Story Posted: 2025-05-13
Better Together: SSR Mining
From the 2025 Spring Spirit Newsletter.
For SSR Mining, investing in Saskatchewan is not limited to operating the province’s only gold-producing mine, the Seabee Gold Operation. The company also places a strong emphasis on health and community, as highlighted by Graham Bussiere, Environment, Health, Safety and Security Manager. “We support projects that create lasting benefits beyond the term of investment and benefit a wide range of people,” Bussiere explains, with the company focusing on efforts to enhance education, health and environmental protection, and to preserve cultural heritage.
Located 124 kilometres northeast of La Ronge, Seabee Gold began operations in 1991. Situated on the idyllic Laonil Lake, the mine has a view of some of the most beautiful landscapes our province has to offer. Those who live and work at the mine also have some perspective on the unique challenges remote communities face when accessing health care. So when the company was presented with the chance to support their neighbours through St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation’s By Your Side Kidney Care Campaign, they embraced the opportunity by pledging a generous $100,000 gift to the campaign.
“The By Your Side Campaign touches on three of our four investment priorities: education, health and supporting cultural heritage, and has a far-reaching impact on the communities we live and work in,” Bussiere explains. “It’s rare that we find such meaningful opportunities to support in this way. What we are excited about is the positive impact it will have on our northern communities.”
For anyone who lives between Davidson and the Athabasca Basin in our province’s far north, St. Paul’s is the primary point of contact for kidney health services. SSR Mining’s thoughtful support of the By Your Side Campaign will enhance a number of proactive and holistic initiatives for populations who access the services of St. Paul’s Hospital. “The campaign allowed us to partner with other fantastic donors to improve the lives of those in our communities, and we are confident this investment will ease what is a difficult situation for many. We don’t view this as a donation, but rather an investment in the people of our province,” says Bussiere.
The campaign’s first priority, Early Screening Programs, has begun in partnership with Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Kinistin Saulteaux Nation and Yellow Quill First Nation to provide point-of-care screening technology, enabling health care teams and participants to maintain kidney health and identify early stages of disease before it progresses. The second priority, a new Kidney Health and Education Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital, will streamline and expand kidney health services at the Hospital so that our teams can empower patients with the tools and care they need to manage their health. The third priority, Holistic Care Services, is already in the works as well; a new Indigenous Healing Centre is under construction as a part of the Hospital’s new front entrance, which will honour the distinct perspectives of Indigenous communities. Additionally, the Patient Porter Program is already having a substantial impact, with the porters helping dialysis patients navigate the Hospital and enabling a significant number of patients to no longer rely on costly private transportation.
“SSR Mining’s purpose is to create value and leave a legacy through responsible and sustainable operations,” Bussiere concludes. “This includes supporting the communities we work and live in; we are truly better together.”