Hudbay Minerals, copper-focused miner, and Manitoba authorities have cleared a staged restart of operations at Snow Lake after the Manitoba Wildfire Service and the Town of Snow Lake lifted a mandatory evacuation order on August 22. Hudbay said inspections found no structural damage to surface infrastructure; milling at New Britannia resumed on August 26 and the full mining workforce returned to the Lalor mine on August 27, with sitewide production expected to be back at full levels in early September. The company reiterated it remains on track to meet 2025 guidance in Manitoba.
Safety checks and restart cadence
Hudbay’s restart plan prioritized shaft inspections and re-energizing underground electrical systems before recalling crews. “The emergency preparedness and extensive community response efforts were successful in safeguarding Hudbay’s surface infrastructure and facilities in Manitoba during the wildfires,” said John O’Shaughnessy, vice president of the Manitoba business unit. “We expect a safe return to full operations.” The company has coordinated with provincial and local officials for the ramp-up across the Lalor, New Britannia and Stall complex.
Wildfire backdrop and community impact
The restart follows one of Canada’s harshest fire seasons in recent years. Federal officials last week said the country’s second-worst season on record had already burned about 7.8 million hectares and could persist into the fall, with Saskatchewan and Manitoba heavily affected. Manitoba’s bulletin confirmed the lifting of Snow Lake’s evacuation order effective August 22, clearing the way for industrial operations and residents to return.
Market implications and near-term production
Hudbay’s guidance for Manitoba—centered on gold with copper and zinc by-products from its volcanogenic massive sulphide orebodies—remains intact despite July’s temporary suspension. The timely restart reduces the risk of extended concentrate delivery delays and smoothing issues at the mills, while broader copper pricing has been steady in late August: LME three-month copper has hovered around $9,750–$9,800 per tonne this week, with COMEX near $4.45/lb.
Company Background and Market Context
Hudbay operates three long-life assets—Constancia (Peru), Copper Mountain (British Columbia) and Snow Lake (Manitoba)—and positions itself as Canada’s third-largest copper producer. Snow Lake integrates the Lalor underground mine with the New Britannia gold mill and the Stall concentrator, supplying a polymetallic mix into North American smelting networks. The company also advances a pipeline that includes Copper World in Arizona and Mason in Nevada.
Copper remains a bellwether for electrification demand—from grids to EVs and data-center power systems. Prices in late August reflect a balance between macro sentiment and supply headlines; inventories on Western exchanges are relatively low by historical standards, keeping nearby spreads sensitive to operational disruptions and restarts like Snow Lake’s.
