Elliot Lake growing independent of mining

Although the last of the ore has been hauled from the last of Elliot Lake’s mines, the task of reclaiming and revitalizing this former one-industry town has just begun.

Beginning in 1955, the mining industry began transforming hundreds of square miles of bush into a small but thriving community, but the closure of the Stanleigh uranium mine in late June marked the end of that era.

The victim of low ore grades and increased competition, the Stanleigh was the last mine to close in a camp that had once hosted 12 mines and almost as many mills.

However, Elliot Lake has already begun to expand past the industry that spawned it, while the remaining miners there, Rio Algom and Denison Mines, continue with the reclamation process.

Rio Algom, which will soon begin decommissioning the Stanleigh, is already performing reclamation work on its other mines in the region. Work at the Quirke and Panel mines began in the early 1990s.

Not far away, at Quirke, reclamation work has already taken root. The concrete pads that mark the sealed mine shafts are the only visible sign that a mine and mill ever occupied the site. The former minesite is now a field dotted with small flowers and other vegetation that is serving to replenish the soil with nutrients. Legumes such as clover and bird’s foot trefoil, and grasses such as timothy, red top and creeping red fescue grow where the mill site once stood. Once the soil is rich enough, trees will be planted.

Reclamation work here and at the Panel mine, which has undergone a similar process, is costing upwards of $60 million. Reclamation at the Stanleigh minesite will cost $50 million.

Says Roger Payne, Rio Algom’s manager of decommissioning and environment: “Our goal is the long-term safety of the public and environment.

The mines and their surroundings aren’t all that is changing here, however.

The town of Elliot Lake, which has weathered more than four decades as part of a fickle and unpredictable industry, is learning that it can no longer count on mining for its survival.

When the region’s first uranium mine opened in 1955, thousands ventured to the north in search of employment. Four years and 11 mines later, what started out as a mining camp had evolved into a modern little town of more than 25,000. Nestled between Elliot and McCabe Lakes, the burgeoning community spawned schools, churches, hotels, offices and a hospital. Five years after Franc Joubin drilled economic grades, Elliot Lake had established itself as the uranium capital of the world.

The mines were under contract to supply their produce to the U.S. government, which had an arms race to run and no domestic suppliers. By 1960, however, the U.S. had fostered its own uranium industry, and no longer required yellowcake from the north. As a result, five mines around Elliot Lake shut down, and the resulting exodus left empty houses and boarded-up businesses in its wake. By the mid-1960s, only 6,000 remained.

But whereas Elliot Lake grew out of the Cold War, it limped on as a supplier of a new, more peaceful industry. Following the oil crisis of the 1970s, the town began to supply the nuclear electricity generating industry with more and more uranium. As more nuclear power stations were erected, the market for Elliot Lake’s uranium improved, and, until recently, Rio Algom and Denison Mines were supplying uranium not only to Ontario Hydro but to foreign customers such as Japan, Korea, West Germany and the U.S.

But once the contracts began to expire and demand fell off, the mines shut down all over again. By 1992, more than 5,000 residents of Elliot Lake — not only miners, but those employed in secondary industries — were out of work.

“As events evolved, we were left totally without mining,” explains George Farkouh, mayor of Elliot Lake. “We wanted to work toward independence from the industry and had to accelerate our plan to revitalize the town and fill the void created by the loss of the mining companies. Our ultimate goal is to stabilize the local economy and foster jobs, so that, by the turn of the century, Elliot Lake will no longer be dependent on mining.” Key to this plan is Elliot Lake Retirement Living, a program made possible by Rio Algom and Denison, both of which had a surplus of homes that had been used by miners. In 1991, the Ontario government granted the program $7 million to acquire buildings and fund startup costs. Retirement Living now owns 11 apartment buildings, 97 townhouses, and 418 detached and semi-detached houses — in all, more than 1,500 units.

“It was good business for all of us,” says Richard Kennealy, general manager of the program, which has attracted more than 3,000 retirees to the community. Seniors comprised less than 3% of Elliot Lake’s population 15 years ago, and, by 1994, the number had increased to 28%. The program’s target is 34%, which it hopes to achieve in the next 1-2 years.

The seniors who settle in Elliot Lake are looking for security and peace of mind, says Kennealy, which means that services such as health care, support groups for seniors, and public transportation are prime selling features. The goal of the program, he adds, is to provide these services while pumping dollars into the local economy.

“Back in 1991, if you told people you were going to retire in Elliot Lake, they would have said you were nuts,” says Kennealy. “I don’t think anyone had any idea the project would take off.

“This was a single industry town, and I hope it will never be like that again. We’re looking for a diverse community with a stable economic base.” In keeping with this objective, town planners are promoting Elliot Lake as a year-round recreation spot, and as a centre for research into mine decommissioning. The town already hosts an addiction treatment centre, and construction will soon begin on the Northern Institute of Arts, an arts and culture centre.

Says Farkouh: “These initiatives are essential for the survival of Elliot Lake.”