10 AVENUES WINTER 2019 OSSGA: Is it difficult to attract skilled workers to the North? Shannon: Human resources related challenges are a big concern. We have a shortage of skilled, reliable workers, and it’s difficult to attract those that are skilled to the construction industry in general. Seasonal work also limits the staff options available to us. John: We also have a shortage of skilled trades. There are just not enough people. Seasonal work also creates a huge barrier to attracting good workers in the long term. Michael: Yes, it’s very difficult. It’s a big challenge to find experienced operators for equipment that we have in our fleet. We have an aging workforce and the younger demographic doesn’t seem to have an appetite for a skilled job that they could potentially turn into a career. We also have a competitive disadvantage as smaller aggre- gate producers. Those that are skilled, who we try to attract and retain, sometimes end up leaving for larger mining companies in the North for higher pay but relatively the same job. As nickel and other commodities in the North become more valuable, this will become a much larger issue. Shannon: I also agree with Michael – we’ve been challenged to invest and train people to facilitate skills development. You can’t just put anyone in a truck or machine, but sometimes our options are limited, and it takes time to build people up and for them to learn. Despite the hard work to train and retain workers, individuals leave for a variety of reasons. In addition to attracting and retaining workers, it’s also difficult for the spouses and families of these workers if they are seeking to relocate and find new work. The North is developing, but it can be difficult. Jim: We face similar changes as the others. But there are people with us that were hired in the 1980s and they’re still here. In many circumstances, you get in and you stay. Though like the others have mentioned, some leave for other companies or opportunities. Where we also see a gap is in how tech- nology has changed so much in the last few years. There are some high-tech positions – operating drones, using AutoCAD and other tech. People don’t really understand how high-tech the industry has become and they’re not prepared. OSSGA: Operating in the North offers a different challenge in terms of extracting stone, sand and gravel thanks to a far different geography with more bedrock than in the South. What are your biggest challenges in day-to- day business operations? Michael: There are many, but perhaps one of the biggest is the competition we face through property development. Landowners are sitting on properties that are ripe for development, but they have no set timetable. Then, they start a small quarry operation on these properties and sell the aggregate, or “development rock” to market. These prop- erties are all unlicensed, centrally located and the product can be priced well below any licensed property’s aggregate. John: Agreed. We face similar challenges involving the sporadic requirement of licensing. There is a big problem of develop- ment rock – which is just surplus rock that comes about from the regular work on a development property but can be marketed. Unlike our regular operation sites, there are no TOARC fees or licensing requirements for them to follow, which are put in place to help the surrounding communities and municipalities. It can be very frustrating. Jim: One of our biggest challenges too is geography. We cover a large geographic area, and it can be a challenge to manage that. But yes, like the others have said, devel- opment rock poses a huge problem in our Sudbury location. Especially when it’s used for road projects. It’s the biggest consumer of aggregate and we’re competing with that. On one hand it is a good thing – it’s a resource that needs to be removed to do further development. They’re crushing it up on site and using it. But nobody does a sound study or a dust study, nobody does all the things that we need to do as a proper aggregate operation to follow the COVER STORY