NEW RELEASE - MARCH 1, 2013
HD Mining looks forward to final stage of litigation process
The Federal Court has today granted the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 115, and the Construction and Specialized Worker Union (Labourers), Local 1611, leave to pursue a judicial review of decisions made by federal officials earlier this spring, which authorized our use of temporary foreign workers for a two-year period.
“This litigation has been ongoing for quite some time, and we are pleased to finally move into the final stage,” said Mr. Penggui Yan, Chair of HD Mining. “We are confident that government officials did nothing wrong in issuing these authorizations, and we believe the federal court will ultimately reject the unions’ claims.”
The case is expected to be heard in April.
On February 7, 2013, HD Mining put forward, in an open letter to the unions, a proposal to try and bring an end to the litigation and build a constructive relationship moving forward.
“HD Mining remains willing to pursue that proposal, even while we continue to fight this litigation with full vigor,” said Mr. Penggui Yan.
About the Murrary River Project
The Murray River Project is a proposed underground coal mine located 12.5 km southeast of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia Canada.
Subject to environmental certification, at full production the Murray River Project would have an estimated annual production of six million tonnes of metallurgical (steelmaking) coal over 30 years. The estimated capital cost of the Murray River Project is $300 million, and it would create approximately $90 million of revenue for government annually; $2.7 billion over the life of the project. Once operating, the Murray River Project would create approximately 600 direct and 700 indirect jobs.
HD Mining has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Northern Lights College to develop a training curriculum for long-wall mining. As part of the MOU, Northern Lights College and HD Mining will develop a relevant curriculum and simulation models, and identify partners for program infrastructure. Northern Lights College and HD Mining will work with key community partners in the development and delivery of the training. As a Canadian employer, HD Mining is working to transition long-wall mining skills and jobs to Canadian workers.
