WSP concludes closure contract for Victor diamond mine

Photo courtesy De Beers.

De Beers Canada has successfully concluded its contract with WSP Canada for the closure of its Victor diamond mine near Attawapiskat in Northern Ontario.

Ontario’s first and only diamond mine (pictured) ceased production when the ore-processing plant was closed in 2019. Since 2021, WSP has managed the active closure of the mine site as a prime contractor.

“We are pleased to have completed our Victor Mine mandate successfully, while adhering to high industry standards of environmental and social responsibility for the benefit of the surrounding communities,” says Greg Herasymuik, an executive vice-president (EVP) with WSP.

“De Beers is committed to return the mine site to a natural state for safe use by the people and wildlife who depend on it,” says Avischen Moodley, the mining corporation’s president for Canada. “We are grateful for the input and respectful dialogue from First Nations in the region and for the work done by the WSP team.”

As the plant was decommissioned and dismantled, hundreds of truckloads of equipment and material were removed in 2022 and 2023 on a network of winter roads in the James Bay Lowlands, for disposal or recycling at other approved facilities in Ontario. Surplus items, including fire trucks, heavy equipment, tools and sea cans, were donated to local communities.

The open-pit mine was at one time 280 m deep. It has now been restored to a lake to match the natural environment and more than 1.4 million native trees and shrubs have been planted at the site. While the closure of the mine is now essentially complete, temporary camp accommodations, auxiliary buildings and equipment remain to support the final environmental restoration and long-term monitoring of the site.