De Beers and WSP Announce the Successful Conclusion of the Contract to Progress Closure of the Victor Diamond Mine

De Beers Canada Inc. (De Beers) and WSP Canada Inc. (WSP) are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the contract with WSP to progress closure of the Victor diamond mine in northern Ontario, near Attawapiskat. The mine ceased production when the plant closed in 2019, and since early 2021 De Beers has worked closely with WSP who managed active closure of the mine site as prime closure contractor.

“We are very proud to have been recognized for our hard work to close the mine responsibly. De Beers is committed to return the Victor mine site to a natural state for the safe use of the people and wildlife who depend on it. De Beers is grateful for the input and respectful dialogue from First Nations in the region and for the work done by the WSP team since they took on the role as prime closure contractor in early 2021,” said Avischen Moodley, Country President – Canada for De Beers.

The open pit mine was at one time 280 meters deep and has now been restored to a lake that matches the natural environment. The plant where the ore was processed was decommissioned and dismantled and hundreds of truckloads of equipment and material were removed in 2022 and 2023 on a network of winter roads in the James Bay Lowlands, for disposal or recycling at approved facilities elsewhere in Ontario. A variety of surplus material, including fire trucks, heavy equipment, tools, sea cans and other surplus items were donated to local communities. More than 1.4 million native trees and shrubs have been planted at the site, grown from seeds collected by youth hired from the Attawapiskat community between 2014 and 2019.

While the closure of the mine is essentially complete, temporary camp accommodations, auxiliary buildings, and equipment remain at the site to support the final environmental restoration and long-term monitoring of the site.

De Beers received the 2022 Tom Peters Memorial Mine Reclamation Award for the work executed jointly with WSP. The award was presented by the Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association in September 2023.

About De Beers Group

Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining, marketing and retailing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of De Beers Group’s strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers that span the diamond value chain, including its jewellery houses, De Beers Jewellers and De Beers Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives Tracr and GemFair. De Beers Group also provides leading services and technology to the diamond industry in the form of education and laboratory services via De Beers Institute of Diamonds and a wide range of diamond sorting, detection and classification technology systems via De Beers Group Ignite. De Beers Group is committed to ‘Building Forever,’ a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future – where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For further information, visit www.debeersgroup.com.

About WSP Global Inc.

As one of the largest professional services firms in the world, WSP exists to future-proof our cities and our environment. It provides strategic advisory, engineering and design services to clients seeking sustainable solutions in the transportation, infrastructure, environment, building, energy, water, and mining sectors. Its 67,000 trusted professionals are united by the common purpose of creating positive, long-lasting impacts on the communities it serves through a culture of innovation, integrity, and inclusion. 

Media Contacts

Andrew Macklin
WSP Canada Inc.
289-835-2536
[email protected]

Terry Kruger
Sr. Communications Officer
De Beers Group Managed Operations
Tel. 1-867-679-6431
[email protected]