PROFILE — Falconbridge’s Pugsley clearing obstacles to

At the northern tip of Quebec’s Ungava Peninsula, the Raglan project is under vigorous study by owner Falconbridge Ltd. “Raglan has the potential to replace the decline in our ore reserves elsewhere and keep us in the nickel business,” says project director Thomas Pugsley.

But the project’s remote location poses multiple obstacles. It consists of a number of orebodies spread over 30 miles on a plateau, whose visibility is obscured by fog in summer and blowing snow in winter.

As well, Raglan is 62 miles from the sea while most other active Arctic mines are by the sea. Falconbridge plans to build a road from Katinniq to Purtuniq to link with the existing road to Deception Bay on the Hudson Strait. Ore concentrated at Katinniq will be sent by truck to Deception Bay and then shipped by boat to the Great Lakes and onwards to Sudbury, Ont., for smelting. The company will also need icebreakers to keep the water navigable for 8-9 months a year.

To address Inuit concerns, Falconbridge has cleaned up its old exploration sites. As the Inuit fear a possible influx of alcohol and drugs, the company is operating a “dry,” drug-free camp on site. In addition, Falconbridge must not pollute the water because the Deception River is a source of food for the local residents.

“I think we have won back their trust by doing what we said we would do,” says Pugsley. “Mining does affect the landscape. We will have to restore the features to near-pristine stage, avoid acid drainage and backfill the open pits so they won’t be eyesores.”

The Inuit welcome job opportunities that will be created by Raglan. Pugsley appreciates their fortitude although his relationship with them so far remains business-like. “We do not want to build a mining town,” he says. “Cultural interaction is not easy at a long-distance commuting mine.” Born in South Porcupine, Ont., Jan. 23, 1942, Pugsley went to boarding school and attended Guildford Technical College in England. He earned his B.Sc. degree in mining engineering from the Royal School of Mines, also in England, in 1964 and M.Eng. degree from McGill University in 1969.

His father, onetime mine manager at Timmins, Ont., often travelled overseas. “When I was a youngster, I spent a lot of time away from home,” he says. “Now, I value my family.” Pugsley and his wife, Teresa, have a son and a daughter.

From 1965 to 1973, Pugsley worked as engineer, shift boss and labor relations supervisor at Falconbridge’s Sudbury operations.

Then he joined Cominco Ltd. as senior engineer and mine superintendent at its Black Angel mine in Greenland.

In 1975 he returned to Falconbridge and has since stayed with the company, which was purchased in 1989 by Noranda Inc. and Sweden-based Trelleborg. “If Falconbridge takes a bullish approach, Raglan can come on stream as early as 1996,” says Pugsley.