Drilling company has followed fortunes of mining since 1926

One of the world’s most prolific underground and surface diamond drilling contractors, N. Morissette Canada Inc. has drilled more than 55 million ft. of diamond drill core since its founding in 1926. Established by Napoleon Morissette of Haileybury, Ont., the company’s first task was to handle an underground drilling contract for Teck- Hughes Ltd. at the O’Brien property in Cobalt. Still headquartered in Haileybury, the company has operations divisions in Val d’Or, Que., and Chibougamau, Que., to serve Quebec and eastern Canada and an office in Saskatoon, Sask., to better serve clients in Western Canada. Other offices for one of the country’s largest diamond drilling contractors are in Red Lake, Ont., and Timmins, Ont.

In addition to its drilling divisions, Morissette also has the manufacturing facilities to supply its contracting enterprises with drilling supplies such as bits, rods and casings. Overall company employment ranges between 300 and 400, dependent upon work volume.

Important in the success of Morissette has been the excellent long-term relationships established with some of Canada’s major mining companies. The Morissette client list, for example, has included such familiar names in Canadian mining circles as Noranda, Falconbridge Ltd., Corona and Denison. Building on the past 60 years of company experience in the diamond drilling business, and by developing new technologies and enhancing personnel skills, Morissette sees itself offering in the future a total package of drilling services unsurpassed in the Canadian mining industry.

The addition to the industry of helicopter-supported drilling programs has changed the seasonal approach to the drilling business, and these programs are one of the less traditional services provided by Morissette. Operated today in remote regions and during all seasons throughout Canada, this service began in 1954 with a single program north of Marathon, Ont. In a typical helicopter-supported drilling program, camps are flown in and erected using a helicopter. The drill itself has to be dismantled, flown and reassembled at the drill site. All the drilling equipment used around the drill is heli- portable and camps comprising of bunk house, cookery, engineer shack and dry facilities are flown in to a site within 48 hours by five workers. The drill may be as close as 200 ft. from the camp or as far away as 10 miles, in which case crews are flown to and from the drill at shift changes. These programs have permitted work in previously inaccessible areas, have accelerated operations and have reduced environmental damage.

Other services include down-in- the-hole drilling, exploration and stope layout holes, deep flat holes, tie-back drilling, overcoring, shaft pilot holes and directional wedging. In the mid-1980s, operations at Morissette were streamlined. While contemplating an administrative reorganization necessary to offset business volume increases resulting from the streamlining operations, Morissette was approached by Longyear Canada Inc. At the beginning of 1986 the Morissette companies were amalgamated to form N. Morissette Canada Inc. and, by the end of January of that year, Longyear purchased the company to make it a wholly owned subsidiary.

Heading the firm, with more than 34 years of experience in the drilling industry, is Dare Fowler. Fowler has managed drilling projects across Canada and around the world. As project manager for Longyear Canada, Inc., Morissette’s parent, he worked in such far-flung locations as Sardinia, Philippines, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Brazil and Ghana.

A highlight for the company for 1990 was the June 2 grand opening of a new $4-million headquarters facility in Haileybury. Coincident with this event was the celebration of the centennial of Longyear, which was founded on June 3, 1890, by Edmund Longyear.