The Covid-19 regulations of the Ontario provincial government of Canada, which declared mining an essential service, forced South Africa’s Implats to continue mining at its mechanised Lac des Iles mine, in Canada – but at its peril. In sharp contrast, South Africa’s regulations demanded that Implats cease all mining at its labour-intensive South African operations and send its large number of employees home.
In Ontario, Implats has been forced to suspend its Lac des Iles operations after 25 of its employees tested positive for Covid-19 and one died. In South Africa, the same company’s employees are returning to work in growing numbers and its operations have been permitted to ramp up. Ontario's regulations put livelihoods first and lives second, and the infection has put paid to that approach.
South Africa’s regulations put lives first and livelihoods second and is now able to return gradually to 50% of production capacity, while rigorously enforcing health and hygiene protocols. The jury is still out on the medium- and long-term outcomes, but at this stage and in these instances, South Africa’s regulations have proved 100% correct and Ontario’s 100% wrong.