The company that’s building a gold mine near Stewart, B.C. is planning to ramp up its hiring efforts this fall in anticipation of a 2017 opening.

Pretium Resources, the company in charge of the Brucejack gold mine project, recently released a construction update stating development was on schedule after workers laboured through the winter in order to meet deadlines.

Pretium Resources’ corporate vice-president Michelle Romero said the company expects to hire approximately 500 full-time employees in the near future.

It will go on more of a hiring spree this fall and into the new year as the gold mine gets closer to opening, she said.

There will be a wide range of positions up for grabs, including underground miners, geologists, engineers, mill workers and superintendents.

The company will also be hiring support staff positions such as logistics, contract management, purchasing, cooks, accommodation management, administration and safety personnel.

Pretium started construction on the gold mine in 2015, after several years of environmental reviews from the government and negotiations with First Nations.

The mine is approximately 65 kilometres from Stewart and the Brucejack access road is off Highway 37 North.

Romero said a major construction update at the mine is that one of the three dorms being built up there to house workers has finished construction.

“You have people on rotation and at any given time there’ll be accommodation for up to 330 people at the main camp,” Romero said.

She said there are currently several hundred people working on developing the mine, mostly contractors.

“Right now the focus is getting the thing built. A lot of the jobs are construction related,” Romero said. “You’ll see a ramp up in the fall to employ people to work in the mill. Right now a key area for us is to get our mill building enclosed.”

The concrete foundations of the gold mine’s mill facility, which will be used to grind, sort and process the product harvested from the mine, have been installed.

“You want to have your people in place at the right time to be able to have everything up and running as quickly as you can,” Romero said.

The Valley of the Kings is one of two deposits that make up the Brucejack project.

Romero said the project also has a management update. David Prins has been appointed project director and is now responsible for the project’s construction and transition to operations.

“He’s been key to making sure everything stays on time and on budget. That’s really the focus for us right now,” Romero said. “David is a key member of the team to make sure everything is clicking into place when it should.”

The mine is expected to operate for the next 18 years after its 2017 opening.