Hundreds of employees are being sent home in northern Saskatchewan as Cameco Corp. suspends production at its Cigar Lake uranium mine and partner Orano Canada Inc.
closes its affiliated McClean Lake uranium mill. The companies said their facilities will be placed in maintenance mode for four weeks due to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, although neither has any confirmed cases among their workforce.
Spokesman Jeff Hryhoriw said the shutdown means about 75 people from Cameco’s workforce of 320 employees and 240 contractors will remain at the site — the rest are being sent home, although they will continue to collect their pay and benefits.