Winter 2005www.ironore.ca

IOC’s Best-Trained Brigade! page 3

Moving Forward with the Sept-Iles North Project page 7

Crane Crew – “Changing the Way We Work” page 15

All kinds of signsat IOCAll kinds of signsat IOC

In this edition, you’ll find tips on

health and safety standards.

Mine-to-Port is published for the employees, the retirees and the partners of IOC.

2 Winter 2005

Message from the President

Dear Colleagues:

2005 is coming to an end and what a great year it has been!

As we celebrated our first 50 years of operations, we achieved one of our best years ever - thanks to your hard work and strong

support. We also managed to make some big changes at IOC that are important to secure our future.

First, I would like to mention our improvement in safety performance. After a difficult start to the year, we’ve reduced LTIs

from 17 in the first six months to 4 so far in the second half and are on track to our best safety year yet. There are more

safety interactions going on, a renewed focus on “Take 5” and Safety Day workshops where your suggestions are logged and

implemented. The link between these increased efforts and our improved performance is an obvious one. In October we

had 0 LTIs and at the same time broke production records in the mine, concentrator and pellet plant.

Speaking of production records, on November 27 we surpassed the previous record for annual pellet production – and we

still have more than a month to go! It’s through all of our efforts - from the mine to the port – that we are achieving such

results. I encourage all of you to share any improvement ideas you have either through the employee engagement

programs or by passing them on to the Renewal team.

This is the sort of performance we had in mind when we revised IOC’s Mission Statement and Values, and we couldn’t have

done it without you - 20% of employees participated in providing feedback:

Securing Our Future Together

as a successful supplier of iron ore products to the global steel industry.

We also developed values that each of us must live by on a daily basis to achieve our mission: Show respect and consideration to all; Pursue

excellence in health & safety; Focus on performance; Foster effective teamwork & leadership; Act socially & environmentally responsible;

Be an employer of choice.

To help people understand how all this fits together, we are rolling out a program called The Way We Work which focuses on working as a team to

deliver top performance. Many of you have already participated enthusiastically in these sessions, and everyone at IOC will complete the program.

You may have seen two recent announcements regarding our railway. This year we signed a long-term contract with Wabush Mines to haul their

concentrate along our railway, which provides long-term certainty to both Wabush and IOC and allows us to work together to improve the

efficiency of our railway operations. We’ve also reached an agreement to handover our Schefferville railway line and passenger service to Tshiuetin

Rail Transportation (TRT), a company owned by the Innu and Naskapi Nations. This represents a landmark achievement as TRT is the only First

Nations organization in the world to operate a railway, and this now allows us to focus on our core business: hauling iron ore.

Remember that safety is not just for the workplace: During the holidays, please ensure that your electric Christmas decorations are in good

working condition and keep your Christmas tree watered to avoid dryness. And, most importantly, don’t drink and drive.

I am sure that 2006 will bring its share of challenges and opportunities but by working together we will continue to prosper.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family my best wishes for a Happy and Safe Holiday!

Sincerely,

Terence F. Bowles

President and CEO

Firefighter training for the members ofthe IOC/QNS&L Emergency Brigade isnow provided jointly with training forSept-Îles municipal firefighters.

Although the Emergency Brigade has all of thenecessary equipment to fight forest fires, IOCuses mainly municipal firefighting equipmentto put out fires that break out on its site. Thenew approach allows the members of theEmergency Brigade to familiarize themselveswith the municipal equipment and profit fromthe experience of the Sept-Îles FireDepartment.

275 hours of trainingThe 12 members of the Emergency Brigadehave set themselves the goal of achievingLevel 1 certification, which corresponds to275 hours of training over a four-year period(i.e., about 70 hours a year). The trainingcovers both theory and practice, and is heldon weekends and/or weekday evenings at theSept-Îles municipal fire station. This requiresa major personal commitment by the peoplewho have agreed to rise to the challenge. Hatsoff to all of them!

Once they achieve Level 1 certification,members of the Emergency Brigade who wantadditional training can take more advancedand spe-cialized courses. Jean-Guy Lévesque,a repairman-operator at the locomotive shop,

Environment, Health and Safety

IOC’s Best-Trained Brigade!

and Adriano Catino, a railcar shop planner,have signed up for HAZMAT (hazardousmaterial) training. Some of their co-workersmay have seen them in October combating asimulated spill of hazardous, toxic productsat the main shop entrance.

Members of the IOC brigade as well as the Town fire department during a simulation of ahazardous material spill at IOC.

Carl Poirier, Team Leader; Stéphane Houde, Electrical Engineer; Sylvain Lavoie, IT Analyst;Jean-Guy Lévesque, Maintainer Operator; Kevin Lavoie, Maintainer Operator; RogerLévesque, Analyst - Material Control; Patrick Gwilliam, Superintendent; Marc-AndréLamontagne, Maintainer Operator; Rémi St-Jean, Planner; Gilles Lévesque, MaintainerOperator. Absentees: Adriano Catino and Dave Castilloux.

Standard A1: General safety systems

The following three activities are the

basis of an effective system for preventing

incidents: cleanliness/tidiness inspection

rounds by management, Take 5 program

and Safety Interactions.

Additional trainingIn addition to training in firefighting, first aidand cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR),the Emergency Brigade team members arelearning about lifesaving in confined and ele-vated work areas. Eight of them have alreadytaken four days of training in these areas atthe Notre-Dame-de-Foy campus in QuébecCity, and the other four will follow their leadin the spring of 2006.

Management and Emergency Brigade mem-bers have devoted extensive efforts over thepast year to upgrade training and enhancethe safety of our employees, equipment andfacilities. The coming months will be crucialin terms of ongoing training and the acquisi-tion of new equipment. You will also be pro-vided with more information, and theEmergency Brigade members will have anincreasingly high profile during training andevacuation exercises and team practices.

