Wildfires force Hudbay Minerals to suspend work at Snow Lake mine in Manitoba

A wildfire in the Flin Flon, Man. area is shown in a government handout photo on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO — Manitoba Government *MANDATORY CREDIT*

TORONTO — Hudbay Minerals Inc. says wildfires burning in northern Manitoba have forced it to suspend work at its Snow Lake mine.

Last week, the Toronto-based company said it planned to maintain output at the gold, copper and zinc mine at reduced levels.

But the town of Snow Lake was put under a precautionary early evacuation notice on Tuesday, so Hudbay has decided to temporarily wind down its operations there.

It says only essential personnel will remain on site to help with emergency activities.

The miner says its infrastructure and facilities in the Snow Lake and Flin Flon areas are at low risk of being damaged.

It says it still expects to meet its annual targets for Snow Lake, given strong performance there so far this year.

“The safety of our employees, their families, our First Nations partners and the communities we serve remains our top priority. With the wildfires spreading, Hudbay has taken additional actions to support our employees, including $1 million in direct financial support and establishing a Community Relief Donations Fund,” said senior vice-president Rob Carter.

“We are collaborating closely with local communities and municipal and provincial authorities to provide support during this challenging time. We will continue to monitor the situation, ensuring a safe return to full operations as soon as it is advisable.”

Hudbay removed non-essential staff in the Flin Flon, Man., area last week. It hasn’t been actively mining in the area near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan boundary since 2022, but it still runs care and maintenance work and also has services there to support Snow Lake 200 kilometres to the east.

Exploration activities have been suspended in both Flin Flon and Snow Lake.

Wildfires have forced tens of thousand of people from their homes across in northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.

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The Canadian Press