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- Champion Iron (CIA) has been granted government permission to resume full production at its Bloom Lake project in Quebec, Canada
- A governmental directive on March 24 ordered the company to ramp down work at the site as mining activities had been deemed non-essential
- As of April 15, mining services have been deemed a “priority service”, so Champion can ramp up activities once again
- This return to full production must be conducted with pandemic protections in mind, meaning Champion must instigate several measures to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19
- The precautionary measures include additional monitoring of employees’ health, fever checks prior to travelling and entering Bloom Lake, and additional transport capacity to ensure adequate social distancing
- Company CEO David Cataford has welcomed the move, and says the company remains focused on protecting everyone’s health and safety while Bloom Lake returns to full production
- Champion Iron is up 2.1 per cent in midday trade, with shares priced at $1.95 each
Champion Iron (CIA) has been granted government permission to resume production at its Bloom Lake project in Quebec, Canada.
Stop, in the name of COVID
A governmental directive on March 24 ordered the company to ramp down work at the site as mining activities had been deemed non-essential. Champion had to run a skeleton operation to minimise any risks associated with COVID-19.
As of April 15, mining services have been deemed a “priority service”, so Champion can ramp up activities once again.
Start me up
This return to full production must be conducted with pandemic protections in mind, meaning Champion must instigate several measures to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19. The ramp-up will occur over a period of weeks to ensure sufficient protections are in place for its staff, contractors, local communities and surrounding First Nations groups.
The precautionary measures include additional monitoring of employees’ health, fever checks prior to travelling and entering Bloom Lake, additional transport capacity to ensure adequate social distancing, increased medical support, and extra disinfection and distancing measures at the site.
Champion CEO David Cataford says the company appreciates being granted permission to restart full operations, and understands well the importance of enhanced safety protocols.
“Being recognised as a priority service comes with great responsibilities,”” he said.
“Although we aim to ramp up operations, our focus remains on protecting everyone’s health and safety.”
Champion CEO David Cataford
“I am thankful for the support we have received from the local communities, our partners and our union in response to the unprecedented challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic including their rapid adoption of new measures required by the company and the government in order to ramp up operations,” he added.
The company’s focus is now set on a return to full production at the open-pit truck and shovel iron operation. With government permission granted – and with all key stakeholders on board — it’s all green lights for Bloom Lake.
Champion Iron is up 2.1 per cent in early trade, with shares priced at $1.95 each as at 12:05 pm AEST.
