Two Alberta companies have been awarded a major earthworks construction contract for the IAMGOLD mine project near Timmins.

North American Construction Group announced that it and Nuna Group of Companies will operate in joint venture to perform the two-year, $250-million project. Work is expected to start this quarter, ramp up through Q1 2021, achieve peak volumes in Q3 2021 and be completed in the fall of 2022.

“We are pleased and proud of our combined team for achieving such a significant milestone in our economic growth plans,” said Joe Lambert, president & chief operating officer at North American Construction Group. This record award demonstrates the revenue synergies and opportunities for growth and diversification that are possible through our ownership interest in Nuna.”

North American is one of Canada’s largest providers of heavy construction and mining services. Nuna, meanwhile, is the largest Inuit-owned heavy civil construction, earthworks and mine construction contractor in Canada. The firm has a demonstrated commitment to hiring Indigenous and local people who live in the areas where it does business.

“The award of this project, a result of a strong and integrated effort with NACG, further solidifies our strategy of taking Nuna’s unique brand of remote project development and sustained Indigenous engagement to major clients in eastern Canada,” said Miles Safranovich, Nuna’s president & chief operating officer.

The Côté mine project has been hailed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as significant job creator in northern Ontario.

Construction of the mine is already underway, and the project is expected to create as many as 1,000 trades jobs when site preparation reaches capacity next summer. When fully operational in 2023, the mine is expected to employ 450 people and generate more than $5 billion in wages. It is also expected to contribute $10 billion to the province’s gross domestic product over its 18-year life span.

The mine, which has reserves of more than seven million ounces, is expected to produce 460,000 ounces of gold per year at a cost of about $700 per ounce in its first six years of production.

The joint bid between North American and Nuna benefitted from the ownership structure by offering both an Indigenous contractor with extensive expertise in the harsh conditions of northern Canada together with the heavy equipment fleet and maintenance experience offered by NACG.

As part of the contract award, Nuna and the joint venture have partnered with local communities which will participate directly in the project benefits received.