Have you noticed our light-as-pumice tone in some of the BarCan newsletter articles we’ve sent you so far? There’s one thing we don’t take lightly, however. The health and safety of our BarCan employees are seismic. BMSI hired Dallas Mercer Consulting (DMC) in March to come onsite and perform a COVID-19 safety audit. Since the DMC visit, BarCan has implemented the COVID-19 Self-isolation response plan and the COVID-19 Exposure control plan.

Tammy Pinsent, HR Safety Programs and Operations Administrator said, “This isn’t the kind of job you can do from home,” with a laugh. “It’s important that we keep production flowing: but we need to know how to keep each other safe while doing it. I am keeping my “work family” as safe as my family at home.”

New CEO Mike Rose is BarCan’s bedrock. Bedrock that’s always in motion, that is. Rose has worked tirelessly through the 2019/20 transition with the new ownership team, providing leadership working with government, local officials, suppliers and employees to see BarCan into production ahead of schedule.

Rose said, “We are finally unlocking the value overlooked in the Buchans site for more than 80 years. What I’m most proud of is how this project benefits the people in Buchans and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Since March, Gordana Slepčev has been sharing her invaluable mining expertise from past projects with BarCan. She’s been tempered by the heat and pressure of initial-stage mining companies, developing BarCan’s plan for a smooth transition to maximum production. Gordana’s Bachelor in Mining Engineering and Master of Science in Mining and Mineral Engineering from the University of Belgrade in Yugoslavia has given her a rock-solid foundation for her career.

Slepčev is part of the NL government’s vision of having 30% women in mining (Mining the Future 2030). She has a vision, too, for the future of BarCan products: “By using continuous improvement techniques to our mining process, we have a strong foundation to operate successfully in the future, to keep people employed, and to make great Barite.”

Women continue to be underrepresented in the mining labour force, according to MiHR’s 2020 Canadian Mining Labour Market Outlook. “Women accounted for only 15% of mining’s labour force in 2018.” While the industry has more work to do to attract and retain female workers, BarCan is committed to NL’s goal of employing 30% women by 2030. In fact, women account for 26% of the workforce at BarCan.