News from our businesses and markets

Yellowknife, NT (June 18, 2014) – Inspired by their successful fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF), the De Beers Snap Lake Mine Rescue Team turned in a strong performance at the annual NWT/Nunavut Mine Rescue Competition in Yellowknife winning one category and finishing runner-up in another.

Sporting pink hard hats, the seven-member team, chosen from Snap Lake’s Emergency Response Team, won the Underground Smoke Event and Underground Written Exam and placed second in the First Aid competition during the annual competition, hosted in Yellowknife June 13-14 by the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission of the NWT/NU.

Throughout May, the team collected donations from mine colleagues at Snap Lake as part of a “Powered by Pink” campaign at the mine. The campaign was focused on both raising awareness about the mine rescue team and sharing important information about breast cancer in Canada. The event captured attention across the mine, with co-workers sharing heartfelt stories of loved ones dealing with cancer. Women belonging to the mine’s security team even had special pink cupcakes baked as part of the fundraising drive.

The team raised $12,000 from co-workers and community members, which won praise from De Beers Canada CEO Tony Guthrie who in turn pledged a corporate donation to bring the total amount raised to $15,000. Everyone who donated to the CBCF during the campaign will receive a t-shirt from De Beers bearing a large pink ribbon emblem and the names of employee loved ones who have been affected by cancer.

In addition to their pink hard hats, the Snap Lake Mine Rescue Team members also wore pink gloves during the competition and put pink ribbon patches on their coveralls to commemorate their initiative. De Beers volunteers attending the Miners Picnic hosted by the NWT/NU Chamber of Mines during the Mine Rescue Competition wore aprons bearing large pink ribbons.