Since the pandemic began, production at Cameco’s Cigar Lake mine has been suspended twice.
It shuttered in March 2020, shortly after the first COVID-19 case was reported in the province, and the on-site workforce was cut to 35 from around 300.
The mine restarted in the fall, but closed again in December. It reopened last month with what Gitzel described at the time as “enhanced safety protocols,” including distancing on flights to the remote site, medical-grade masks and on-site testing.
The first-quarter financial statement says its bottom line was affected by $33 million in additional care and maintenance costs from suspending the Cigar Lake mine’s production from December to April. All employees were paid during the suspension, a cost that was offset by $12 million from the Canadian Employment Wage Subsidy.