We recognize that we have a role to play in contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and a responsibility to enhance the quality of life in the areas where we operate. Agnico Eagle’s work contributes directly and indirectly to each of the 17 UN SDGs, however the significance of our potential impact varies. We will continue to work on defining priorities and goals related to the UN SDGs and further integrating them in our business strategy. 

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End Poverty in all it’s forms everywhere.

We provide high-quality employment with living wages and benefits which contributes to the prosperity of the middle class in our host communities. We support local businesses through the procurement of goods and services and generate significant revenues through taxes, royalties and dividends for governments to invest in economic and social development.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  In 2022, Agnico Eagle distributed over $5.5 billion in economic value across payments to suppliers, employee wages and benefits, payments to providers of capital, income and resource taxes, and community investments

    Financially supported employees unable to work at our mines due to COVID-19 restrictions

    Entrepreneurial training & local business assistance

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End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

As part of our community investment strategy, we work alongside communities to identify and support health initiatives including those that provide people in need with nutritious food. We minimize and mitigate operating impacts on biodiversity to safeguard the sustainability of subsidence hunting, fishing and gathering. We look for innovative solutions that create synergies between mining and local agriculture.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  Agnico Eagle sponsors a foodshare program that distributes food to nearly 13,000 vulnerable people across Central Victoria, Australia

    •     In 2022, employees at our Detour Lake mine in Northern Ontario held multiple food drive collections to support local food bank locations. Agnico Eagle stepped in to further these contributions by making a CAD 100,000 donation to food banks in Northern Ontario 

    •    Provide food basket and support to food banks, country food and harvest

    •    Bee and pollinating species programs

    •    In June 2020, we provided a CAD $556,321 grant to the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board, which administers 23 agencies that provide a variety of services, such as food banks

 

 

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Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Ensure our workforce has the knowledge, tools and training they need to perform their duties in an optimal and safe manner. Develop well-being programs to promote and support healthy lives.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  Towards zero-accidents initiative

    On-site gyms and fitness opportunities

    Mental health awareness campaigns

    In 2022, Fosterville implemented a Healthy Lifestyle Program for all personnel, including contractors. Training and education included nutrition and sleep (fatigue) training, pre-work stretches and a sun smart program

    A long history of funding major cancer research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, contributing over $25 million in the last ten years alone

    Donated a cumulative amount of almost $8.0 million to Blanche River Health over the past 5 years, the largest single donor in the hospital’s history

    Agnico Eagle Australia Community Partnership Program donated close to $250,000 US to support three health and wellness-related initiatives – including the Gobbé Wellness Centre and its Cancer Wellness Program to offer cancer patients complementary therapies and improve their quality of life while undergoing cancer treatment and remission

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Ensure inclusive equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

We support and partner with existing educational institutions to expand access to education and we promote the education of our workforce as pathway to a better life for our employees and their children.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  • Student and apprenticeship programs
  • Scholarships to support post-secondary education
  • On-site educators in Nunavut
  • Environment research and development projects in partnership with local schools and institutions, including:

- Critical infrastructure reclamation in northern climates; 
- A partnership with Research Institute in Mine and Environment (RIME) UQAT Polytechnique; 
- Partnering in the NSERC-UQAT Industrial Research chair on Northern Biodiversity in a Mining Context; 
- A project dedicated to developing an integrated system for monitoring biodiversity changes with the University of Sherbrooke and several industry and government partners; 
- Critical infrastructure reclamation in northern climates; 
- An Industrial Research chair with University of Toronto on mine water treatment with freezing technology; 
- Tailings and waste rock vegetation program with the University of Waterloo; 
- A lichen and soil biological crust restoration project with the University of Guelph; and 
- An engagement with Mikro-Tek on a trial that focuses on using mycorrhizal fungi to help improve seedling survival.

 

  • Agnico Eagle is proud to support Ilitaqsiniq (Nunavut Literacy Council) in its efforts to help Nunavut grow its literacy rates and secure a better future for all Nunavummiut. In 2022, we made a CAD 250,000 contribution to help the Council expand its staffing, outreach activities and programming. The funding helped purchase a building in Rankin Inlet, which now serves as Ilitaqsiniq’s permanent headquarters in the Kivalliq region and where the Council now offers literacy training programs for adults and youth

 

 

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Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