Winter 2005 3

ADMINISTRATION / CENTRAL SERVICES, SHOPS & ENGINEERINGPersonal Improvements:1. Research ways and means of transporting equipment around

the project – more safely than we do today.2. Identify and correct substandard behavior and conditions

as they arise.3. Educate others on safe working practices, follow-up

on safety issues and refuse to perform unsafe acts.

Business Improvements1. Develop lifting SOPs2. Standards compliance – more IOC involvement (Safety talks, toolbox meetings, SMATs, SFs, Ras3. Provide sufficient and appropriate training (i.e. Safety training, specialized training, apprenticeship programs for trades…)

MINEPersonal Improvements:1. Make sure I understand clearly all radio communications

and ask caller to repeat message if I’m not sure.2. Identify and correct substandard behavior and conditions as

they arise.3. Question people that may not be working in the safest way.

Business Improvements1. Improve visibility of trailing cables (i.e. Orange jackets

4160 cables)2. Easier access to SOPs for jobs.3. More effective process for tracking and providing feedback on

safety issues.

PRODUCT MANUFACTURINGPersonal Improvements:1. Slow down, use sense. Take 5 – Take care of buddy.2. Personal commitment not to walk by a tripping hazard. Pick it up yourself, or rope off and report to Team Leader

or appropriate personnel.3. Report all hazards that you cannot fix.

Business Improvements1. More focus and training on effective utilization of existing safety programs.2. Better management of safety issues; time to resolve and the action tracking to completion.3. Increase hazard recognition & control capabilities by all employees. This will improve employee risk tolerance

and behaviors.

Environment, Health and Safety

Listed below are the top suggestions for both PersonalImprovement and Business Improvements from each area as a result of the May 2005 Safety Workshops.

Safety Workshops 2005

4 Winter 2005

The selected Top suggestions resulted from discussion by theJOSHE committee.

The IOC Environment Department spon-sored the 2005 Labrador CityHousehold Hazardous Waste CollectionDay on 8 October. This initiative providedresidents community with a safe and conve-nient way to dispose their household haz-ardous waste products, and they turned out indroves to do just that.

A temporary collection centre was establishedat the Labrador City Arena parking lot andthrough the course of the day, approximately40 drums of hazardous waste were collected.The majority of the waste (65%) was com-posed of paint and related products whileother materials brought to the collection centre included waste oil, gasoline, car batteries, propane tanks, cleaners and solvents.

One little boy made two visits pulling hislittle blue wagon full of paint cans.

Environment, Health and Safety

On September 28, the Sept-ÎlesEngineering team celebrated an impor-tant event: four years with zero acci-dents for all of the projects under itsdirection. This achievement was nofluke. It shows the determination and com-mitment to safety of all of the members of the department who contributed to thisadmirable performance.

The Engineering team is fully aware that safetyis everybody’s business and that working safely is important. In the words of Chief engineer Simon Dallaire, “We are workingtogether to change the culture, so that

Alain Michaud, Sr Electrical Engineer; Bernard Coulombe, Sr Electrical Engineer; SimonDallaire, Chief Engineer; Louis Gravel, Engineering Manager; Caroline Marceau, CivilEngineer; Marc Lévesque, Draftman; José Riopel, Chief Engineer; Monia Marcoux, Assistant;Pierre Dubé, Chief Engineer; Luc Masse, Sr Mechanical Engineer; Marc Brochu, ElectricalEngineer. Absentees : Martin Thiboutot, Jean-François Létourneau, Éric Porlier, StéphaneHoude, Sébastien Lebel, Mario Boudreau, Éric Tremblay, Louis Villeneuve and Bruno Yockell.

everyone understands that safety is our indi-vidual responsibility. If we always did the jobsassigned to us safely, it would be possible toreach the target of zero accidents.”

Winter 2005 5

According to Jody Clark, EnvironmentManager, the program was a great successwith people of all ages dropping by to get ridof their waste. We received lots of feedback

Standard A2: Change management

Why manage change? Because we have to

make sure that changes do not become

sources of accidents. This is why we have

to analyze, detail and evaluate changes.

Engineering Manager Louis Gravel wishes tothank everyone who contributed to this success through their safe participation inproject deployment.

Household Hazardous Waste Dayin Labrador City

Keys to success:• active presence on worksites in order to

promote preventive efforts in the areas ofhealth, safety and the environment;

• investment of the necessary time in planning, organizing and following up activities and projects;

• immediate action to address health andsafety discrepancies.

from the public on the excellent service thisprogram provided, with many people commenting this should be an annual event.We have discussed this with the town andplan to make it an annual event to coincidewith the Municipal Clean-up Week.

Special thanks to Garry Greene and SonyaFlynn who volunteered their time and energyto make this program a success.

Sept-Iles Engineering Team CelebratesFour Years with No Accidents!

Product Manufacturing

Service Alignment -A Winning Combination

6 Winter 2005

The 2005 production year for ProductManufacturing will be seen as a ‘Year ofRecords’ because of the many substan-tive production records that wereachieved. These records are noteworthy butoften veil other successes further driven byTeamwork and innovation that complimentprogress, in terms of improved safety,throughput capacity, and unit costs.

Service AlignmentWhat is it and, importantly, how does it con-tribute to organizational effectiveness, perfor-mance and plant output?

