The Baie Verte asbestos mine

The mine that anchored a Newfoundland town

The chrysotile deposit at Baie Verte, on Newfoundland's northern peninsula, was worked commercially from 1963 to 1995. The operator was Advocate Mines Ltd., later Baie Verte Mines Inc. At its peak the mine employed around 700 people directly and was the economic anchor of the town.

Baie Verte's chrysotile was shipped for use in cement products, insulation, and reinforcement fibres, both domestically and abroad. Along with Thetford Mines and the town of Asbestos in Quebec, it made Canada the world's largest asbestos exporter for much of the twentieth century.

The 1978 strike and its aftermath

In 1978 workers at Baie Verte went on strike for improved dust control after a series of internal health surveys documented widespread lung disease among the workforce. The Baie Verte strike is remembered as one of the first Canadian labour actions where occupational asbestos disease itself, not wages or hours, was the central demand. It led to improved dust-suppression measures at the mine and influenced provincial workplace-safety regulation across Canada.

Occupations most exposed

• Underground and open-pit miners
• Mill workers, especially crushing, drying, and bagging areas
• Millwrights, mechanics, and electricians who worked on dust-coated equipment
• Truck drivers moving dry fibre and tailings
• Warehouse workers handling bagged fibre for shipment
• Cleaners and support staff in mill buildings

Secondary exposure to families, particularly spouses laundering work clothes and children playing on tailings piles, is documented for the Baie Verte community and continues to be a factor in modern WorkplaceNL and civil claims.

Environmental legacy

Tailings piles from the mine dominate the landscape around Baie Verte. Community groups and provincial researchers have documented lingering environmental concerns, and periodic remediation of specific sites (including former mill areas) has taken place. Residents who lived near the operation for extended periods without ever working there are also considered at elevated risk.