Members of Mine Mill Local 598/CAW have an extra reason to celebrate Labour Day this year.

Construction of a new headquarters for the union has been underway since May, and on Labour Day (Sept. 6), the building will be officially opened.

The building, which cost $686,000 to build, is located on the union’s Mine Mill campsite on the shores of Richard Lake. Starting at 3 p.m., the public is invited to tour the new building, and then attend a picnic at the Mine Mill campsite.

Contractors are currently putting the finishing touches on the new Local 598 building.

Union president Richard Paquin said there still won’t be any furniture in the building when the official opening is held.
The building includes many “green” features, Paquin said, including geothermal heating, energy-efficient lighting, triple-layer windows and superior insulation.

“We have always been a union that’s very progressive, in terms of advancing ourselves into the future,” he said.

“We strongly believe that green is the future. This is our first step to achieving that. All of the hydro here has also been designed so that in the event we want to go with solar panels or wind energy later on, we can just hook in, and it automatically feeds the building.”

Keeping the lakefront setting in mind, the building was also designed to look like a cottage, and “blend in with mother nature.”

In 1999, the union decided to sell its old building on Regent Street to the Navy League of Canada. At the time, Local 598’s membership was decreasing “at an alarming rate,” Paquin said.

Since that time, the union has been leasing space in their old building, but that lease is up this year. The union’s membership made the decision to construct a new building. It was built on the union’s Mine Mill campsite so the union didn’t have to purchase any land.

“We’ve been saving money for years — since the 1960s,” Paquin said. “The money has always been put aside for that rainy day.”

He said the Mine Mill campsite hasn’t had much use over the last few years. The union leases part of the property to the nearby Carol Campsite.

“Next year, we might end that lease and take it over ourselves, since we’re (on site) now, and start generating an income,” Paquin said.

“We want to invite the community to be part of our venture here at Richard Lake. We will be leasing some (camp) sites to the community and our members.”

The Sudbury and District Labour Council is also holding celebrations on Labour Day. A pancake breakfast will be held at 9:30 a.m., a parade at 11 a.m. and speeches at 12 p.m. All of the events take place in Memorial Park.

For more information about Local 598’s Labour Day event, phone 705-673-3661. For more information about the Sudbury and District Labour Council’s Labour Day events, phone 705-674-1223.