Glencore to close Sudbury’s Fraser Mine by year’s end

Glencore will close its Fraser Mine in Greater Sudbury by December. The company and union say nearly 200 workers will be transferred to other local operations.

Traffic remains steady in and out of the entrance to several production sites for Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations in the Greater Sudbury community of Levack.

That includes Fraser Mine, where plans are in the works to shutter the mine and close down ore production by the end of this year.

In an email to CTV News, company spokesperson Yonaniko (lyo) Grenon confirmed the upcoming closure, adding that a detailed transition plan is being developed in coordination with the unions.

“Throughout the closure and rehabilitation process, our top priorities will remain on health, safety and environmental stewardship,” said Grenon.

Union confident in job protections

Mine Mill Local 598 Unifor is negotiating with Glencore to ensure its 198 members at Fraser Mine are protected and remain employed within the company.

“In our collective agreement, the protections that we’ve bargained, we don’t foresee any job loss in our bargaining unit. So that’s positive,” said local president Eric Boulay.

“But things could change. Things change all the time.”

Boulay said the union is actively working with the employer “to make sure” there is no layoff, or any kind of job reduction in their bargaining unit specifically.

New project offers opportunities, but timing poses a challenge

Grenon said there will be opportunities for employees to transition to other areas of the company’s Sudbury operations.

“As Fraser Mine prepares for closure, our Onaping Depth Project at Craig Mine will begin ramping up operations, creating new opportunities,” she said.

Boulay said Onaping Depth is not work Fraser Mine workers normally do.

“But again, in our collective agreement, we’ve negotiated protections that basically say if there’s any kind of disruption or job loss, that our members will take over the work of the contractors that are doing the work currently at Craig Mine,” he said.

Boulay said the only issue is there could be a six-month stretch between Fraser Mine closing and Onaping Depth Project’s opening.

“To me it would make sense to keep people working throughout this transition position or transition period and then once the mine is in full production, then we’re back to where we were,” Boulay said.

Fraser Mine leaves a proud legacy

In 2024, Fraser Mine produced 553,000 tonnes of ore, where nickel, copper and other minerals have been mined since 1963.

“Beyond its technical achievements, the mine has supported generations of employees, contributed significantly to the local economy and built a proud legacy of excellence in safety and production,” Grenon said.

Glencore had evaluated options to extend the operational life of Fraser Mine, but Grenon said the decision was made to close the mine with the final ore to be produced in December.

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