The ChallengeThe Carol Pellet Plant has six indurating fur-naces that fire the iron ore pellets producedat IOC. A basic modular 1950’s design pro-

duces the greenball feed using 26 filter-balling modules, which include some 156conveyors, 26 vertical filters weighingapproximately 3.5 tons each, along with amultitude of other equipment. Historicallymany of these modules were serviced outsidethe indurator furnace service day. An average12 hour filter/balling module service, com-pleted outside the indurator service, resultedin the loss of some 85 tonnes of greenballfeed per hour for the respective furnace.Moreover, filter barrels were removed andreplaced based on a 13 week cycle due to filter bag deterioration, each potentially resulting in a further 4 hours of moduledowntime.

The InnovationWith the historical service structure forFilter/Balling, it was clear that the Carol

Pellet Plant indurators were being starved ofgreenball feed during filter/balling moduleservices. A plant maintenance team wasformed to review the opportunity of safelyaligning module services with each induratorservice minimizing this loss to throughputcapacity. Sounds simple! However in reality, itwould mean an extraordinary level of plan-ning, sharing of employees & their skills andflexibility between areas and plants, mobilizing of parts and tools necessary tocomplete assigned tasks in a diligent and safemanner from isolation to start up. Projectmanagement techniques, standard jobs, riskassessments, improved isolation through‘Isolation Kits’, pre-service clean up were allkey in assessing the potential of integrationof plant services in a safe and efficient manner. The potential organizational result,

in tonnage terms, was evaluated to be of anadditional 90k tonnes per annum. A comple-ted work plan with time lines including jobpackages was developed, summarized andsubmitted to senior management thus recei-ving high-level endorsement and support.The plan was put into action some sixmonths ago.

The ResultsSince the idea’s inception, the Pellet PlantOperations & Maintenance Teams have com-pleted 27 aligned services, avoiding some 54Filter/Balling services outside the induratorservices. Filter barrels are now changedevery 6-week cycle rather than the previous13-week cycle. Service alignment has greatlyreduced the 4-hour per change losses whilethe shorter cycles have enhanced filter clothperformance. Perhaps the most impressive

results of service alignment have been witnessed in the effort, flexibility and hardwork that plant employees have shown.Record filter barrel removal times have seenfour units removed before 8 AM having com-menced filter cleanup, isolation and removalactivities at 4 AM! These determined effortsfrom planning to execution have paid offresulting in some 54k tonnes of additionalfired pellets being produced for sale after sixmonths of service alignment. The focus ofplant resources during service alignment hasthe additional benefit of freeing up our workforce on subsequent days to improve plantinfrastructure and complete needed projectwork. These efforts will improve our plantwith the over-arching goal of fewer upsetconditions and thus more consistent plantoutput.

Next StepsOpportunities to build on the service align-ment concept will be reviewed throughoutProduct Manufacturing to determine wherethis model or an adapted area specific modelbe put into action. Maintenance planningactivities need to be further streamlined andintegrated with equipment condition moni-toring along with downtime monitoring witha focus on solutions to many of the reoccurring issues that result in lapses inplant output. A strong focus on continuousimprovement is important to having a trans-formative effect on the way we work and thepotential for future innovation. Finding betterand safe solutions to complete our workwhile improving plant output is important insecu-ring our long-term future here at IOC.Service alignment is one such case. Welldone to the Pellet Plant Operations &Maintenance Teams for their contributionsthrough service alignment.

“Outstanding performance is a result of that vital link between planning and performance through innovation. Servicealignment is one of those success stories and goes to prove once again that trulyinvolved people can accomplish any thing,”

Tayfun Eldem, General Manager - Product Manufacturing

Two months ago, the Sept-Îles North project became a reality. Four “multi” teams, the transport team as well as the locomotive engineers now occupy the Mile 9 facilities.

Since a new workplace always brings changes, here is a first look at some of them:

CHANGES – OPERATIONS

Mixed trains140 IOC cars + 70 Wabush cars = 210 cars

Train Cycle TimeEvery 48 hours, 1 train travels the Lab. City – S-I – Lab.

5 of the 7 trains are mixed

OBJECTIVEImprove operational efficiency

CHANGES – HUMAN RESOURCES

Locomotive engineersTake control of their trains at the Sept-Îles North facilities

“Multi” teamsMore minor repairs to make

Shuttling trains back and forth between S-I and- S-I-N

OBJECTIVESReduce train cycle times

Increase the availability of enginemen

The first mixed trains went into service on November 11, 2005.Although this was just a short time ago, Alain Vaillancourt, TeamLeader at Sept-Îles North, thinks that everything is going well. “Everynew project brings new challenges and major changes, and changesometimes makes people fearful or uncertain. So you have to givethem time to adapt to their new environment.” “We’ve been here fortwo months now and things are already starting to improve,” sayShirley Bourque Brassard and the other members of her multi team,Marcel Marticotte, Steve Bergeron and Carl Deraps.

Moving Forward with the Sept-Iles NorthProject

Standard A3: Contractor managementAll contractors active on the site have tobe qualified in the area of health andsafety. Someone from the company isassigned to each contract, no matter howsmall. A worksite orientation session has tobe held before any new contract getsunder way.

Ian Leblanc, Team Leader with Patrick Brisson, Shirley Bourque-Brassard and Marcel Marticotte, members of a multi team andJacques Rioux, Technical Advisor (in the middle).

Winter 2005 7

Mixed trains

Product Delivery

To date, 30% to 35% of the objectives have been achieved, and it willtake approximately another four months of implementation training tooptimize operations at the Sept-Îles North facilities.

In the meantime, every effort is being made to ensure the success ofSept-Îles North. For example, the members of the multi teams arereceiving various kinds of very interesting training:• Companionship training on the mechanical and electrical

pre-inspection of cars and locomotives• Training on the lowering and raising of trains

(Sept-Îles North dumper and yard Sept-Îles junction) by fourUTU employees (Percy Shuglo, Jean Grondin, Ken Eldridge andSteve Ward)

• Training on the pre-inspection of locomotives provided by JacquesRioux, Technical Advisor, Shops.

