Cementation Canada and Big Grassy First Nation are the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum’s 2025 Indigenous Partnership Award winners.
Officials say the annual award recognizes groups that demonstrate significant and ongoing contributions to advancing Indigenous reconciliation in Canada’s mining sector.
Their partnership started in July 2020 to support early-stage underground mine development at New Gold’s Rainy River mine in northwestern Ontario. The agreement focused on creating sustainable employment and training opportunities for community members through Cementation’s New Miner Training Program.
“Our community has witnessed transformative changes in the lives of our members—changes that ripple out to benefit their families and the broader community,” says James Comegan, chief executive officer of Big Grassy First Nation LP. “Cementation’s willingness to explore non-traditional approaches to support our people has been truly impressive. They’ve created opportunities for our members to earn meaningful wages without having to leave home and invested in culturally centric mental health services to help with our community’s healing.”
Officials say at peak periods, labour force participation from Big Grassy First Nation reached 25 per cent—more than double the initial 10 per cent target.
“At Cementation, we are deeply committed to upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and fostering meaningful inclusion in all aspects of our mining projects,” says Eric Kohtakangas, senior executive vice-president. “Our relationships with Indigenous communities are built on trust, respect and mutual benefit, and it has been an honour to live these values with our friends at Big Grassy First Nation and learn from them.”
The award was presented at the recent CIM Awards Gala in Montreal.
