Reconcili-ACTION
Our team respects and prioritizes local and Indigenous communities’ traditional connection to land, culture and values and are focused on strengthening our social license to operate by staying true to our word.


FIRST NATIONS EXPERIENCE
- MINTO MINE – CONSTRUCTION
- JDS was engaged by Sherwood Copper in 2006/7 to provide EPCM services to construct the Minto Mine in the Yukon
- JDS partnered with the Selkirk First Nations (SFN) based in Pelly Crossing, Yukon Territory to provide essential services for the mine construction. This included helping SFN build businesses:
- Transportation services for personnel ferrying across the Yukon river
- Provide employees where possible to provide barge deckhand manpower
- Camp Catering services including food services, housekeeping and maintenance
- On the job training and mentorship for SFN members through construction contractor companies
- Yukon River – Barge Operations
- JDS partnered will a local (SFN) individual to start and develop Britannia Creek Contracting
- Provide coordination and management services for the JDS owned barges on the Yukon River
- Business development to expand barging services
- Mentorship and training in business operations
- JDS provides two position openings for Little Salmon Carmacks First Nations (LSCFN) members to obtain employment within the current barging program to be trained in the following
- Equipment operations
- Barge deckhand
- Logistics and freight tracking skills
- JDS partnered will a local (SFN) individual to start and develop Britannia Creek Contracting
- JDS Silver – Silvertip
- JDS purchased the Silvertip Mine in Northern BC in November 2013
- JDS signed a life of mine Socio-Economic Participation Agreement with the Kaska, 6 weeks after purchase
- During construction, JDS signed agreements with First Nations owned and partnership companies including:
- Camp catering
- Fuel supply and delivery
- Freight and personnel expediting
- JDS used IKN, a First Nations business for all earthworks, road maintenance and labour on site
- JDS Silver – Silvertip
- During operations JDS management negotiated with the Tahltan FN as they came forward as a second affected community.
- The First Nation employment on site was maintained at 25% + for until JDS sold Silvertip to Coeur Mining in Oct 2017.
- Coeur Mining has now included the Tahltan in the Silvertip benefits agreement.
- In the development of Silvertip, JDS invested in the community and increased capacity for the First Nations living in the both North BC and the Yukon.
- JDS is very proud of the working partnership with the First Nation community and gives a lot of the credit to the Kaska and the Tahltan in a successful business venture.
- Victoria Gold – Eagle Gold Project
- Victoria Gold’s Eagle Gold Project was developed in 2017 thru 2019 in the traditional territory of the Nation of NA-CHO NYAK DUN (NND)
- Victoria Gold signed a collaboration agreement with the NND
- JDS managed the $500M in Construction
- Contracts awarded to NNNDC (development corporation) owned & Partner Companies included:
- Camp construction and catering
- Fuel supply and delivery
- JDS Site services
- Earthworks construction
- Electrical & Controls installation
- Structural Steel installation
- 25 percent of employees First Nations
- Coffee Gold Project
- The Coffee Gold Project is located in the traditional territory of the Tr’ondek Hwech’in in the Central Yukon
- JDS working for Goldcorp (now Newmont) signed an exploration benefits agreement with the Tr’ondek Hwech’in including training opportunities, equipment sales and revenue sharing
- JDS employment on the project has been consistently between 25 percent and 40 percent of employees being Yukon First Nations
- Mt Nansen – Remediation Project
- In 2019, JDS and Ensero were awarded the 10 year Mt Nansen Remediation Project
- The Mt Nansen Mine lies in the traditional territory of the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation (LSCFN)
- The Partnership signed a Benefits Agreement with the LSCFN focused on:
- Training and capacity building opportunities
- Financial revenue sharing
- Financial incentives aligned with YESAB and
- Water License permitting schedule achievement dates
- SHÍSHÁLH NATION (SECHELT, BC)
- JDS is the Technical Advisor to the shíshálh Nation for matters pertaining to mineral resource development, mining operations, community impact mitigation and reclamation
- JDS was part of the shíshálh Nation negotiating team that secured a beneficial, 50-year Relationship Agreement (RA) with Lehigh Hanson Materials for the operation of a sand and gravel mine and processing facility within the shíshálh Nation swiya (territory).
- JDS holds one of two shíshálh Nation seats on the Joint Implementation Committee that oversees implementation of the Lehigh Relationship Agreement.
- JDS holds a seat on the Lehigh/shíshálh Technical Committee that oversees community impact mitigation for the Sechelt Mine
- JDS helped the Tsain-Ko Dev Corp, the development arm of the shíshálh Nation, bid on a large trucking contract with Lehigh
- JDS worked jointly with the shíshálh Nation, Lehigh and the Sunshine Coast Regional District to develop options for a regional a Raw Water Reservoir on shíshálh Nation land

CARIBOO RAIL – VOLUNTEERING AT KAMLOOPS YOUTH CENTRE
As part of our commitment to supporting our Indigenous partners, a group of Cariboo Central Railroad Contracting Ltd. (Cariboo Rail) employees – Kristine Jefferies, Cameron Fraser, Gary Janzen and Tom McAvoy – volunteered alongside friends and members of the Tkemlups te Secwepemc band, to help restore the local youth centre’s planters in Kamloops, providing fresh produce to low-income families and youth.