FACILITIES

1 administrative building including:- 3 checkrooms- a kitchen and dining room- a transport office

1 technical building including:- a sanding system- a sanding reservoir- an oil tank

1 tool storage building

Human Resources

Update from the Co-op and GradDevelopment ProgramsIOC have recently revived the Co-opProgram as well as the GraduateDevelopment Program. This is the keyin reestablishing IOC’s presence onUniversity campus and increasing thenumber of students that we hire into theseprograms.

The purpose of the Co-op Program is to pro-vide university students with an opportunityto gain hands-on experience in an IndustrialEnvironment. It also allows them to applysome of the skills they have learned in schooland to put their newly learned skills to use inthe workplace. The goal of the program is toprovide the graduates exposure to differentbusiness areas and to have them grow tobecome leaders in the organization.

In September of this year Labrador City andSept-Îles operations had teams that traveledto various universities attending career fairsand conducting information sessions in anattempt to put IOC back on the map. All ofthe graduate and co-op material have

received a new professional look. Our newbooth was well received at campuses acrossthe country.

At each University the team participatedeither in a career fair, as guest lecturers orEmployer Information Sessions.

Recently, a team also attended a Career Fairat Menihek High School in Labrador Citywhere they were busy promoting the

8 Winter 2005

On November 17, 2005, IOC took part in thefirst Salon Action Emploi in Sept-Îles. It was agreat success and was held at the Cégep deSept-Îles and organized by the Chamber ofCommerce and other partners (includingthe Centre de concertation, the Carrefourjeunesse emploi de Duplessis and theUniversité du Québec à Chicoutimi centre inSept-Îles). Carole Bossé, Joëlle Gagné andSharon Béliveau met with approximately 500people seeking jobs and/or more informa-tion about the Company.

Their role mainly involved encouraging people to submit their resumés via the IOCWeb site, answering questions and promotingemployment opportunities in various fieldsand areas of activity. According to JoëlleGagné, human resources administrator, “it isvery interesting to see that there is still a size-able qualified local workforce with a keeninterest in IOC .”

Carole Bossé, HR Advisor and Joëlle Gagné, HR Jr Administrator answering questions.

Standard C1: Lockout procedures

Lockout procedures are aimed at ensuring

zero risk from any form of energy or hazar-

dous substance. Only a trained employee

specifically assigned to the procedure can

take care of a lockout. The lockout sheet

has to show that the lockout has been

checked by a second employee and that

a start-up test has been carried out.

Teams traveled to :

• Queens University in Kingston (ON)• Waterloo University (ON)• Dalhousie University in Halifax (NS)• Memorial University in St. John’s (NL)• École Polytechnique in Montreal (QC)• Sherbrooke University (QC)• École de technologie supérieure in

Montreal (QC)

Company and encouraging students to pursue opportunities in the trades training,employee of the future, co-op and graduatedevelopment programs.

The team has been busy shifting gears to helpmake IOC an Employer of Choice. Thereare more plans coming up to help secureour future resources.

Should you require additional information oneither of these programs please contactJacqui Winter.

The Workforce of Tomorrow !

Organizational Effectiveness

In preparation for Securing our Future, IOC has begunApprenticeship Training.

Apprenticeship is an industry-based program involving an agreementbetween a person who wants to learn a set of occupational skills, anapprentice, and an employer who needs a skilled worker. It is aproven training system that combines at-the-job practical learningwith technical training to produce a qualified and certified journeyperson.

The selection process for apprentices began in early 2005. AllMechanical Millwright Apprentices were selected internally from graduates of the former Maintenance Operator Program and EOFProgram. Electrical Apprentices were selected from candidates thatapplied both internally and externally.

Currently we have a total of 15 apprentices working within theirtrades: 6 Millwright and 9 Electrical, while others have been selectedand will be moved to Maintenance Occupation as soon as it is

Apprenticeship Training in Labrador City

Winter 2005 9

Safety InteractionsIOC has retained the services of Herb Tessier of Dupont Canada tolead coaching sessions on Safety Interactions. Mr. Tessier was here inSeptember for the Terminus and Transportation sectors. It was hissecond visit, following his stint here in April for the Shops sector.Dupont Canada has one of the country’s lowest rates of compensatedaccidents. This achievement may be explained by its application of asafety interdependence strategy, whereby all employees work togetherto avoid accidents.

The coaching sessions focused above all on identifying hazards duringwork in progress, in order to eliminate risks of injuries. It should bepointed out that all of the incidents at our facility could have beenavoided if people had done a “Take 5” to identify and control hazards.

The photo shows employees from the Terminus and Transportationsectors and the Environment, Health and Safety department.

practical to do so. IOC recognizes the contribution of it’s apprenticesand as such will endeavor to make their experience with the apprenticeship program as rewarding as possible.

We are excited to have this opportunity at IOC again and we are planning to utilize it to its fullest. We know we have the best people,we need the best people and we will develop the best people.

We believe training our peopleis another positive step inhelping us to Secure ourFuture.

Standard C2: Electrical safetyPreventive maintenance rounds have to beplanned and carried out at regular inter-vals along grounded circuits for all electri-cal equipment.There is a detailed procedure for remo-ving unused cables. It describes the stepsto follow in order to safely remove a cable(Procedure C2-11).

Pierre Blackburn, ESH Superintendent; Eddy McKinnon, ESH Advisor; René Roy, Team Leader; Bruno Leblanc, Team Leader; ÉricThibeault, Team Leader; Marcel Leboulaire, Team Leader; Stéphane Houde, Electrical Engineer; Ghislain Boivert, Team Leader; MichelBrazeau, ESH Administrator and Herb Tessier from Dupont Canada.

