Whitefish River and Lafarge cement a 40-year relationship

By Rick Garrick

WHITEFISH RIVER FIRST NATION – Lafarge Canada Inc. is celebrating 40 years of operation in Whitefish River at the 40th annual Whitefish River Cement Terminal Fish Fry on Aug. 20.

“It’s an opportunity for community members to come and inspect the facilities,” says Whitefish River Chief Franklin Paibomsai. “And it’s an opportunity to visit — Lafarge gives us their update in terms of the plant’s performance and efficiencies. Everybody looks forward to (the fish fry), it’s so friendly and inviting that it’s very picnic-like, like a family picnic. At the end I’m sure we’ll have a nice cake and we’ll exchange gifts.”

Established in 1974, the cement terminal is 100 per cent operated by employees from Whitefish River. The cement terminal handles all of the cement products distributed by Lafarge across northern Ontario.

“We’re thrilled to have such great partners in northern Ontario in the Whitefish River First Nation,” says Howie Scruton, Lafarge’s operations and terminal manager in northern Ontario.

Whitefish River citizens have been working at the cement terminal since the construction phase.

“That opened the eyes of band members about the world of construction,” Paibomsai says, adding the cement terminal now employs some third-generation operators from the community. ”We’ve had band members that have become drivers and we’ve had people become entrepreneurs in terms of hauling the cement products to mine sites.”

Paibomsai says Lafarge has also supported Whitefish River in many community endeavours, including working on the community church, supporting youth in the Little Native Hockey League and contributing towards the construction and materials for the Shawanosowe School, the Fire Hall and the Veteran’s Memorial.

“They played a key role in terms of supporting the construction of the Veteran’s Memorial,” Paibomsai says. “And they did it for the right reasons. When we asked them about it, they just said this was too important not to do and not to do right.”

Lafarge noted that its biggest customers, such as Vale and Glerncore, appreciate the reliability of distribution from the cement terminal. The cement terminal holds one of the best health and safety records among Lafarge’s locations.

“We’re committed to meaningful engagement with Aboriginal communities, and are eager to partner with local leaders to create more successes like the example we have at the cement terminal,” says Navia Sharma, Lafarge’s marketing director in eastern Canada.

Paibomsai looks forward to future growth in the community’s partnership with Lafarge as mines open across northern Ontario.

“We’re excited about that door opening and we have to prepare ourselves in terms of capacity,” Paibomsai says. “I think over the coming years our partnership will grow in terms of different opportunities, for instance more interest in the transportation systems, more interest in the profit side of mining.”

Paibomsai says many youth in the community are looking at pursuing education goals in geology and the mining industry.

“It’s exciting to listen to our young kids that are eager to understand the geology of the world,” Paibomsai says. “I think that type of creativity has been cemented by this relationship we have with Lafarge and it bodes well for the future in terms of how they see the (cement) terminal as part of the global economy.”