< Previous30 Summer 2015 / www.canadianminingmagazine.com Tools of the Trade Tesla Storage Tesla Motors has launched its energy stor- age soluƟons. Numerous compeƟng storage manufacturers of residenƟal soluƟons see posiƟve effects for their businesses from the Powerwall, a residenƟal baƩery. In the con- text of solar- or wind-diesel hybrid energy plants, the soluƟon for larger applicaƟons, called Powerpack, is more interesƟng. Decentralized energy soluƟons enable regions to prosper that were not con- nected to the grid before, just as many users in developing countries today have mobile phones but no landlines previously. This comparison helps to create awareness that the future of energy generaƟon will be decentralized to a con- siderable extent. Tesla’s market entry will contribute to make the whole pie of decentralized energy soluƟons grow. www.teslamotors.com Coxreels introduces the Heavy Duty Band Brake Accessory Coxreels® introduces the Heavy-Duty Band Brake Accessory for the hand-crank and motor- ized hose reel lines. The Heavy-Duty Band Brake is an upgraded brake opƟon available on most A-Frame and all Hybrid-Frame Reels, including the 1125, 1175, 1185, and the 1600 Series reels. The Heavy-Duty Band Brake increases available braking fricƟon and extends the brake life, while simultaneously improving adjustability and ease of use. Brakes of all kinds are used to minimize free-spin or unwanted unloading of hose due to drum momentum when the operator stops unwinding the hose. Coxreels® Heavy-Duty Band Brake features a composite fricƟon brake material and a solid-steel drum. www.coxreels.comCanadian Mining Magazine 31 Tools of the TradeSpillfix ® Industrial Organic Absorbent American Green Ventures, (US) Inc. announced the availability of SpillFix® Industrial Organic Absorbent in Canada. Made of a bi-product of coconuts (coir), SpillFix® instantly absorbs hazardous liquid spills on contact, includ- ing oils, fuels and chemicals. This enables faster, cleaner, safer and more effecƟve clean-up with minimal downƟme. SpillFix® is an organic, renewable resource that is non-carcinogenic, contains no chemicals and is silica free. When compared to clay-based absorbents, SpillFix® clients need 80 per cent less to clean up spills in less than half the Ɵme. SpillFix® is dust-free, non-abrasive, leaves no residue, can be reused on mulƟple spills and is landfill safe. www.spillfix.com oreXpress™ and EZ-ID™ software IdenƟfying clays in mineral assemblag- es can provide key indicaƟons of mineral- ized systems. The field portable oreXpress™ spectrometer with EZ-ID™ mineral idenƟfi- caƟon soŌware can be used to idenƟfy dif- ferent clays and paƩerns of alteraƟon in the field and the core shack. This data can be used to map alteraƟon zones and discover vectors to new or over- looked deposits. Clays can be so similar visually that even experienced geologists are hard pressed to disƟnguish between different clays. For ex- ample, low sulphidaƟon assemblages might be characterized by illite, montmorillonite, and sericite, while high sulphidaƟon might be characterized by kaolinite and alunite. The oreXpress™ with EZ-ID™ can help a ge- ologist decide the idenƟty of different clays and create an accurate mineral map. www.spectralevoluƟon.com32 Summer 2015 / www.canadianminingmagazine.com The North News Watch Milestone at Coppermine Kaizen Discovery announced on July 14, 2015 that the company’s plan for an expanded exploraƟon program at its Coppermine Project in Nunavut received a posiƟve screening review by the Nunavut Im- pact Review Board (NIRB). This means final processing of the required permits for an ex- panded, mulƟ-year exploraƟon program may proceed. Camp con- strucƟon and mobilizaƟon of equipment and supplies are underway, with diamond drilling expected to commence by fall. Kaizen will host tours at the project for execuƟves of several cor- poraƟons in hopes of selecƟng a funding partner. In addiƟon to a detailed project review, potenƟal partners will visit the hamlet of Kugluktuk where they will meet community members and be introduced to Inuit culture and tradiƟons. “Since iniƟaƟng the permiƫng process, we have worked dili- gently to engage with the community of Kugluktuk