In February 2005, two groups of volunteers in Labrador City and inSept-Îles from various organizations came together to discuss thenotable milestone of IOC and the communities.

The celebrations were held during a two week period for all agegroups within the Community.

Official ceremonies took place in both cities, such as a conferencegiven by Terry Bowles to their respective Chambers of Commerce, aswell as a civic reception organized by Mayor Graham Letto and MayorGhislain Lévesque. A sculpture representing the world, showing thefour important cities for IOC, was presented as a sign of appreciation.

10 Winter 2005

50 Years Special Edition

A first glimpse of the IOC family album was also unveiled in oversizedformat, both in Labrador City and Sept-Îles.

Eight pages and a text describing the project were produced on signsand set up in a park.

Train rides were also

offered in Labrador

City and Sept-Iles.

Winter 2005 11

50 Years Special Edition In Labrador CityFor the children, we held two Terry Reilly shows at the Arts andCulture Centre where we saw a total of 563 people in attendance.These shows were for children between the ages of 3 and 9.

All that was requested was a donation to the Labrador West FoodBank. While in attendance the children received beautiful teddybears.

The SOAR (Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees) grouphelped us organize a dinner for retired employees featuring guestspeaker H.E. "Buzz" Neal. Buzz was Director of Research for the Iron

Ore Company of Canada from 1955-1962, and Supervisor ofExploration and Development from 1950 to 1955. There were a totalof 150 people who attended the dinner.

We also held an Iron City Duathlon for people aged 7 and up. Therewere two separate categories Juniors age 7 though 12 and Seniors age13 and up. Some people participated alone while other chose to form

groups and make it a team event. In total we had 110 people participate and many happy supporters and fans.

H.E. « Buzz » Neal

12 Winter 2005

In Sept-ÎlesIOC took part in the “Vieux Quai en Fête” event to present a grand-scale performance on July 16. Some former Star Académie partici-pants, including Marie-Mai, Annie Villeneuve, Véronique Claveau, DaveBourgeois and Martin Giroux, were part of the line-up. This first partof the show drew a great croud, young and old alike.

“La Bottine Souriante”, the band that played the second part of theshow, played to a whole different crowd, many of whom got up anddanced to the lively beat.

50 Years Special Edition

New at IOC

Winter 2005 13

During the past month, signs have been popping up all over IOC. First, there is thesign welcoming employees ans visitors. Thenother signs are supporting monthly ESH campaign. The latter have been set up alongroads that are used frequently by employees.

The Engineering departments in LabradorCity and Sept-Îles have made a huge contri-bution to these projects, from design throughto installation. These two projects representover a hundred hours work. TheCommunications Team would therefore liketo thank, specifically, Michael Greene,Engineer at Labrador City, as well as CarolineMarceau, Engineer, and Louis Gravel,Engineering Manager at Sept-Îles, for theirexcellent work.

Installation of the Labrador City sign will beset up soon.

All Kinds of Signs at IOC!

“IOC’s product is in demand around theworld for its quality. It is importantthat we maintain our reputation as aquality supplier with all of our cus-tomers. To do this, we must ensure that ourquality management systems are continuouslyimproved. The internal audit process and thehard work by our internal auditors are fun-damental to sustaining IOC’s registration toISO 9001:2000,” Mike Shannon, VicePresident of Operations and Engineering.

In October 2005, IOC added 12 new auditorsto its existing internal ISO 9001:2000 teamfor a total of 22 auditors from across theorganisation. “They will function as auditors-in-training for two consecutive audits after

Standard C3: Vehicles and vehicle operationAll vehicles used for work purposes mustundergo an appropriate preoperationalsafety inspection, each work shift. Thisstandard applies to all vehicles operatedby IOC and its contractors. In the event of a non-compliant critical component, thevehicle must not be used.

which, they will be considered qualified IOCinternal auditors. With the new auditorscome new perspectives and visions fromwhich to draw on to continuously improvethe Quality Management System (QMS),”comments Kyla Valdron Clark, Quality SystemSenior Engineer.

As part of the audit process, they offer anenhancement to the existing knowledge baseand a new level of expertise within the auditing team, but on a daily basis, theiroverall contribution to the ISO 9001:2000system will be considerable. They will facili-tate awareness of ISO 9001:2000 standardsand re-enforce IOC’s commitment to its QMSacross the organisation; enabling individual

Expanding the Quality Auditor Team

departments to understand what their rolesand responsibilities are towards the QMS andthe importance of continually improving.

IOC is pursuing other initiatives to furtherimprove the QMS and the function of theInternal Auditor within the system such as:incorporate union members into the auditingprocess, increase the number of internalauditors to include an auditor from everydepartment, and exploring an auditorexchange program between IOC and otherRio Tinto Business Units.

Communications

14 Winter 2005

www.ironore.ca – A Winning Site!Online since the beginning of the year,the new IOC Web site, www.ironore.ca,was honoured with an Award ofExcellence during the distribution of theAPEX 2005 Awards. For the past 17 years,Springfield’s Communication Concepts, thevery same organization that publishes themonthly “Writing That Works: The BusinessCommunications Report,” has been distribu-ting these awards annually to NorthAmerican communications professionals.

“We’re very proud to have won an award inthe “Improved Web and Intranet Site” category,” said Amy Bruce, CommunicationsAdministrator who had been assigned thetask of revitali-zing the Company’s Web site.“In fact, we can say that this was a true teameffort that required a great deal of thoughtfrom every member of the Communicationsteam, especially to include some interestingnew additions.”

Prestigious recognitionProjects are selected on the basis of editorialcontent, graphic design and, in more generalterms, the ability to achieve excellence incommunications. The IOC site was competing with more than 565 other candidates.

