Most remaining Ekati employees will be “terminated within the coming weeks” after the diamond mine went into receivership, the union representing mine workers says.
In a notice posted to its website this week, the Union of Northern Workers said the insolvency firm taking over Ekati had advised “some employees will be retained to support care, maintenance and reclamation work,” but most will not be needed.
Exact numbers were not given. Between 350 and 400 workers are understood to be affected in some way by the mine’s impending closure.
The receiver, PricewaterhouseCoopers or PwC, has not responded to interview requests filed on Wednesday last week and Tuesday this week. The union has not made representatives available for interview.
“At this time, the Receiver has not indicated how long retained positions for care, maintenance and reclamation work may continue after the wind-down period,” the union wrote to members.
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“The GNWT has publicly stated that Indigenous workers will be prioritized for reclamation work. However, at this stage, it remains unclear how many positions will be available and how many bargaining unit members will ultimately be retained.”
According to the UNW, PwC believes all outstanding wages, vacation pay and employer pension contributions have been paid and asserts they will continue to be paid. “Some overtime payments and employee expense reimbursements” are outstanding.
Employee working conditions are not expected to significantly change, the union said, and the existing rotation of two weeks on, two weeks off will be preserved for as long as the receiver considers it operationally possible.
“The Receiver has advised that employment terminations will occur in waves as operations wind down,” the union wrote.
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“Employees will not be laid off, they will either continue working or receive notice that their employment has been terminated.” No severance or termination pay will be issued, but terminated staff may be eligible for compensation of up to $9,275 through the federal Wage Earner Protection Program.
“There is currently no indication of any funding deficit in the defined benefit pension plan and as of June 2026 the pension plans were fully funded,” the union wrote.
“A health and safety consultant has been retained to inspect the site and, according to the Receiver, no immediate health and safety concerns requiring urgent corrective action have been identified.”
Separately, PwC this week published a list of “all known resources and information available to support affected employees.”
Ekati went into receivership earlier in July after nobody stepped in to buy the mine and it ran out of money. Its owners have blamed tariffs and the growing market share of lab-grown diamonds among other factors.