We implement programs to promote gender equality, including efforts to recruit and retain female employees, and we support training and education opportunities focused on women in the areas where we operate.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  In 2022, we reviewed and updated key policies regarding both parental leave and dress code at our sites in Mexico to prioritize inclusivity
  • Diversity and Inclusion Policy, Council and Action Plan
  • Conversations with Successful Women
  • Encouraging our female employees to undergo training opportunities for roles operating major equipment and mining processes
  • Scholarship and Development Program in Memory of Dr. Leanne Baker, which was designed to support the advancement of a cohort of women through a 2-year mentorship and training program
  • Proud supporter of the international women in resources mentoring program (IWRMP), an annual cross-company program originally established in 2018 to promote and empower women in the resources industry to progress their careers, overcome professional challenges and build confidence for achievement and industry leadership through mentorship
  • Implemented the GECKO (Gender Equity Consultation Kick Off) at Fosterville Mine to focus on barriers to diversity and make the mining industry more appealing to women

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Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Agnico Eagle’s water management program is based on three key elements: maintaining water quality in the receiving environment, collaborating with our communities of interest to ensure the fair allocation of water and using water efficiently.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  • Implemented a Water Management Policy and released an updated Corporate Standard for Water Stewardship in 2021
  • In 2019, Pinos Altos Complex began collaborating with a local community for a water distribution network powered by solar panels to provide safe and clean water to more than 1,000 residents 
  • Water management strategy at Fosterville that includes use of both treated effluent and Class B recycled water from local Waste Water Treatment Plant
  • Biological Water Treatment at LaRonde
  • In 2021, Agnico Eagle donated 15,000 liters of clean water to the city of Iqaluit in the midst of a drinking water crisis that was caused by a problem with their water treatment

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Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Increasing the proportion of non-carbon emitting electricity sources is critical for Agnico Eagle to meet our long-term energy and GHG objectives. We believe that by working closely with local businesses, communities, and governments we can find solutions that not only reduce our carbon footprint but provide emission reductions for the region as a whole in addition to creating economic benefits.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  • Supporter of the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link, Nunavut’s first land-based connection to Canada via a 230kV electric transmission system extending from Manitoba into the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, delivering reliable renewable energy and broadband internet service 
  • Renewable energy projects such as the Passive Solar Wall at LaRonde Mine and a Solar Power Purchase Agreement at Pinos Altos

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Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

We promote social economic growth in the regions where we operate by providing high-quality employment opportunities and having community investments programs that target initiatives that support local economic development, even after mining ceases. In 2022, Agnico Eagle provided over $1 billion in wages and benefits and had over 14,000 employees and contractors at end of year. Although we do not measure the direct and indirect economic impact of employee wage spending on local goods and services, it is an important factor in Agnico Eagle’s economic contributions to our host communities and regions knowing our workforce is primarily local (in many of our operating regions exceeds 85%). Local procurement spend was over a combined $1.4 billion in 2022.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  • Provided investments to support 7 legacy projects in Nunavut
  • Provide Apprenticeship Programs and programs to potential apprentices to try work in the trade before embarking on a solid pathway to a Red Seal/Accredited trade career
  • The Indigenous Mining Career Program, created in partnership with local communities, consists of a 12-week Mining Essentials education that includes life skills, an Ontario Secondary School Diploma and learning traditional skills as part of the program, followed by a 20-week work placement at Detour Lake Mine in roles across the operation
  • In 2019, Agnico Eagle’s Mexico team was inducted into the Great Place to Work Hall of Fame after being ranked one of the best places to work (in the category of 500 – 5000 employees) in Mexico for 10 consecutive years!

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Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

We work with our local communities to support sustainable growth and the development of local infrastructure and other community initiatives. We foster innovation by participating in leading-edge mining industry initiatives, as well as by investing in R&D to reduce our environmental footprint and implement new underground technology that supports our commitment to providing a safe and healthy work environment.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  In Northern Ontario, we supported building a 5G LTE public network bringing more than 180km of connectivity to the local community with 8 new wireless towers

  •  Developing and implementing with OEM automation technology at LaRonde

    Establishment of the Kivalliq Inuit Elders’ Advisory Committee to provide advice on how to incorporate traditional Inuit knowledge into community engagement activities; and has worked directly with local Hunters and Trappers’ organizations on traffic management, managing environmental impacts, naming protocols, and community mapping initiatives

    Increasing energy efficiency through various programs, like a special heat recovery project in Meliadine

    Use and testing of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in mining applications as well as exploring innovative secondary life applications for our BEV batteries

    Agnico Eagle supports various R&D projects including projects that support mining restoration, biodiversity and integration of climate change into mine design. Specific projects include: Critical infrastructure reclamation in northern climates, a partnership with  Research Institute in Mine and Environment (RIME) UQAT Polytechnique; developing an integrated system for monitoring biodiversity changes in partnership with the University of Sherbrooke and several industry and government partners; and Partnering in the NSERC-UQAT Industrial Research chair on Northern Biodiversity in a Mining Context

    Partnership with the Universities of Waterloo, Alberta, and Carleton for education and research into mine waste rock geochemistry

    Using and testing virtual technologies to continue optimizing training methods, expanding opportunities to use virtual and augment reality, and improving accessibility, retention and attraction

 

 

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Reduce inequality within and among countries.