and the various agencies and organizaƟons involved in the assessment and moni- toring of the Coppermine Project,” says B. MaƩhew Hornor, Kaizen president and CEO. Kennady North Drill program On July 13, 2015, Kennady Diamonds Inc. announced the latest drill results from the Kennady North diamond project in the North- west Territories. The project is adjacent to the Gahcho Kué diamond mine currently under development by De Beers Canada and Moun- tain Province Diamonds. “DelineaƟon drilling at the Kelvin kimberlite conƟnues to return excellent results,” says Kennady Diamonds CEO Patrick Evans. “Holes 43a and 43b returned significant intercepts beyond the current model. We have now arranged for a larger fourth drill rig to be brought to site to facilitate further exploraƟon/delineaƟon drill- ing to extend the strike of the Kelvin pipe.” Kennady Diamonds also reported that processing of core sam- ples by causƟc fusion is conƟnuing on schedule with the diamond re- covery results from a Faraday 2 one tonne sample expected shortly. Processing of the Kelvin 436 tonne bulk sample by dense-media separaƟon was progressing well and the results are expected in the third quarter. Updates on Prairie Creek Canadian Zinc CorporaƟon provided an update on June 23, 2015 on the conƟnuing underground exploraƟon program at the Prairie Creek Mine in the Northwest Territories. Assays have been received from addiƟonal diamond drill holes from the underground program. Drillhole PCU-15-62 intercepted a previously unknown quartz vein fault structure, 75 metres into the footwall of the Main Quartz Vein (MQV) structure and graded 8.3 per cent lead, 19.8 per cent zinc and 150 grams per tonne silver across an esƟmated true width of 5.4 metres. PCU-15-65, drilled on the next secƟon 50 metres north, 95 me- tres to the west of the MQV structure which graded 4.9 per cent lead, 22.7 per cent zinc and 164 grams per tonne silver across 1.2 metres of esƟmated true width, also intercepted the second quartz vein structure and graded 4.6 per cent lead, 13.8 per cent zinc, 92 grams per tonne silver across 2.9 metres of esƟmated true width. MulƟple intercepts of stockwork mineralizaƟon were also re- turned in all stockwork targeted holes, including hole PCU-15-65 which graded 24.7 per cent lead, 32.7 per cent zinc and 311 grams per tonne silver across an esƟmated true width of 2.4 metres and further down the hole 9.5 per cent lead, 38.1 per cent zinc, 381 grams per tonne silver across an esƟmated true width of 1.5 metres. Exploration at Amaruq’s Whale Tail Agnico Eagle Mines Limited reported on June 9, 2015 addiƟonal results from the 2015 Phase 1 exploraƟon program at the Amaruq gold project in Nunavut. Drilling at Whale Tail under Whale Lake conƟnued to intersect high-grade gold over significant widths, including 19.8 grams per tonne gold (capped) over five metres at 130-metre depth (hole AMQ15-187), and 15.9 grams per tonne gold (capped) over 14.6 metres at 126-metre depth (hole AMQ15-181). New mineralized structure approximately 100 metres north of the Whale Tail deposit, including 6.1 grams per tonne gold (capped) over four metres at 284-metre depth and 9.7 grams grams per tonne gold (capped) over 3.8 metres at 306-metre depth (hole AMQ15-177). MCanadian Mining Magazine 33 British Columbia News WatchBrucejack Project’s environmental assessment PreƟum Resources Inc. announced on July 31, 2015 that it received an Environ- mental Assessment Decision Statement from the Federal Minister of the Environ- ment which finds the Brucejack Project not likely to cause significant adverse environ- mental effects. The minister issued a project recommen- daƟon that includes a determinaƟon regard- ing the potenƟal effects of the project un- der the Nisga’a Final Agreement, which is a modern treaty signed by the governments of Canada, BriƟsh Columbia and the Nisga’a NaƟon. PreƟum will address the condiƟons which include miƟgaƟon measures and fol- low-up requirements which must be fulfilled throughout the life of the project. Mount Polley to process at 50 per cent capacity On July 9, 2015, Imperial Metals Corpo- raƟon reported that the BriƟsh Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the Min- istry of