelers and people who were in close contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case, go into self-isolation to prevent a potential spread of the virus amongst their co-workers. In particular, we screen employees, contractors, visitors and suppliers upon arrival at site by testing their temperature and conducting a questionnaire on their health status and travel history, to ensure they do not constitute a risk of transmission of COVID-19 once on site.

• All of our sites have increased cleaning and disinfection services and standards. We are providing extra hand-washing stations and sanitizers for ease of use by employees; enhanced cleaning protocols and hygiene measures in lunchrooms, lockers and workplaces; introduced strict mandatory hygiene and prevention measures for all employees and contractors; and implemented strict physical distancing measures. 

• Given the remote nature of some of our operations, we are piloting a mobile testing lab for on-site testing for COVID-19 of our employees at our Nunavut sites. A mobile health unit has arrived at Meliadine with a team of medical experts capable of testing employees and contractors for COVID-19. The lab can confirm if a person tests positive for COVID-19 even if the individual doesn’t show any symptoms, ultimately helping to protect our employees and local communities. 

• In Finland, employees at our Kittila mine were asked by the Municipality of Kittilä and the Infection Control Unit of the Lapland Hospital District to participate in a COVID-19 study for the region of Lapland. Every Agnico Eagle Finland employee who wishes to take part will be tested for COVID-19 to help analyze the distribution of infections and detect possible transmission chains, in an effort to “help” the entire region fight the pandemic.

Protecting our communities

We are also working closely with community authorities and businesses to support the most vulnerable people in our society.

• On March 19th, after extensive discussions with community leaders, we took the precaution of sending our entire Nunavut-based workforce home in order to reduce the chance of the virus spreading to the local communities. Our Nunavut-based employees live in remote communities with a healthcare system that has limited capacity to face the challenges associated with managing COVID-19, and consequently they and their families would be more vulnerable to the potential effects of the virus. 

• In solidarity with our operating communities, we are donating safety equipment to health services, funds to regional food banks and help centres, and supporting other initiatives where the need is greatest.     

Protecting our operations 

While the financial outlook for Agnico Eagle in the coming months is challenging, we are working to protect the continuity of our business:

• Our Quebec and Mexico operations are currently on government mandated “care and maintenance” and our Nunavut mines are operating at “reduced activity” levels, however our Kittilä complex is operating in normally. We have halted all of our exploration drilling activities in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and we are placing our corporate and exploration offices on care and maintenance status.    

• We are working to ensure we have everything in place to continue to maintain safety in our operations and to prepare to safely ramp back up to full production when the time is right in order to meet the global demand for minerals by other essential industries and sectors, while limiting the spread of the coronavirus.  

• We have eliminated all non-essential visits to our operations. 

• We have made modifications at our mining operations in order to facilitate physical distancing. Some examples include schedule changes, limiting the number of people in transports and common areas, and the installation of barriers or safety-tape delineating zones and spaces for employees to adhere to. 

• We have updated our pandemic response protocols globally to ensure that if an employee has tested positive while still working or was recently in the workplace before testing positive, clear procedures on sanitizing the workplace and common areas are outlined along with how to inform and monitor others that the employee has been in close contact with.  If the employee is at one of our remote locations, procedures are in place to isolate the individual and transport them safely for testing and treatment.

Facing the future with confidence

While the days ahead will be challenging, Agnico Eagle will continue to spare no effort to maintain the highest standards in order to provide a healthy and safe working environment in each of our operations, now and for the future. Through strength, resilience and teamwork we will continue to protect our people and keep our business strong.