Golden Giant mine at Hemlo MacIsaac’s greatest challenge

MacIsaac Mining and Tunnelling Co., a privately held Sudbury, Ont., firm that specializes in shaft sinking, has built an enviable reputation among mining contractors since it was founded in 1947 by current Chairman John MacIsaac. A Montana native raised in the Canadian Maritimes, MacIsaac worked in all phases of underground operations, including supervision, in mining camps throughout Ontario and Quebec. His early private mining enterprise quickly gained a reputation for excellence and efficiency. Today, under the operational head of Patrick MacIsaac, president of the company and son of the founder, MacIsaac Mining and Tunnelling has more than 750 employees and has provided services in Canada from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland and as far away as in the U.S. and India. Pat MacIsaac joined the head office of the company in 1975 after being called to the Ontario Bar and, since 1983, has been at the helm of the MacIsaac group of companies.

The MacIsaac business umbrella also comprises Baycar Steel Fabricating Ltd., which specializes in design, fabrication and installation of a wide variety of mining hardware and machinery and Sudbury Downs Holdings, a wholly owned, totally integrated harness-racing operation.

The mining and tunnelling division has executed major mining contracts for most of the large mine operators in Canada and recently completed its 80th shaft-sinking program. Any mining, shaft- sinking or raising project can be well supplied from the company’s inventory of equipment which includes more than 130 trackless units, a fleet of off-highway trucks and such items as loaders and dozers, pumps, locos, cars and alimaks. Acquisition and delivery of mine hardware such as Galloway stage, shaft concrete form, conveyors, bins and headframes are guaranteed through the facilities of Baycar, which is an established fabricator of such equipment, supplying the mining industry across Canada from its plant in Sudbury.

The skills required for any civil, electrical and mechanical aspects of any project are available in- house. The MacIsaac teams of mechanical, electrical and construction crews service the firm’s own needs and undertake significant outside contracts in their specialized fields.

The company’s history of work volume is impressive — 15 million tons of ore, 75 miles of trackless development, 55 miles of track drifts, 38 miles of raises and 25 miles of shafts. MacIsaac has installed 25,000 ft. of conveyors, commissioned 40 hoisting systems, completed 35 shaft collars and erected 15 headframes.

Major clients in the last decade have included Inco Ltd., Kidd Creek Mines, Union Miniere Explorations, Brunswick Mining and Smelting and Rio Algom. In fact, MacIsaac believes it has executed the lion’s share of the major mining projects in Canada during this period. All of the projects, the company says, have been multi-faceted, requiring the complete range of disciplines it offers.

Development has included shaft sinking, trackless and track development, crusher stations, bins, garages, lunchrooms and linkrooms. Installations embrace cone and jaw crushers, conveyors, feeders, pump stations, sub-stations, settling cones, ventilation systems, load- out systems, pockets and bins — all encompassing the co-ordination of the company’s civil, electrical, mechanical and other crews.

MacIsaac has no doubt that its flagship project was at Noranda’s Golden Giant mine at Hemlo, Ont. where more than $100 million worth of work was completed in less than four years. At the height of activity, simultaneous operations consisted of shaft sinking at an average rate of nine feet per day, development of ramp and other trackless headings, ore production at a rate of 1,800 tons per day and the maintenance of mine services such as dewatering, ventilation, surveying and engineering. At the same time, the company acquired, warehoused and distributed all mine supplies, maintained all mine operation facilities, provided and maintained all equipment to operate and develop a mine and provided and operated a camp, kitchen and recreational facilities for combined crews numbering in excess of 400 at times.

The Inco-owned Shebandowan nickel mine, west of Thunder Bay, Ont., is being operated by MacIsaac, with responsibilities for all mine and mill operations. The company provides the personnel, equipment, supplies and technology to produce a bulk concentrate in slurry form which is transported to Inco’s smelter. Production is at the rate of 2,000 tons per day, seven days a week for 50 weeks a year.

Also for Inco, MacIsaac personnel operate the Whistle open pit mine near Capreol at a rate of 4,000 tons a day, on the same work schedule as at the Shebandowan mine.

MacIsaac Mining and Tunnelling continues to follow on the solid foundation laid by John MacIsaac and, with Pat MacIsaac heading operations, continues on a path of providing ever expanding service to the mining industry at home and abroad.