Environment issued permit amend- ments allowing recommencement of opera- Ɵons at the Mount Polley mine. These permits allow a modified opera- Ɵon plan to process a maximum of four mil- lion tonnes of ore over one year, which is ap- proximately 50 per cent of capacity of the processing plant. The tailings from the processing will be directed to, and stored in, the Spring- er pit. Ore will be mined from the Cariboo pit and the Boundary zone underground workings. The rehabilitaƟon and restoraƟon of the areas affected by the August 2014 breach of the tailings embankment will conƟnue dur- ing the period of modified operaƟon. Imperial remains commiƩed to working with the Ministry of Environment, First Na- Ɵons and the local community to miƟgate the effects of the breach. The permit amendments to recom- mence operaƟons allowed the mine to re- tain a large porƟon of its skilled workforce, which is criƟcal to ongoing operaƟons. Em- ployment and business opportuniƟes re- lated to Mount Polley are also important to the regional economy as the mine and its employees play a substanƟal role in the economy and fabric of the surrounding communiƟes. Update on Mount Milligan Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. announced an update on mill operaƟons and throughput at Mount Milligan Mine on June 2, 2015. Over the past few months, various ad- justments and modificaƟons were made at Mount Milligan to address operaƟonal chal- lenges experienced during the first quarter of 2015. While addiƟonal improvements are ex- pected to be completed in the second half of this year, during the month of May, dai- ly mill throughput averaged 50,686 tonnes and tonnage per operaƟng hour averaged 2,198, compared to 39,569 tonnes and 1,889 tonnes per hour, respecƟvely, for the first quarter of 2015. Mill availability in May was approximate- ly 96 per cent, compared to 87 per cent in the first quarter. “We are very pleased that the solu- tions and modifications we have been im- plementing to address operational chal- lenges experienced during the first quar- ter have resulted in improved mill per- formance at Mount Milligan Mine,” says Jacques Perron, president and CEO of Thompson Creek. “AddiƟonal improvements will be made during future scheduled maintenance shut- downs in the third and fourth quarters of this year, which will impact mill availability; however, we expect to see conƟnuous im- provement in average daily mill throughput for the remainder of the year.” Drilling begins at Seabridge Gold’s KSM project Seabridge Gold reported on June 1, 2015 that core drilling had started at its KSM project in northwestern BriƟsh Columbia, with the main goal of determining the po- tenƟal for a high-grade core zone beneath the known Mitchell deposit, which is KSM’s largest. Seabridge has successfully targeted high- er-grade core zones beneath KSM’s near surface porphyry deposits over the past two years, resulƟng in the discovery of Deep Kerr and the Iron Cap Lower Zone. This pro- gram will also seek to enlarge and refine the block cave mining potenƟal for Deep Kerr and the Iron Cap Lower Zone. “Our fully-approved Environmental As- sessment ApplicaƟon allows for up to 2.3 billion tonnes of tailings storage,” says Rudi Fronk, Seabridge chairman and CEO. “Our aim now is to enhance project economics by finding the best 2.3 billion tones—the mine- able material with the highest margins.” The Mitchell deposit is the largest por- phyry copper-gold system discovered at KSM, containing proven and probable re- serves of 1.4 billion tonnes grading 0.60 grams per tonne gold and 0.16 per cent copper. The bulk of the Mitchell deposit is repre- sented by mineralizaƟon on the margin of a central zone. The central zone has average grades in the range of 0.79 grams per tonne gold and 0.23 per cent copper. Improved economics at Gibraltar Copper Mine On May 5, 2015, Taseko Mines complet- ed an updated mine plan for Gibraltar fea- turing a 50 per cent decrease in strip ra- Ɵo. This plan was a result of a detailed, six- month engineering study and forms the basis of an updated NI 43-101 compliant reserve. Some of the highlighted features of the mine were; 749 million tons grading 0.272 per cent copper