BHP Billiton is laying off 76 Canadian employees — most of whom are in Saskatoon.
Chris Ryder, a spokesperson for the mining company, said 70 full-time workers in Saskatchewan were given notice early last week. Most are company employees, but some are contractors.
Roughly 68 of the workers are based in Saskatoon, and about two or three work at the Jansen mine east of the city, Ryder said.
The remaining six employees are based in Toronto.
The employees will be leaving the company over the next seven months, according to Ryder. The layoffs will be staggered because several workers are still finishing projects, and a significant amount of human resources work is needed to finalize the job losses.
Ryder said the company is focused on reducing costs in the face of low global commodities prices.
“We’re not planning any other layoffs, but you can never say never,” he said.
BHP is the largest mining firm in the world and one of the largest employers in Saskatchewan.
The $3.8-million Jansen project is still on track, Ryder said.
“This doesn’t represent a delay or slowdown. It’s on schedule.”
Most of the employees who received notice work in administration, finance, human resources and information management.
