Imperial Metals Corp. is laying off more than one-third of the workforce at its Huckleberry mine near Houston because of low copper prices.
The Vancouver-based company – which also owns the Mount Polley and Red Chris mines – said it has suspended pit operations at Huckleberry, about 85 km southwest of the community of 3,150 residents but will continue milling stockpiled ore.
The decision will affect about 100 of Huckleberry's 260 employees.
"While HML has made significant efforts to reduce operating costs at the Huckleberry mine, the realized savings have not been sufficient to offset declining copper prices," the company said.
Copper future contracts are currently trading at about US$2.06 per pound – a level comparable to mid-2009 when the global economy was mired in a deep recession.
Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen called the news a tough blow and said he was in the process of getting further detail from Imperial Metals.
"Getting some basic information from the company so that we know where laid off workers live, how long reduced operations are expected to last, and any insight about the future of the mine will definitely help us to plan our next steps," Cullen said.
— with files from Mark Nielsen