equivalent, recoverable copper of 3.3 billion pounds and 62 million pounds of molybdenum, annual produc- Ɵon of approximately 138 million pounds of copper and 2.6 million pounds of molybde- num at a milling rate of 85,000 tons per day, and 24 years of operaƟon at a milling rate of 85,000 tons per day. “AŌer a year of operaƟng an upgraded and modernized Gibraltar at capacity, we have gained a thorough understanding of Gibraltar’s cost structure and capabiliƟes, both in the mine and mill,” says Russell Hall- bauer, president and CEO of Taseko. “While our milling costs have declined due to technology enhancements, mining costs have increased from historical levels due to fuel, labour, parts as well as haul dis- tance. The new mine plan takes these fac- tors into account and focuses on reducing tons mined and maximizing profitability on a cost per ton milled basis.” M34 Summer 2015 / www.canadianminingmagazine.com Alberta News Watch Production from Kearl expansion On June 16, 2015, Imperial announced the successful start-up of the Kearl oil sands ex- pansion project, with all three froth trains op- eraƟonal. ProducƟon from the expansion proj- ect is expected to ulƟmately reach 110,000 barrels per day, bringing total producƟon from Kearl to 220,000 barrels per day. “Start-up of the Kearl expansion project was achieved with a disciplined focus on safe- ty, project management and operaƟonal ex- cellence,” says Rich Kruger, Imperial chairman and CEO. “Completed ahead of schedule, the proj- ect benefited significantly from Imperial’s ‘de- sign-one/build mulƟple’ approach, ExxonMo- bil’s experƟse in project planning and execu- Ɵon, strong relaƟonships with Alberta-based contractors, and lessons learned from the Ke- arl iniƟal development.” The overall Kearl development represents the next generaƟon of oil-sands mining. Using Imperial’s proprietary paraffinic froth treat- ment process, the company eliminated the need for an onsite upgrader, significantly re- ducing greenhouse gas emissions, to where— on a well-to-wheels basis—Kearl diluted bi- tumen has about the same greenhouse-gas emissions footprint as the average crude re- fined today in the United States. Other environmental innovaƟons include on-site water storage to eliminate withdraw- als from the Athabasca River in low-flow pe- riods, progressive land and tailings reclama- Ɵon, and a state-of-the-art waterfowl deter- rent system. Located about 75 kilometres northeast of Fort McMurray, Alta, Kearl is expected to re- cover approximately 4.6 billion barrels of bi- tumen over an esƟmated project life of more than 40 years. Technological advancements A new expert panel report released on May 28, 2015 by the Council of Canadian Acade- mies Ɵtled Technological Prospects for Reduc- ing the Environmental Footprint of Canadian Oil Sands, examines the potenƟal for technol- ogy to miƟgate the environmental footprint of oil sands development. The expert panel found that addressing the environmental impact of the oil sands is a long- term endeavor and that technologies imple- mented over the short- to medium-term can reduce the footprint on a per barrel basis, but none can bring absolute reducƟons. “Working now to accelerate the pace of technological development is central to meet- ing the long-term challenge,” says Eric Newell, co-chair of the panel. “Technology will be an important part of the path forward. For example, if current long- term R&D projects prove successful, result- ing technologies could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per barrel below that of U.S. average crude oil by 2030.” The council’s expert panel concluded that the oil sands are an important component of the Canadian economy and are expected to play an increasing role in global oil supplies. Their development produces a range of envi- ronmental impacts on air, water and land. The panel looked at these impacts and idenƟfied GHG emissions and tailings ponds as being the most serious. As widely acknowl- edged, based on 2014 producƟon esƟmates, GHG emissions could double to 156 mega- tonnes by 2025. Moreover, the volume of tailings conƟnues to accumulate. The expert panel noted that large tailings ponds are both a legacy problem from past producƟon