Northern Saskatchewan’s uranium industry is the focus of a new report.
Intergroup Consultants in Winnipeg crunched data in an effort to gauge the socio-economic impacts of uranium mining in the modern era.
The report found that while the number of northerners directly employed by the industry in northern Saskatchewan has risen from 201 to over 1,700 over the last three decades, the unemployment rate remains quite high – due in part to the population boom.
Dr. James Irvine is the chairman of the steering committee that commissioned the study.
He says the report looked at things like worker health, salaries and other benefits, and the impact of uranium jobs on northern communities.
He explains that while it’s obvious the industry has had a big role in job creation in northern Saskatchewan, it underscores the importance of not relying on one industry:
“I think what we found, though, when we looked at the overall influence of many things across the north, that the impact generally across the north wasn’t quite as strong as what we expected.”
The report says the average 2011 wage for northern residents involved in uranium mining was $77,500.
However, it also found the average household income in the north actually decreased between 1981 and 2006 — when adjusted for inflation.
It went on to say that while the industry plays a vital role in job creation in the north, it only went so far in improving the vitality of northern communities.
That’s partly because that while many workers earn large salaries, the benefits to northern communities are limited because large purchases tend to be made in bigger cities.
Another recommendation to come out of the report is that uranium companies should explore ways for small northern companies to gets contracts.
For instance, it suggests that mines order goods and supplies from businesses along the shipping routes, instead of simply requiring products to be shipped in from Saskatoon.
The report says there is a feeling in some communities, that while mechanisms like northern tours and environmental quality committees are in place, some northerners don’t feel all that informed.
La Ronge mayor Thomas Sierzycki says this needs to be looked at:
“Industry does a tremendous job with their northern tours, with their community consultation process. However, at times, some northerners feel that they aren’t receiving all the information — and that is whether their representatives aren’t giving back information to the community or industry needs to do a better job.”
The report says uranium mining companies contributed about $146 million in royalties and taxes in 2011.
The total amount of money spent in 2011 on community initiatives – this includes donations to northern communities and their organizations as well as through scholarships and bursaries — was estimated to be $1.7 million.
The report was commissioned by the Community Vitality Monitoring Partnership Process, a group headed up by the three northern health authorities, the provincial government, Cameco and Areva.