Inside one of the programs helping mine workers find new jobs

A northern job training program is gaining momentum as it works to help residents transition away from diamond mining.

The Mine Training Society’s Sustainable North: Our Workforce project – Snow, for short – was launched last year to help workers find opportunities in renewable energy and related fields.

Roughly seven months into its three-year mission, program director Steven Daniel said the program has built a team of about 11 staff members, including instructors, coordinators and administrative support.

Over the past year, Daniel said much of the work has focused on building the program from the ground up by hiring staff, developing a curriculum and creating training materials tailored to northern conditions. That work has now shifted toward delivering courses in Yellowknife and in communities across the territory.

So far, the team has completed nine community visits including the likes of Inuvik, Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic and Behchokǫ̀. Daniel said interest has been strong in every location, with solar energy drawing the most attention, especially as daylight hours increase in the spring.

He said additional courses will be introduced in the coming months.

“We had a great deal of interest” in Ulukhaktok, he said. “It was such a joy to be there and share what we had with them. They were just very excited to have us come up there and learn more about solar power, because they’re very keen on learning about clean sources of energy that are sustainable.

“It also gives them a certain amount of autonomy as well, not having to rely on diesel fuel coming through on barges every year and whatnot.”

Daniel said the program offers introductory, hands-on courses in solar, wind, small-scale hydro, biomass and geothermal systems.

He said the curriculum was designed specifically for northern environments, with a focus on equipment that can perform in extreme weather. One of the challenges has been balancing different skill levels, but he added that also creates opportunities for participants to learn from each other.

‘Great deal of interest’

The program arrives as one of the NWT’s three diamond mines closes and two others are in financial jeopardy.

With Diavik gone, Gahcho Kué looking at a 2028 closure date and the fate of the Ekati mine uncertain, hundreds of northerners could be forced to make choices in the near future: relocate to stay in mining or reinvent their career.

Daniel said demand for the Snow program has been strong, with courses in Yellowknife running regularly and filling up quickly. There is currently a waiting list of about 45 people.

According to him, the program aims to reach about 1,850 participants over the next two and a half years. As the program moves into its second year, Daniel said the focus will be on expanding course offerings and reaching more communities across the North.

“We’ve developed all the programs from scratch. We’ve put them together so they’re specifically designed for a northern context,” he told Cabin Radio.

“Even though we’re using equipment that’s designed in the south, we’ve actually gone through and looked at stuff that’s robust enough to actually work within a northern climate.

“All of our courses have basically been full … There’s a great deal of interest in this.”

Michele Balfour, one of the participants, believes programs like this are especially valuable in northern communities, where reliance on diesel and the high cost of electricity remain ongoing challenges. Frequent power outages can also have serious impacts on homes and infrastructure, she said.

The solar course marks her first in the program, though she has already signed up for additional modules on wind and nuclear energy. She described the solar training as a “trial run” but was encouraged by its hands-on approach, which includes working with mock solar panel systems in the classroom.

Balfour said learning and sharing knowledge has always been central to her life. She said being in the program is part of her ongoing effort to better understand energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

“The fact that you can come and learn about these things is the first step,” she said. “Just like AI, the whole energy education and awareness is something that everyone kind-of needs to be more knowledgeable about.”

Jamaal Jackson-Grau said he enrolled in a solar and alternative energy course after seeing it promoted on Facebook and hearing a radio advertisement.

Jackson-Grau said his interest in the program is driven by a desire to better understand renewable energy systems for personal use, including how to build, repair and maintain them.

He described the course as an opportunity to gain practical knowledge that could help improve his own energy efficiency and prepare for future challenges. He wants to eventually apply what he learns to build a personal energy system as an alternative power source.

In his work, Jackson-Grau travels to communities across the North to conduct eye exams and support clinic services, a role he has held for about 12 years. He noted he has observed a mix of energy systems across these communities, with some still heavily reliant on diesel fuel.

“Everywhere there’s a need for it because you can’t just depend on diesel to power these places. There has to be an alternative in case the diesel runs out,” he said.

“The cost of diesel is going to go up – the cost of everything’s going to go up – so we have got to figure out ways to harness things that are free like the sun and the wind and the water. We live in a place that has all those things.”