and a future reclamaƟon challenge. Oil sands production forecast IHS, the leading global source for criƟcal informaƟon and insight, has released a new producƟon forecast for Canadian oil sands through 2020. IHS expects conƟnued oil sands producƟon growth through 2020, albeit low- er than what would be expected had prices re- mained higher. Oil sands producƟon is forecast to grow by 800,000 barrels per day by 2020, a level that will keep Canada among the largest sources of growth in global oil supply throughout that period. Canada will remain the third largest source of supply growth in the world, a posi- Ɵon it has held since 2005. CompeƟƟve pressures, such as project costs, Ɵming of non-rail transportaƟon to new markets, and shiŌing fiscal terms in Alberta (from higher corporate taxes, carbon prices and potenƟal increases in royalƟes) will help shape the longer-term growth of the Canadian oil sands. MCanadian Mining Magazine 35 Saskatchewan News WatchYancoal Canada’s new potash mine Yancoal Canada Resources held a public meeƟng to introduce the proposed potash mine near Earl Grey, Sask. to local residents. The facility would mine 2.8-million tonnes per year using the soluƟon method. This is when wells, instead of tradiƟonal extracƟon using underground mine shaŌs, are used to bring the mineral to the surface. The mine would employ 2,000 people during the construcƟon phase and 350 aŌer construcƟon to run the mine. ExploraƟon, environmental assessment, a scoping study and a prefeasibility study have been completed. If the mine is approved, Yancoal would begin construcƟon in mid-2016, anƟcipaƟng producƟon to begin in 2020 with a mine life of 65 years. Approval for Brabant Zinc expansion Murchison Minerals Limited announced on July 7, 2015 that its applicaƟon for addi- Ɵonal mineral claims covering a combined area of approximately 940 hectares has been approved by the Mineral AdministraƟon Registry of Saskatchewan. These addiƟonal claims are located east and adjacent to Murchison’s 3,212 hectare Brabant High-Grade Zinc project, which to- gether cover a total area of 4,152 hectares. The addiƟonal claims were staked to cov- er EM conductor trends idenƟfied from the 2011 VTEM survey, but located outside the previous boundary of the Brabant property and therefore considered prospecƟve for zinc-copper sulphide mineralizaƟon. The project hosts one of the highest grades undeveloped zinc deposits in Canada. Current mineral resources at the Brabant Mackenzie deposit are 1.475 metric tonne grading 9.18 per cent zinc, 0.79 per cent cop- per, 0.23 per cent lead, 32.6 grams per tonne silver and 0.15 grams per tonne gold in In- dicated Resources and 2.975 metric tonne grading 5.55 per cent zinc, 0.55 per cent cop- per, 0.13 per cent lead, 13.9 grams per tonne silver, 0.10 grams per tonne gold in Inferred Resources. A combinaƟon of airborne and down-hole EM survey results suggest that the deposit, which extends over nearly 1,000 metres, re- mains open in all direcƟons. The Brabant project is located close to major infrastructure, including all-season road and grid power, 175 kilometres north of La Ronge, Sask. The Brabant-McKenzie de- posit is covered by a mining lease and is only 46 kilometres from an idled mineral process- ing mill. Canpotex to purchase 700 new railcars On June 18, 2015, Canpotex selected Na- Ɵonal Steel Car of Hamilton to manufacture 700 new railcars specially designed to trans- port Saskatchewan potash to coastal ports. Canpotex’s investment in these railcars is valued at $70 million. Since 1999, Canpo- tex has invested more than $500 million to build more than 7,000 railcars with NaƟon- al Steel Car. “Canpotex’s success is due in part to our 43-year reputaƟon as a reliable supplier of potash,” says Steve Dechka, Canpotex pres- ident and CEO. “The quality and innovaƟve design of the railcars from NaƟonal Steel Car will ensure we conƟnue to reliably deliver the potash our global customers need, when they need it.” Canpotex currently ships in excess of 10 million tonnes per year, represenƟng approx- imately $3 billion in annual exports. Once in service, Canpotex’s railcars will transport pot- ash from Saskatchewan to Canpotex port fa- ciliƟes in Canada