Hudbay was founded in 1927 when mining began on the Flin Flon ore body. Since then, Hudbay has been the primary industry for what are now the communities of Flin Flon and Creighton, with the current operations – Reed and 777 – producing on average 25,000 tonnes of copper and 51,000 tonnes of zinc annually.
With Reed closing in 2018 and 777 by 2020, we are consulting with the local communities to help them prosper afterwards. We intend to conduct the closures in a way that protects the environment, and preserves opportunities to use the mineral processing infrastructure for possible future mines.
As we explore all options to maximize our existing assets in Flin Flon – including processing ore from Lalor at the Flin Flon Concentrator as Lalor ramps up production – we are supporting efforts to diversify the local economies. In 2016, we engaged a community-planning expert who held workshops in 2016 and 2017 with the communities to identify opportunities for jobs and sustained economic growth. We are working closely with the mayors and municipal administrators of Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach to assist with the social and economic transition and encourage economic diversification.