Year in Review: Uranium in doldrums but some sparkle returns to project near P.A.
As 2018 draws to a close, paNOW is taking a look back on the most important and impactful stories of the year, as selected by our reporters and editorial staff.
As one key Saskatchewan mining operation was forced to shut down this year, another long-awaited project showed glimpses of coming to life.
The year did not start well. At the end of January the final shift at Cameco’s Key Lake and McArthur River uranium operations was wrapping up, leaving a total of 845 people out of work for what was initially expected to be a 10-month lay-off. While a special benefit package was negotiated with much of the workforce, that came as little consolation.
“The morale is low; people feel very uncertain of their future,” acting president for United Steelworkers Local 8914 Denis O’Hara told paNOW at the time. “Many have expressed they’re going to be looking for other permanent employment because their trust in Cameco is broken, and that’s disheartening.”