and the United States, to meet the needs of Canpotex’s customers in 36 global markets. Assay results at Arrow Arrow in Athabasca Basin NexGen Energy Limited reported on June 15, 2015 assay results for angled hole AR-15- 44b from the successful winter 2015 program at the Arrow zone on its Rook I property in the Athabasca Basin. AR-15-44b has delivered one of the fin- est uranium mineralized intersecƟons ever drilled in the Athabasca Basin and is the most conƟnuously mineralized intersecƟon of any hole drilled at the Arrow zone to date. The Arrow zone is currently 515 metres by 215 metres with the verƟcal extent of miner- alizaƟon commencing from 100 metres and extending down to 920 metres, and is open in all direcƟons. “AR-15-44b represents a landmark hole and places Arrow into an exclusive class of uranium discoveries on the global stage,” says Leigh Curyer, CEO. “IntersecƟng extensive and high-grade mineralizaƟon of this magnitude on the south western edge of the current known mineralized zone at Arrow has opened up the potenƟal size and scale of the project to a whole new level.” Exceptional safety at McArthur River On May 12, 2015, Cameco was recog- nized for outstanding safety performance by the Canadian InsƟtute of Mining, Metallur- gy and Petroleum (CIM) for the second con- secuƟve year. CIM’s prestigious John T. Ryan Nation- al Safety Trophy for the best safety perfor- mance in the metal mine category in 2014 was presented to Cameco’s McArthur Riv- er mine. McArthur River has worked 4.7 million man-hours without a lost-time injury. This is the fourth Ɵme McArthur River has won the naƟonal John T. Ryan award. The others were in 2000, 2009 and 2013. The injury rate among contractors work- ing at Cameco faciliƟes also declined in 2014. Fires interrupt mining in Saskatchewan Hundreds of wildfires throughout north- ern Saskatchewan have had a huge impact on the mining industry in the region. At Seabee gold mine, operaƟons had to be stalled and most of the 355 employees evacuated when a fire came within eight ki- lometres of the mine. Shipping of uranium has been halted at Cameco’s and Areva’s northern operaƟons because smoke and flames has made trans- portaƟon difficult. Geƫng supplies to north- ern mines has been interrupted by fire and smoke, as well. While most mines are in operaƟon, many employees are unable to go into work, hav- ing instead to deal with evacuaƟng or pro- tecƟng their home communiƟes. Mining companies are helping, being flexible for workers and even providing gen- erators to communiƟes who have lost their power lines to fire. M36 Summer 2015 / www.canadianminingmagazine.com Manitoba News Watch Drilling Near Lake Maguire commences CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. reported on June 17, 2015, that Northern Uranium has commenced its summer drill program at Maguire Lake, in Manitoba, using two large core drills. One drill is tesƟng the extension of the newly discovered 100-metre wide by 300-metre strike length hydrothermal alter- aƟon zone beneath Maguire Lake. This zone is open both along strike and to depth and is characterized by intense clay alteraƟon with elevated uranium values as determined by down hole gamma probing. Unconformity style uranium mineraliza- Ɵon within the Athabasca Basin is associat- ed with these hydrothermal alteraƟon zones. The second drill is targeƟng another gravity low with a sympatheƟc resisƟvity low and RadonEx radon-in-water anomaly adjacent to the shore of the lake. CanAlaska Uranium has granted to a con- sultant an incenƟve stock opƟon to acquire up to 50,000 common shares in the capital of the company at a price of $0.175 for a two-year period. HudBay announces collective agreement On June 1, 2015, HudBay Minerals Inc. announced that new three-year collecƟve agreements had been raƟfied by the mem- bers of United Steelworkers Local 7106 and USW Local 9338. Combined, these two unions repre- sent approximately 67 per cent of Hud- Bay’s 1,090 unionized employees at its Manitoba operaƟons. USW Local 7106 represents producƟon workers at the Manitoba operaƟons and USW Local 9338 represents office and tech- nical workers. NegoƟaƟons are ongoing with four oth- er unions and producƟon conƟnues