Clearly user-friendly, the new IOC site wiselymakes use of the key elements that ensure aquality Web site, for example, contrastingcolours for the background and the text, aswell as pictures and fonts large enough toview and read easily.

“We wanted a functional site that users canbrowse easily,” explains Amy. “And, with thehelp of Marc-André Paradis, Manager ofSept-Îles’s Map Design firm, we succeeded inachieving this.” Starting with the Welcomepage, cyber surfers can move through thesite easily using a menu bar that providesaccess to various options: The Company,Communications and Community Relations,Environment, Safety and Health, or HumanResources.

Obviously bilingual, the IOC site now provides extensive coverage of news fromboth Labrador City and Sept-Îles.

Winter 2005 15

In August of 2005 a group of employees representing various levelsof union and management met with thepurpose of determining the face ofcrane maintenance and reliability forthe Labrador City property.

The discussions hinged on 3 fundamentaltopics. • Company & Union co-operation, • Doing things differently • Contribution and participation of those in

attendance.

General Services

Crane Crew – “Changing the Way We Work”

The group was challenged with developing aprogram that would allow the crane crew towork “Safer – Better – Cheaper”, while providing more reliable equipment andremoving the inefficiencies of past practices.

The meeting involved discussions aroundequipment schedules, appropriate equipmentinspection sheets, manpower requirements,defining the scope of work, co-ordinating thework with the areas and aligning the pro-gram to the C6 and CSA Crane Maintenancestandard.

Many decisionsMany of the items discussed and agreed onduring the session have now been implemented. This included new vehicles forthe crew to assist them in responding to service calls in a timely manner and includeda service truck that is being equipped withspare parts and tools required to performrepairs. Monthly and annual inspectionsheets were developed for each individualcrane.

Based on the low numbers of after hour’sbreakdown calls the group has been verysuccessful in improving equipment reliabilityacross the site. Additional responsibilities inthe form of Elevator and Manlift maintenancehave been added to the group, as a directresult of the demonstrated ability to work co-operatively and rise to the challenge.

Thanks go out to the participants in the original meetings and ongoing developmentof the crews activities including: JohnHughes, General Manager - Maintenance &Engineering; Catherine Taplin,Superintendent - Performance Support; BillLeaman, Superintendent - Central Services;Henry Hillier Superintendent - CentralServices; Alan Wallace, Technical Advisor;Shawn Patey, Contract Administrator/Plannerand Allan Jennings, Team Leader. 5795 wasrepresented by Don Dinn and Contracting-Out Chair : Arnold Beck, Blair Kean, WadePevie, Wayne Strickland, Abel Mouland, GaryStryde and George Thistle.

Shawn Patey, Planner - Central Services; Arnold Beck, Maintainer Operator - BuildingMaintenance; George Thistle, Maintainer Operator - Building Maintenance; Glen Benson,Maintainer Operator - Building Maintenance and Eugene Drove, Team Leader - CentralServices

Employee Assistance Program published in a bookCongratulations to Debbie Samson on putting IOC’s EmployeeAssistance Program on the MAP. Recently it has been published inWellness and Work: Employee Assistance Programming inCanada, by Dr. Rick Csiernik. A chapter in the book, entitled TheChallenge of Rural EAP: The Iron Ore Company of Canada,

outlines the unique implementation and development of theEmployee Assistance Program at IOC’s operation in Labrador City.

Once again congratulations and thanks for all your hard work.

16 Winter 2005

Congratulations

John BarnesOperator Maintainer

Primary Ore

Jacques BéchardMaintainer Operator

Mechanical 2Terminal

Micheline Breault-LebrunAdministrator

Human Resources

Gerard BrentonMaintainer Operator

Mechanical 2Primary Ore

Pamela BullenJr. Administrator

Human Resources

Richard Caouette Advisor

ESH

Bernard DumontAnalyst Sr

IT

Richard FreebornMaintainer Operator

Mechanical 2Vehicle Shop

Allan GaleMaintainer Operator

Mechanical 2Product Delivery

Gary GreeneAdministratorEnvironment

Whycliff KeanOperator Maintainer

Pellet Plant

Roger LevasseurMaintainer Operator

Mechanical 1Garage

John NoelMaintainer Operator

Electrical 1Concentrator

Terence O'LearyStationary Engineer

Heating Steam and AirPlant

Georges-André PaquetOperator Maintainer

Station & Yard

Renée PerreaultIntegrated Systems

AdvisorFinancial Control

25 Years of Service

Winter 2005 17

Congratulations

Ross PikeTeam LeaderStation & Yard

Alec ReidMaintainer Operator

Electrical 1Mine Maintenance

Gilles VaillancourtRail Traffic Controller

Train Dispatching

Alain ValléeEngineman

Hauling

25 Years of Service

25 Year PartyCeremonies was held in Labrador City and Sept-Îles on October 21 and 22 to celebrate 28 employees with 25 years of service.

18 Winter 2005

Continuous Improvements

You may not have heard much about the Renewal Programfor a while and might just be wondering how it is going.Well, it is alive and well, and you may even be contributing ideas orparticipating in improvement projects without even knowing it. Someof the projects implemented in 2005 include the hot seat change inthe mine, increasing power draw in the concentrator AG mills, pelletplant maintenance alignment and North-Sept-Iles facility on the railway.

$50 Millions savingsSince we started the Renewal program back in 2002 we have saved$50m in operating costs and implemented improvement initiativesthat have helped increase concentrate and pellet production. Theseimprovements have helped us to offset some of the price increases weare seeing (eg diesel), and to make IOC more competitive to secureour future. These results are a great success and we should all bevery proud of our efforts – the ideas and the energy to implementcame from all of our employees in every area of the business.

