Abstract
The Yukon is on the verge of a resource boom. A major change since the early 1980s has been mining companies’ increasing reliance on long-distance commuting to move their workers to mine sites. While long-distance commuting can be seen as reducing the benefits the Yukon receives from mining, it can also be seen as an effective way of reducing the negative impacts that arise from the boom and bust nature of the industry. Long-distance commuting also represents new opportunities for workers currently living in the Yukon. It represents the potential for longer-term employment without the need to continually move to different communities. Yet little has been written about the attitudes of these workers towards their employment situation. What are their major concerns? Are there specific concerns relating to their mobile lifestyle? As an exploratory attempt to answer these questions, this paper examines twelve in-depth interviews with respondents from diverse backgrounds who worked in the Yukon’s mining industry. The findings indicate that workers in long-distance commuting mining firms had a range of perspectives regarding their workplaces. Some are general concerns that are not unique to their mobile lifestyle, while others relate directly to this. In terms of long-distance commuting, it appears most workers responded positively and were content to travel. While the sample size was small, the research suggests several avenues for further research such as the situation of women in new mining operations, Aboriginal employment experiences, perceptions of safety, and the separation of home and work.
Highlights
In 2012, the Yukon, as it has been numerous times in the past, was on the verge of a resource boom
One of the most important differences between the experiences of Yukon respondents and findings in the available literature was the way workers experienced the transition between home and work. This could be due to differences in the structure of the Yukon’s mining industry, which differentiates it somewhat from other FIFO dependent regions
The situation of women in new mining operations, Aboriginal employment experiences, perceptions of safety, and the separation of home and work are all important questions for new research
Summary
In 2012, the Yukon, as it has been numerous times in the past, was on the verge of a resource boom. It builds on the work of Russell (1999) in examining the Canadian mining industry It examines whether there is a need to update Russell’s work by including the experiences of Aboriginal people, women, different occupations, local and non-locals, as they work in a lean Yukon mining industry that uses long-distance commuting to get its workers from home to remote mine sites. This is relevant today as labour migration has become more prevalent in recent years (Newhook, Neis, Jackson, Roseman, Romanow, & Vincent, 2011). Respondents did not feel their family lives were negatively affected by their work
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