at Hud- Bay’s Manitoba operaƟons. From the Inter- naƟonal AssociaƟon of Machinists and Aero- space Workers, Local No. 1848, 180 mem- bers have been on strike since May 2, 2015. Wildcat Exploration acquires gold properties Wildcat ExploraƟon Ltd. announced on May 12, 2015, that it entered into non-binding leƩers of intent with property owners to ac- quire gold properƟes in the Flin Flon and Snow Lake mining area of Manitoba. ConsideraƟon for the gold properƟes will be in the form of a note, secured by the gold properƟes. Following compleƟon of the planned transacƟons, Wildcat’s working interests will be 100 per cent on the properƟes, sub- ject to certain carried and royalty interests on specific claims. Vale Manitoba’s community engagement For their innovaƟve projects that raise the bar for corporate responsibility in the Cana- dian mining sector, Vale, Dominion Diamond CorporaƟon and Diavik Diamond Mine Inc. were recognized with the 2015 Towards Sus- tainable Mining Awards on May 12, 2015. The award was presented at the Canadi- an InsƟtute of Mining, Metallurgy and Pe- troleum Awards Gala in Montreal. In November 2010, Vale’s Manitoba Op- eraƟons in Thompson announced it would scale back operaƟons to mining and milling only by 2015. Recognizing the importance of mining to the region’s economy, Vale immediately set to work to miƟgate possible communi- ty risks of the parƟal decommissioning proj- ect—a full five years before it would occur. In 2011, Vale engaged and fully fund- ed rePlan, co-launching a mulƟ-stakehold- er group, the Thompson Economic Diversifi- caƟon Working Group (TEDWG), that would work collaboraƟvely on acƟon plans to spur economic development and diversificaƟon in the region. The TEDWG involved stakeholders, in- cluding representaƟves from Vale, KeewaƟn Tribal Council, Manitoba KeewaƟnowi Oki- makanak, Nisichawayasihk Cree NaƟon and the Manitoba MéƟs FederaƟon. They were united in one common pur- pose: to accelerate Thompson’s develop- ment as a regional service centre for North- ern Manitoba, with mining as a strong eco- nomic pillar. PrioriƟes were determined through community engagement and included hous- ing, educaƟon and training, regional idenƟ- ty and tourism, economic development, and infrastructure. Over two-and-a-half years, their work re- sulted in the development of socio-econom- ic acƟon plans and a regulatory framework being implemented, as well as enduring re- laƟonships between community groups. Vale’s total investment in the TEDWG was over $2 million and the process has been widely celebrated as best pracƟce. In fact, the “TEDWG way” has become a common phrase in Thompson for how to bring people together to create posi- Ɵve socio-economic change and the mod- el is currently being applied elsewhere in Manitoba. MCanadian Mining Magazine 37 News WatchHigh-grade gold results from Red Lake On July 13, 2015, Premier Gold Mines Limited gave an update of ongoing under- ground drilling at the Rahill-Bonanza joint venture project in the Red Lake gold mining district of northwestern Ontario. Rahill-Bonanza is being explored with partner and operator Red Lake Gold Mines Limited, an affiliate of Goldcorp Inc. The drill program conƟnues to expand high-grade gold mineralizaƟon in a recently discovered fold structure (Fold Target) located immedi- ately south of the tram and along the Red Lake Gold Mine Trend. Drilling in the Fold Target conƟnues to intersect favourable veining, alteraƟon and mineralizaƟon (including arsenopyrite and visible gold) associated with a folded ultra- mafic rock unit. New intercepts include assays of 5.2 grams per tonne gold across 7.6 metres (or 0.15 ounce per tonne across 25 feet) in hole D36997, 7.9 grams per tonne gold across 4.4 metres (0.23 ounce per tonne across 14.6 feet) in hole D36999. Step-out drilling to the east of the prima- ry area conƟnues to demonstrate expansion potenƟal with visible gold having been in- tersected (assays pending) in hole D361000 and mulƟple zones of arsenopyrite mineral- izaƟon in hole D361001. Bradshaw Gold deposit permitting process Gowest Gold Limited announced the Clo- sure Plan for Advanced ExploraƟon - Brad- shaw Deposit permit applicaƟon was ac- cepted for public