Real Life Stories
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Sheldon Flostrand
Lead Electrician, De Beers Canada Snap Lake Mine
Tahltan
Sheldon Flostrand’s first mining job was in 1994 at Barrick Gold’s Eskay Creek mine in northern British Columbia. Sheldon spent two years at Eskay Creek, operating one of the loaders used to move materials around and off the mine site. But, not content to do this long term, Sheldon applied for, and was awarded, the electrical apprenticeship at Eskay Creek in 1996. He got his certificate in 2000, after a four year apprenticeship.
“In high school, I decided I wanted to attend college or university at some point so I made sure I took courses that would help me realise that dream later down the road.” Sheldon continues, “But, it turned out, I started working at Eskay Creek and it was the idea of learning a trade that appealed more than going back to school to get a degree.”
“I remember some of the most exciting times at Eskay Creek were the power outages. I was on the team responsible for getting the site back up and running after a blackout. Eskay Creek is an underground mine, so we had to pump water out; a longer-than-usual power outage would result in flooding in the mine, in addition to shutting down ventilation and heating, above and below ground. This made it impossible to continue production, which meant the mine was losing money for every hour the site was without power. It was lots of pressure to get things fixed. But it was really exciting too.”
In 2004, Sheldon left Eskay Creek, to work for the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation as an electrical contractor, working with oil and gas companies. After a few contracting jobs, Sheldon decided it was mining he really enjoyed, and in 2007, joined DeBeers at the Snap Lake mine, in the role of Lead Electrician. Snap Lake is about 220 kilometers outside of Yellowknife and is a fly in/out camp.
Day-to-day, as Lead Electrician at De Beers Canada’s Snap Lake mine, Sheldon works on high voltage electrical equipment, above and below ground. Underground work for Sheldon might include advancing electrical services underground; making repair and service calls to equipment with problems; and working on the communication system as well as the central blasting system. Above ground, Sheldon works on electrical installations and also handles troubleshooting calls on equipment that isn’t working properly, or needs maintenance.
Sheldon reports to the site Electrical Supervisor and is responsible for work with a crew and assigning the team their tasks for the day. He also spends time in the office, doing things like creating work orders, checking for work notifications from other departments, signing 5-point safety cards (used at many mines around the world to ensure safety in the workplace), and responding to daily emails.
“There are so many things I enjoy about working in mining. The industry’s strong focus on safety is really inspiring because safety should be a part of everything we do. It’s important to me that the place I work takes safety as seriously as I do. The mining sector also offers some of the highest wages in Canada. And, in my job, I work two weeks onsite and then have two weeks off. This rotational schedule enables me to spend lots of time with my family.”
What about Sheldon’s advice to Aboriginal students and people thinking about what to do next?
“My number one piece of advice to Aboriginal young people would be to stay in school. So many doors are opened for you if you pursue some kind of further education beyond high school.” Sheldon continues, “Learning a trade is an excellent choice and can provide a very rewarding career. But, even Aboriginal youth enrolled in or thinking about academic programs, should pursue careers in the mining sector as well because there’s so much it offers.”