RESULTS

The mine opened in February 1998. It is in full operation and employs about 300 workers. It is currently expected to have a lifespan of 30 years.

Each year 130,000 tonnes of nickel-copper concentrate are produced at Raglan and shipped to Quebec City during the 8-month shipping season. From Quebec City it goes by rail to a smelterSmelter: Where ores are processed (using heat) to produce metalsMetals: one of more than a 100 basic earth elements, grouped under minerals. Includes iron, lead, zinc, and copper.. in Sudbury. It then returns to Quebec City for shipment to Falconbridge's refinery in Norway. (The original agreementAgreement: any explicit, signed document that is negotiated and includes mutual concessions or limitations placed on both sides. Examples are Negotiation AgreementsNegotiation Agreement: an early agreement in the mining process, likely to occur in the Exploration Stage, which would outline the basis of the relationship between the Aboriginal group and the mining company and how the relationship will evolve if the mine moves forward. , Exploration Cooperation Benefit Agreements, Socio-Economic Participation Agreements. did not permit the company to explore or mine any additional ore-bodies on the Raglan Property. However, the parties later agreed to an amendment that has permitted Falconbridge to exploit several new sites.)

Although there have been problems implementing the Raglan Agreement, the spirit of cooperation between mine management and Inuit people remains strong. There is a genuine willingness to work through issues and resolve them. Inuit generally seem happy to have jobs at the site and are proud to work there.

Everything that happens on-site is passed on to the Raglan Committee, whose Inuit members report back to their communities. In this way communities are kept informed about what is going on. They can also bring their concerns or problems to the Committee.