Celebrating 50 years of Rabbit Lake
Celebrating 50 years of Rabbit Lake
This year, Rabbit Lake celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of uranium mining, innovation and community spirit in northern Saskatchewan.
What do you get when you mix a little curiosity, a dash of northern grit, and a whole lot of determination? You get Cameco's Rabbit Lake mine and mill, a site that’s been hopping along for half a century.
This year, Rabbit Lake celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of uranium mining, innovation and community spirit in northern Saskatchewan.
“Fifty years is a remarkable milestone, and it’s all thanks to the many people who have made Rabbit Lake what it is,” said CEO Tim Gitzel. “Your dedication, innovation and teamwork have not only powered our operations, but have helped set the standard for safety and community spirit at Cameco.
"Congratulations to every member of the Rabbit Lake family – past and present – for your outstanding contributions.”
From its discovery in 1968 to its legacy as North America’s longest-operating uranium facility, Rabbit Lake’s story is one of resilience, teamwork and a few legendary safety awards along the way.
The Rabbit Lake uranium deposit was discovered in 1968. The site began production in 1975.
“Rabbit Lake has always been a livelihood for a lot of people, including myself," said Jerome Dzenlioun, of nearby Hatchet Lake. He first worked at Rabbit as a laborer for a contractor company in 1985. He later joined team Cameco in 1991, training on the line patrol.
"The atmosphere has never changed throughout the years. With so many people who have come and gone, there were always a few who returned because Rabbit Lake is a good place to work.”
Production was temporarily suspended in 2015 after a rock fall – thankfully with no injuries or environmental impact. In 2016, Cameco permanently suspended production due to low uranium prices. Rabbit Lake now remains in care and maintenance, having produced over 203 million pounds of uranium concentrates - enough to remove up to 820 million cars from the road for a year, making a massive impact on global CO₂ emissions.
“This was a very sad time for all of us, as it was almost time to say goodbye. Thinking that this might be the last shipment of yellowcake from this site, we took this pic to share the memory of Rabbit Lake’s history of the last lot loaded,” said Charlene McDonald, who works in the warehouse, and arranged photos of the last drums packaged at Rabbit Lake in May 2016.
“This photo shows the importance of our values: of safety and environment, people, integrity and excellence, as Rabbit Lake has produced millions of pounds of uranium with every employee committed to these values, right to the last barrel.”
Shawn Harriman, Rabbit Lake site manager since 2019, joined Cameco in 2007. He said the site’s culture makes Rabbit Lake a special place to work.
“We are fortunate to have had a core group of folks who have been around for many of the past 50 years. The commitment of the team to safety and their collaborative spirit have created a really positive workplace. That spirit is woven into the legacy of Rabbit Lake, and it’s something people note when they talk about their experiences at the site, and it’s something we can all be proud of.”