 

We strive to ensure that our presence in a region or a country enhances the quality of life in all the communities that surround our project. We have processes in place to include vulnerable groups in community engagement initiatives. Our Diversity and Inclusion policy outlines our commitment to treat each other equally, fairly, and consistently with equal access to opportunities and recognition.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  Implementation of  Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) Policies and DEI Action Plan

    In 2022, we created an internal DEI Index that measures perception of inclusion and perceptions of fairness at Agnico Eagle through the Great Place to Work™ survey. This helps us better analyze how our employees feel about DEI as well as focus our resources and shape our actions

    Partnered with the Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) to roll out voluntary learning opportunities including webinars and engaged external speakers for various DEI focused topics

    Underground Training Program to expand our Inuit workforce, aligning with target 10.3

    Have specific processes to include vulnerable groups in community engagements initiatives during life of mine

    The Indigenous Supervisor Management Training program at Detour Lake Mine was created to help our employees further progress their careers and gain the knowledge, expertise, and skills to obtain supervisor and management roles across the operation as they continue their career with growth, challenges and opportunities 

    Chamber of Commerce and Industry of RouynNoranda awarded the 2021 Contribution to Economic Development Award to Agnico Eagle Abitibi for their support and commitment to employees and the community during COVID-19

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Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

As early as possible in the project development phase, we engage and partner with local stakeholders and Indigenous communities to assess the levels of social acceptability and potential impacts of the project within the host community. This allows us to mitigate potential negative impacts, and discover opportunities for collaboration, avoiding potential conflict and building community relationships on a foundation of trust and transparency.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  As early as possible in the project development phase, we engage and partner with local stakeholders and Indigenous communities to mitigate potential negative impacts and discover opportunities for collaboration, avoiding potential conflict and building community relationships on a foundation of trust and transparency 

    Commitment to not explore or seek to develop new mining operations in an area designated as a World Heritage Site

    Implementation of Cross-Cultural Competency Training

    In 2022 Best in Business was awarded to the Macassa Mine for its commitment to the community and contributing to the economic development of Kirkland Lake

    Pinos Altos Complex received the 2021 Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Excellence Award for Community Engagement

    Establish local or project specific community grievance process

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Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

We work to minimize our use of water, land and chemicals, and to recycle and reuse our waste materials.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  Agnico Eagle has composting programs at several mining operations. These programs have a variety of benefits depending on the location such as reducing waste, providing organic material to support revegetation, and reducing GHG emissions

    Heat Recovery initiatives

    95% of the mobile equipment at Lapa mine was recovered and reused

    Optimizing water use with design and collection systems (78% of water reused and recycled globally in 2022)

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Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

We are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving our overall energy efficiency and by implementing low carbon technologies. In 2020, we started aligning our reporting with TCFD. In 2022, we released our first Climate Action Report. 

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  Target of net-zero carbon by 2050

    Engaged with the Government of Canada, Government of Quebec, Government of Ontario, Government of Nunavut and Inuit organizations on the need for clean energy alternatives and coordinated action to address climate change

    As part of our Community Partnership Program, Agnico Eagle is supporting the Greater Bendigo Climate Collaboration (GBCC) project which is dedicated to taking three years of climate change action and put the city on the path to clean energy

    Goldex Material Handling electrification

    Support masters’ project on CO2 removal

    Committed to the Energy Efficiency Agreement from 2017 to 2025 (Kittilä Mine)

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Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

Identify, evaluate, and respond to watershed related risks and opportunities to reduce cumulative impact on other users and the environment. Take actions to mitigate the impact of shipping routes.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  • In 2021, Agnico Eagle implemented a Water Management Policy and released an updated Corporate Standard for Water Stewardship that emphasizes our commitment to manage water using Best Applicable Practices with the objective to protect public health and safety, minimize harm to our employees and protect the environment
  • For 15 years, Agnico Eagle Finland has collaborated with local stakeholders to maintain fish stocks and promote a thriving fish habitat in the Seurujoki and Loukinen rivers in Kittilä

    As part of our commitment to minimizing risks associated with managing tailings, mine waste, and water, our team at the Pinos Altos Mine use part of the operations’ filtered and detoxified tailings to produce paste to backfill cavities in the underground mine which allows Agnico Eagle to improve underground safety while minimizing the mines’ impact

