TIMMINS - Glencore is open for business even as the Kidd Mine site closes.
That was the message at the Timmins Chamber’s State of Mining lunch, where Kidd Operations general manager Dawid Myburgh laid out the site's successes in the last 58 years and the early stages of its closure plans.
The Kidd Mine is slated to close at the end of 2026. Myburgh laid out the opportunities and work left to do as the closure takes place.
“We haven’t in our studies found an economically viable way to go on,” he said. “It’s not a farm. Every time we take something out, it doesn’t grow out, so it’s a normal part of mining and it’s something that, as a team we’re looking at being proud of how we do it.”
Originally owned by Texas Gulf Sulphur, Kidd started producing in 1966 as an open-pit mine before operations migrated underground.
Today, it's the deepest base-metal mine in the world, with mining at 9,800 feet and the shaft bottom at 9,889 feet. For perspective, it would take nearly 5.5 CN Towers stacked one on top of the other to reach the surface from the bottom of the mine.
Last year, the company confirmed that the legacy mine is shuttering.
Staff at the mine site out Highway 655 and at the met site on Highway 101 in the Timmins' east end will continue to work until the end of December 2026.
The reclamation work after it stops mining is expected to take years.
“In essence, closure is a large civil project. It’s a large earth-moving project,” he said. “Even with the mine closing in 2026, we are still open for business. We have to partner with the right people because we have an obligation to the community to not pass these assets to someone who cannot ensure again responsible management.”
During that process, Glencore will also provide education and training to staff so they are ready for the job hunt after the site closes.
“We want to provide our employees a pathway to the next step in their career,” he said. “You might be in the trades, and you want to get your Red Seal. We will help you with that. Those are the kinds of things we will be doubling down on.”
The company will also hold job fairs for other companies and staff to explore their options.
Brenda Camirand with TEDC said they are working with Glencore to mitigate any effects the closure will cause.
“At this point we know how important the Kidd mine is to the community, so we’re actively working with them to look at what opportunities are,” she said. “We continue to work with them.”
Myburgh said that even with the closure on the books, the mine is still successful and focused on keeping the region safe and clean.
“To prove the point, I had a glass of our tailings water as it discharged into the Porcupine River on a visit, and I’m still alright,” he said.
