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Nova Scotia

Donkin coal mine looking for underground workers

The coal mine in Donkin, N.S., is looking for more workers willing to go underground. The mine is currently running at limited capacity due to safety concerns.

Job fair being held in Sydney as mine awaits provincial approval of new safety plan

Tom Ayers · CBC News ·
Two large trucks pass on a dusty road leading past the gate and guardhouse at the entrance to a mine.
A coal truck gets ready to leave the Donkin mine, which is running at limited capacity due to safety concerns. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

Nova Scotia's Donkin coal mine, which has been operating at limited capacity since January due to safety concerns, is looking for more workers willing to go underground.

Recruiting firm Gardiner Mining and Resources plans to hold a job fair Friday in Sydney.

A newspaper ad from the recruiter says experience is not required, but training will be provided.

A couple of resumes are shoved under the door of the Gardiner Mining and Resources office in Glace Bay. The company is holding a job fair in Sydney to find workers for the Donkin coal mine. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

The Nova Scotia Labour Department temporarily shut down the mine over safety concerns in January after roof cave-ins last year.

The mine is back in operation at limited capacity while the province considers its new safety plan.

The coal shafts extend several kilometres under the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Donkin, but operator Kameron Coal is only allowed to work on a section that is less than 500 metres long due to unstable roof rock.

Contractors for Kameron Coal are currently building a road from Glace Bay to the Old Airport Road on Route 4 to divert Donkin mine coal trucks away from residential areas. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

Shannon Campbell, vice-president of the Donkin mine, would only say the company is always looking for local employees to complement existing staff.

He told CBC News in an email the company has submitted a ground control procedure to the province outlining its new safety plan and is looking forward to getting back into full production.

Friday's job fair is scheduled to be held at Sydney's Holiday Inn from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Ayers

Reporter/Editor

Tom Ayers has been a reporter and editor for 38 years. He has spent the last 20 covering Cape Breton and Nova Scotia stories. You can reach him at [email protected].

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