One of the reasons that you have not heard so much about Renewalfor a while is that it is no longer a big project with lots of people –instead it has become part of the business, part of the way we dothings on a daily basis. You may have seen pamphlets requesting yourContinuous Improvement ideas in various parts of the business. Thisis a program that will be rolled out to all operating areas (it is cur-rently in place in Primary Ore and Central Services) to captureimprovement ideas from everyone and put them through a processwhere they can be evaluated and implemented to improve IOC.

You may have seen posters requesting your ContinuousImprovement ideas in various parts of the business.

Securing Our Future Together

Expert team members To support the Renewal process across the business, Matt Simpson(GM Operations Planning and Continuous Improvement) andAndrew Wildy (Manager Business Evaluation) manage the overallprogram, and we have continuous improvement experts (calledSACIs) across the business whose role is to help to identify, evaluateand implement improvement ideas. The SACI’s in each area are:• Primary Ore – Tim Gibson (x8415), Ed Krats (x8264)• Product Manufacturing – Bob Burton (x8464)• Product Delivery – Judith Leclerc (x7406)• Maintenance/Central Services – Danny Cao (x8611)• Procurement – Nancy Gagnon (x7520)

The SACIs are there to help you implement your improvement ideas.

What is ahead for Renewal?We are now half-way to achieving our target of $100M savings andhave helped deliver big increases in both concentrate and pellet pro-duction. As part of the planning process for 2006 each area’s management team has selected a list of improvement projects forimplementation having a total target savings of $17M and productionimprovement of at least 400 kT concentrate. In going through thisprocess, we realized that we need to look for new ideas to get the restof the savings we need to reach our $100M cost savings and 18Mtpaconcentrate production targets. So early in the New Year, we will berunning workshops in each area of the business to generate newideas. However, please do not wait for these workshops, at any timeplease pass on any good ideas you have to improve IOC either to yourTeam Leader, Superintendent or SACI, or by filling in a ContinuousImprovement form if they are available in your area.

We know our people are our best resources to help us achieve ourtarget cost savings and production goals. We’ve seen great stridesthus far and want to continue to build upon this momentum. This iswhat Continuous Improvement is all about. It is by implementingimprovements today that we strengthen the company for the futureand ensure that IOC will continue to prosper when prices and markets are not as strong as today.

Bob Burton, Superintendent - Projects; Matt Simpson, GeneralManager - Operations Planning and Continuous Improvement;Danny Cao, Senior Advisor - Graduate Development; Andrew Wildy,Manager - Business Evaluation; Timothy Gibson, Senior Advisor -Continuous Improvement and Edward Krats, Senior OperatorMaintainer.

Van Alexopoulos ManagerFinancial Services

Robyn Ayles Operator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Reginald Baker Stationary EngineerHeating Steam & Air Plants

Gino Barriault Operator MaintainerDumping & Loading

Simon BellavanceMaintainer Operator Mechanical 2Communications & Signals

Robert BlaisSenior Operator MaintainerMaintenance of Way

Florent BrissonSenior Operator MaintainerMaintenance of Way

Stephen Bursey Operator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Butt GailOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Mark Byrne TechnologistProcess Engineering

Jun (Danny) CaoGraduate DevelopmentStrategic Planning & Implementation

Karl CharestOperator MaintainerDumping & Loading

Fernando CornejoGraduate DevelopmentProcess Engineering

Gaétan Côté Maintainer Operator Mechanical 2Terminal

Giovanni Cucchiara Operator MaintainerDumping & Loading

John Cumby Maintainer Operator Electrical 1Pellet Plant

Stéphane CyrAnalyst IT JrIT Services

Kara Dawe Security OfficerSecurity

Gino DeschênesSenior Operator MaintainerMaintenance of Way

Jason Doyle Maintainer Operator Electrical 1Équipement mobile

Martin Dufour Maintainer Operator Mechanical 2Car Shop

Marc FlightOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Daniel FortinTeam LeaderTerminal

Luis Fossi Engineer Chief Engineering

Edward Gallant Maintainer Operator Electrical 1Concentrator

Timothy GibsonTechnical Advisor SrPrimary Ore

Michael Gilderdale SuperintendentStrategic Planning & Implementation

James Gillingham Maintainer Operator Electrical 1Pellet Plant

Steve Hébert Senior Operator MaintainerMaintenance of Way

Adam Higdon Operator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Ken Holloway Maintainer Operator Electrical 1Pellet Plant

Shawn Holwell TechnologistPrimary Ore

Roberto Iregui ManagerSales & Marketing

Sylvain Jean Team LeaderTerminal

Allan (Ted) JenningsTeam LeaderBuilding Maintenance

Corey KeatingOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Kelly LaingOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Therry Landry Senior Operator MaintainerMaintenance of Way

Patrick Lauzière AdvisorEnvironment ESH

Sébastien LebelMechanical EngineerEngineering

Welcome to Our New Colleagues

Winter 2005 19

Allister Letto Operator MaintainerPrimary Ore

William LettoOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Francis LévesqueMaintainer Operator Mechanical 2Terminal

Joëlle Lévesque Process ControllerQuality

Renee LucasSuperintendent - Technical ServicesQuality

Daniel MacdonaldOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Dean MacISaacAnalyst Business JrFinancial Services

Damian Matthiews Operator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Carlo McKenzie Senior Operator MaintainerMaintenance of Way

Christian MontignyOperator MaintainerDumping & Loading

Peter MooneyOperator MaintainerMM Field

Paul MorinMaintainer Operator Mechanical 2Loco Shop / Transport

Christopher MorrisMaintainer Operator Electrical 1Engineering

Brad Noel Operator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Guillaume NoëlMaintainer Operator Mechanical 2Terminal

