Gerry Longhi
Photo by Shirley Collingridge
But somehow the minesite does not seem isolated; perhaps it is just that the pristine beauty of the surrounding area makes up for its remoteness. The minesite lies on the southern shore of the beautiful Opapimiskan Lake, where wildlife and outdoor activities abound. Leisure time can be filled with hiking, fishing, canoeing, or skidooing. Indoors at the mine, there are also plenty of diversions - billiard tables, dartboards, and the internet.
After his 12-hour shift, Longhi likes to work out in the well stocked weight room and to catch up on much needed sleep. Isolation, he says, “doesn’t affect me. I don’t mind working up here. It doesn’t really seem like isolation.”
What does affect him is separation from his family. “What hurts is not being able to go home for two weeks - more than being up here for two weeks,” he said. When the father of three first arrived at Musselwhite, he says, “My family was well established already. My children are older. But you know, I’m still needed around.”
The Ojibway native, who gets his surname from an Italian grandfather, was born in North Bay and raised in Sudbury where he lives with his family today. That distance is what presents the challenge.
“It’s an hour flight from Thunder Bay and then from Thunder Bay to Sudbury is about an hour and a half flight,” says Longhi. Besides the extra time the commute takes, flight fares hit his pocket book hard.
The mine pays for fly-in transportation from five local communities and from Thunder Bay, but miners who live elsewhere must get to one of those central transportation points on their own dollar. “It’s my responsibility to get to Thunder Bay from Sudbury,” said Longhi. “Then they fly me in from Thunder Bay. It runs me between $500.00 and $750.00 a month.”
Many employees eventually move to Thunder Bay or nearby communities, but Longhi says that is not an option for him: his family and his roots are in Sudbury. He could work in his home city but a combination of factors keep him coming back to Musselwhite – loyalty, job satisfaction, and job security. “I was working in Sudbury as a tire man. I got a break up here. I couldn’t get that in Sudbury. I’m settled here. Everything’s going great,” he said.
Soon Longhi’s arrival, Musselwhite offered him the training he needed to become a heavy duty mechanic. Longhi seized the opportunity. Within a year, he found himself apprenticing. Within a few short years, Longhi became a certified journeyman.
Because Musselwhite is not unionized, Longhi doesn’t worry about strikes, layoffs, and lockouts. With its high degree of camaraderie and employee-focused programs, it seems unlikely that the mine would ever become unionized. “I don’t see a union coming out here,” said Longhi.
When he is at home, Longhi follows around his active son. “My son’s in a lot of sports,” he said. “We spend a lot of times in the arenas. . . .on the football field, whatever.”
In between these treks, Longhi squeezes in time for his own hobbies. “I try to get fishing when I can - pike, pickerel, bass. . . . I like photography and I fool around with the computer a lot,” he said.
Computers intrigue Longhi. “If I were to start up a small business,” he said, “then I’d get into something related to computers. I’ve taken . . . some word processing programs but I don’t really use that. I am more self [taught].”
But for now, Longhi is happy where he is and plans to stay for many years. In fact, he celebrated his eighth anniversary at the mine in December.
The Musselwhite gold mine is a joint venture owned by Placer Dome (68%) and Kinross Gold Corporation (32%). Placer Dome is the operator. For more information, visit www.placerdome.com.