Forging the Path Forward

2022 ESG Report

Social

Our relationships with employees, communities, diverse partners and stakeholders are essential for New Gold’s success. 

As New Gold forges the path forward, we are dedicated to building even stronger connections, strengthening the resilience of our communities, and protecting the safety, well-being and rights of all people affected by our operations. Through an approach that values equity, inclusivity and respect, we can support sustainable communities and create enduring value. 

Social Report (PDF)

“When it comes to New Gold’s success, our people, the communities we call home and the Indigenous partners we work alongside are at the centre. Every decision is made with the health, safety and well-being of all who are part of New Gold top of mind. Our journey is ongoing, and we remain focused on enhancing our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and providing development opportunities for our employees. I’m proud to see our people recognize the role we each play in forging ahead and contributing not only to our success as a company, but to our culture that makes us special.”

Sharon Giraudel 
Head of Human Resources

Social Stories

Here are some Social highlight stories from our work in 2022.

View all stories in the Social Report (PDF)

New Gold Honours Excellence at Business of the Year Award

New Gold was honoured to participate in the 25th annual Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in September, the Chamber’s first in-person awards event since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The awards recognize 10 categories of excellence and constitute the largest event of its kind in the region. New Gold sponsored and presented the Business of the Year award (16+ employees). 

Video Marks National Indigenous Peoples Month

To honour and acknowledge our partnership with the SSN, the New Afton Indigenous Relations and Community Team continuously seeks ways to provide new and meaningful opportunities to increase cultural awareness and education for New Afton employees. In 2022, the New Afton team created a video featuring a welcome song and greeting from Ted Gottfriedson from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, a message from Ed Jensen, also from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, about the importance of ground blessing ceremonies, and a message from Terry Deneault from Skeetchestn Indian Band on the significance of the territory.

Assertiveness for Women in Business Pilot Project

New Gold launched an Assertiveness for Women in Business pilot project in 2022, with plans to expand company-wide in 2023. This training allows participants to demonstrate assertiveness techniques by using supportive communication behaviours, and develop an action plan to overcome personal obstacles related to assertiveness.

Supporting Leadership Development for Today and Tomorrow

In 2022, New Gold offered current and future leaders the opportunity to participate in two leadership training programs. 

More than 115 people participated in the Effective Leadership Development program and Professional Supervisor training. 

John Andrew, New Afton’s Mill Operations Superintendent, reflected on his experience in the program: “The Effective Leadership Development program helped me to focus my time and effort on long-term objectives both at work and at home. It put into perspective what creates the most value to my team, the organization and my family.”

In addition, we offered a number of in-house initiatives and continued to offer our Six Sigma training courses throughout the year.

PASS Program

In 2022, New Gold launched the Positive Attitude Safety System (PASS) program, a safety process that assists line management to encourage and reinforce safe attitudes, decisions and behaviours. The health and safety of all our employees and contractors is the responsibility of everyone and PASS takes a grassroots approach that encourages every worker to consider safety in all aspects of their duties.

Onsite Counsellor Visits 

As part of New Gold Rainy River’s commitment to employee mental health and well-being, we continued our partnership with Allison Bennett of Resolution Counselling for 2022. Allison provides phone and online counselling services to all New Gold employees and their immediate families at no cost. Additionally, she makes time to be onsite at the mine for a few days each month to meet with employees directly.