Highland Valley produced 127,100 tonnes before mine workers began strike
Key Facts
The strike at Teck’s Highland Valley Copper mine began on October 24, after the collective agreement expired on September 30, 2026, according to company data. Teck said operations at the mine are continuing and contingency plans are in place to maintain safety and environmental management during the labor action. The mine is in British Columbia, and the company describes it as Canada’s largest open-pit copper mine. It produced 127,100 tonnes in 2025, according to Teck disclosures. The strike comes ahead of the company’s third-quarter results, scheduled for release on October 29.
The contractual background to the dispute dates to the expiration of the collective agreement between Teck and workers at Highland Valley Copper on September 30. The company said it is committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement that supports continuity of operations. Teck had announced that it received strike notice before the work stoppage began, and EL7 reported the news on October 21, noting that the notice allowed the strike to begin on October 24. In its operations update, the company said: "Operations at Highland Valley Copper are continuing, and contingency plans are in place to maintain safety and environmental management during the labor action." Teck kept its focus in the update on continuity of work, safety measures and environmental management.
The mine produced 127,100 tonnes of copper in 2025, compared with 102,400 tonnes in 2024, according to Teck data. In its second-quarter 2026 results update, the company set Highland Valley’s production outlook for the year at between 115,000 and 135,000 tonnes. These figures provide context for the mine’s production last year and the range the company announced for the current year. The mine-life extension plan also links future production to continued operations beyond 2028. Teck estimates average copper production of 132,000 tonnes a year over the mine’s extended life through 2046.
The mine-life extension project represents a long-term investment in the site, and construction began in August 2025, according to Teck. The company estimates its capital cost at between $2.1 billion and $2.4 billion, with capital investment expected from the second half of 2025 through 2028. The plan aims to extend mine operations from 2028 to 2046, with estimated average annual production of 132,000 tonnes of copper over its operating life. Teck expects the project to provide about 2,900 jobs during construction. Once completed, operations are expected to support about 1,500 direct jobs and generate $500 million a year in gross domestic product.
EL7 data for Teck share closes showed a decline from October 20 to 23, with the close falling from $64.33 on October 20 to $59.05 on October 23. The period coincided with the publication of news that the company had received strike notice on October 21, followed by the start of the work stoppage on October 24. These figures describe the closes recorded by EL7 for Teck’s ticker and do not identify the trading exchange or pricing currency. Teck is scheduled to release its third-quarter results before the market opens on Thursday, October 29. The results review conference begins at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, according to the company’s announcement.