    In 2022, at Fosterville Gold Mine, a baseline aquatic macroinvertebrate and river health assessment of the Campaspe River in the vicinity of the mine continued to be carried out. This study focuses on water quality, macrophytes, aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish and other aquatic fauna (including platypus). In addition to this, a pink-tailed worm-lizard assessment at Mount Sugarloaf Nature Conservation Reserve, Fosterville, Victoria was undertaken. The goal of the project is to better understand the distribution of pink-tailed wormlizard and its habitat within the study area, to inform management of the species

    Marine mammal monitoring

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Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

Under the Biodiversity Preservation protocol of the Toward Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative, each of our mines is tasked with finding a way to contribute to the preservation of the biodiversity and to leave as small an ecological footprint as possible.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  •  In partnerships with the Quebec government, Goldex’s Manitou project is rehabilitating an abandoned contaminated tailings site. As the project nears completion many species of flora and fauna have returned to the surrounding wetlands

    Protection of Lapland buttercups

    Terrestrial Advisory Committee (Nunavut)

    Following the successful 2019-2021 Cattle Soil Regeneration program, the team at Agnico Eagle Mexico has introduced hens at a Creston Mascota rock storage facility with the aim of using a similar process to restore soil and promote plant growth in 2022

    In 2022 Detour Lake Mine partnered with Green-First Forestry and the Quebec Ministere des Forets, de la Faune et des Parcs to conduct aerial surveys of the entire Detour/Kesagami Woodland Caribou range. This survey will help study population dynamics and support conservation efforts currently underway by both Ontario and Quebec, as well as the Canadian Federal Government

    Partnership with the University of Saskatchewan for developing terrestrial tundra restoration techniques that can be applied at the Meliadine Mine and elsewhere in Nunavut 

    In 2022, Kittila mine implemented a tree planting program following the decommissioning of the infiltration fields. This initiative has a positive impact on biodiversity inside the mining property and contributes to the success of peatland water management

    In 2022, Pinos Altos began seed sowing using a specialized agricultural drone. Reforestation continues to be a top priority, with a total of 77.5 hectares reforested with native pine and oak species. The reforestation efforts have allowed the mine to exceed the established goal of planting 100,000 trees in 2022

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Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

Our governance practices guide our behaviour and performance, helping to ensure we act in an ethically responsible manner, uphold our core values and fulfil the commitments of Agnico Eagle’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. We also subject our company to the scrutiny of national and international organizations with respect to our business and human rights practices.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  • Adopted the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHRs) and became formal members in 2017, results are verified by 3rd party and reported publicly annually
  • Communicate the importance of compliance with the VPSHRs to all subcontractors by implementing mandatory induction training 
  • Adopted and implemented the World Gold Council’s (WGC) Conflict-Free Gold Standard (CFGS), results are verified by 3rd party and reported publicly annually
  • Implemented our Supplier Code of Conduct which sets the minimum level of responsible business conduct and commitment to corporate responsibility expected from those wishing to do business with, or on behalf of, Agnico Eagle and include clauses specific to human rights, health & safety, environmental protection, discrimination and conflict of interest, confidentiality and business ethics

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Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable developments.

We partner and collaborate with organizations and stakeholders at the global, regional, and local level to support the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Examples of Specific Initiatives:

  • Agnico Eagle is an active participant in many committees related to mine closure including:

    - Canadian Land Reclamation Society; 
    - Ontario Mining Association (Innovation and Mine Closure); 
    - Environmental Committee of the Québec Mining Association; 
    - Society for Ecological Restoration; 
    - International Committee of Mining and Metals; 
    - Mining Association of Canada (TSM, Mine Closure); 
    - North American Mine Closure Working Group; 
    - International Network on Acid Prevention Working Groups; 
    - United Nations Closure Working Group and Facilitator of Industrial Closure Coursework; and 
    - University and Research partnerships

    In 2022, Agnico Eagle joined the town of Preissac’s committee to establish an action plan for nature-based solutions to climate change, applied for funding opportunities for decarbonization projects, and worked with numerous industry associations on advancing climate-related issues

    Public disclosure of support and performance against the UN SDGs 

    Our Kittila Mine in Northern Finland, has been a participant in the Sustainable Intelligent Mining Systems project, under the European Union’s most extensive research and innovation program, Horizon 2020

    Stakeholder Advisor Committee

    Members of Mining Association of Canada’s Climate Change Task Force, Arctic Economic Council Responsible Resource Development Working Group, and World Gold Council’s Environmental, Social and Governance Task Force

    Partnerships with various indigenous, community, academic, and other institutions that support various targets