Marco Noël Operator MaintainerDumping & Loading

Eric ParsonsOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Stephen Perry Electrical Engineer JrStrategic Planning & Implementation

Dion Philpott Maintainer Operator Electrical 1Concentrator

Jamie Pinksen PlannerBuilding Maintenance

Robert ReaderOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Francis RichardOperator MaintainerDumping & Loading

Michael RowcliffeMaintainer Operator Electrical 1MM Garage

Dennis Sansome Operator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Kent Shea Maintainer Operator Electrical 1Concentrator

Mary(Elaine) SmithOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Emmanuel StrangAnalyst Business SrFinancial Services

Lori StrangemoreAdministrator jrEnvironment ESH

Woodrow SturgeOperator MaintainerPrimary Ore

Jeannot Talbot Team Leader SrHandling Maintenance

Mario Venne Team LeaderPrimary Ore

Curtis WellmanSenior Operator MaintainerMaintenance of Way

Gordon WilliamsSuperintendent - MaintenancePrimary Ore

In the last edition of Mine-to-Port "Keeping It Cooler SavesEnergy" was accompanied with a photo, second from the left is Wayne Hawkins Maintainer Operator (Electrician) not Charlie O'Keefe Team Leader.

Standard C4: Work in high places

Work platforms and scaffolding must be

equipped with full floors, railings and

skirtings. Access has to be unobstructed

and safety exits have to be accessible.

Only a trained person who is competent

and qualified may operate an elevating

platform or basket. Workers must wear a

safety harness at all times.

Standard C5: Confined spacesAn excellent prevention program for work inconfined spaces has to include:• Identification of confined spaces

(classification, indication, etc.);• A procedure for safely entering and

working in confined spaces;• Training for employees who enter confined

spaces and for their supervisor;• Preventive maintenance of equipment

(detection devices, winches, harnesses, etc.).

Product ManufacturingSecond HousekeepingAwardCongratulations are extended to the Concentrator’s Old Spiral Plant Teamon winning the GM’s Quarterly Housekeeping Award in ProductManufacturing. The combined effort of all employees contributed to thisdisplay of exemplary housekeeping. Congratulations and Well Done!

Special mention goes out to the Filtering & Balling Team for the remarkable progress they have made in recent weeks.

The next GM’s quarterly Housekeeping Award will be presented in early2006, let’s continue with the focus on housekeeping and keep up thehealthy competition.

Standard C6: Lifting

A number of our employees are now

certified to inspect lifting accessories.

Almost all of our personnel are also trained

in safe operation of overhead travelling

cranes. Remember that a preoperational

inspection of all lifting equipment has to be

carried out in all cases.

Amy Bruce, communications, brucea@ironore.ca

Paula Coish, central services, coishp@ironore.ca

Sean Hiscock, concentrator, hiscockse@ironore.ca

Éric Labrie, maintenance of way, labriee@ironore.ca

Connie Lane, mine, lanec@ironore.ca

Hugues Lapierre, dock terminal, lapierreh@ironore.ca

Caroline Marceau, engineering, marceauc@ironore.ca

Robin Ouellet, locoshop, ouelletr@ironore.ca

Rowena Pinsent, pellet plant, pinsentr@ironore.ca

Patsy Ralph, communications, ralphp@ironore.ca

Martin Rioux, product delivery, riouxm@ironore.ca

Natalie Rouleau, communications, rouleaun@ironore.ca

Shelagh Thomson, mine shops, thomsons@ironore.ca

Lynda Wilson-Hare, health & safety, wilsonhl@ironore.ca

Nancy Gagnon, Continuous Improvement, gagnonn@ironore.ca

Publications Mail:Account # 1006379 • Agreement # 40005861Iron Ore Company of Canada, 1 Retty Street, Sept-Iles (Quebec) G4R 3C7

Your Mine-to-Port is now issued on recyclable glossy paper containing at least 10% of post-consumer fibre and colour photos at no additional cost. We hope it will be to your liking.

Produced by the Communications Departmentwww.ironore.ca • rouleaun@ironore.caTel.: (418) 968-7655 / Editing: Map Design

The team:

The team who produced the IOC Family Album. Guylaine Ouellet, GO.com; TrinaThompson, Consultant; Michel Filion, Director of Communications; Amy Bruce andNatalie Rouleau, Communications Administrators and Symphonie Nadeau, Assistant.

In MemoriamWe extend our deepest

sympathy to the families ofRoger Chamberland passed away June 28, 2005

Thomas MacNeil passed away June 28, 2005John Castilloux passed away July 4, 2005

Antonio Bragaglia passed away July 10, 2005Léo Lavoie passed away July 23, 2005

Lloyd Curlew passed away August 7, 2005Stanley Dasilva passed away August 8, 2005

Patrick Chiasson passed away August 17, 2005Douglas Brett passed away August 19, 2005

John Fennessey passed away August 20, 2005Jean-Paul Desplanches

passed away August 31, 2005Jacques Gagnon passed away September 2, 2005Salvatore Marras passed away September 4, 2005Paul Robitaille passed away September 14, 2005Georges Jean passed away September 16, 2005Frank Porter passed away September 15, 2005Réal Ouellet passed away September 22, 2005

Ghislain Raymond passed away October 10, 2005Michael A. Bolger passed away October 13, 2005

Georges Clark passed away October 13, 2005Philip Preziosi passed away October 13, 2005Léon Bérubé passed away October 20, 2005

Jean-Marc Dion passed away October 21, 2005Gilles Poirier passed away November 23, 2005

Guiseppe Didominicantoni passed away November 29, 2005

Marcel Théberge passed away December 2, 2005