consultaƟon by the Ontar- io Ministry of Northern Development and Mines on June 25, 2015. It provides details of the plan for advanced exploraƟon of the Bradshaw Gold Deposit and for closing the mine and reclaiming the land. The next phase includes a public consul- taƟon period, during which various commu- niƟes who may be impacted can comment on and propose amendments to the plan. This is one of several permit applicaƟons required before Gowest can advance toward producƟon. Red Pine earns interest in Wawa Gold Red Pine ExploraƟon Inc. announced on June 30, 2015 that condiƟons were met to earn a 30 per cent interest in the Wawa Gold project located in McMurray Township adja- cent to Wawa, Ont. Technical staff has been mobilized to ref- erence the high-grade gold mineralizaƟon historically idenƟfied at the Surluga, Parkhill, Van Sickle, Darwin and Minto/Sunrise Mines in order to beƩer define the aƩributes of the gold bearing structures. Red Pine expects to spend the balance of necessary expenditures to fully saƟsfy the terms of the opƟon agreement before the end of August 2015. Inferred resource highlights include im- proved inferred resource at the Surluga De- posit with a 14.7 per cent increase in gold grade and a 1.5 per cent increase in gold con- tent contained within less tonnes of ore. Pit-constrained inferred resources were 676,000 ounces at 2.05 grams per tonne gold and outside pit-constrained inferred resourc- es were 298,000 at 1.07 grams per tonne gold for all gold zones located between the surface and 300 metres verƟcal depth (us- ing a 0.4 grams per tonne gold cut-off grade). The Surluga deposit contains discrete zones of higher-grade gold mineralizaƟon that have a strong control on the spaƟal dis- tribuƟon of the gold. The Ronacher McKenzie-SRK report states, “There is gold mineralizaƟon in the hanging wall and footwall secondary struc- tures, but its geometry remains poorly constrained.” This indicates that the contained gold of the pit-constrained resource can be in- creased by defining (drilling and logging of historic core) the gold zones in the hanging wall and footwall of the Surluga Deposit. This can significantly improve the current Surluga resource and its economic potenƟal. Rubicon announces first gold at Phoenix On June 24, 2015, Rubicon Minerals Cor- poraƟon announced that the Phoenix Gold Project had successfully poured its first gold of approximately 741 ounces. “This first pouring of gold is a signifi- cant milestone for Rubicon,” says Michael Lalonde, president and CEO of Rubicon. “We would like to thank the Rubicon team for their dedicated effort in reach- ing this milestone. We would also like to thank our investors and stakeholders for their conƟnued support, as we steward the project towards projected commercial producƟon.” The construcƟon of the mill is now com- plete. The commissioning of the mill circuit conƟnues with the processing of low-grade mineralized material. The commissioning phase was complet- ed in early July. The iniƟal 8,023 metres of planned underground development was completed in early June. Rubicon plans to begin stoping on the 244- and 305-metre levels, following the comple- Ɵon of the commissioning phase, with its main objecƟve being to opƟmize the stoping meth- od and establish best stoping pracƟces in a controlled environment before increasing ton- nage towards permiƩed capacity. The informaƟon gathered from the iniƟal stopes will allow the company to beƩer de- sign and sequence future stopes. Noront moves forward in Ring of Fire On June 22, 2015, Noront Resources Lim- ited received a noƟce of approval from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Cli- mate Change on the terms of reference for its Eagle’s Nest nickel-copper-plaƟnum-pal- ladium project. This allowed the company to move for- ward on the environmental assessment pro- cess for what is expected to be the first mine in the Ring of Fire. Noront has been collecƟng baseline en- vironmental data on its Eagle’s Nest mine, evaluaƟng impacts and developing miƟga- Ɵon strategies for three years with a draŌ environmental impact study/environmental assessment report being completed and cir- culated for comment in December 2013. Going forward, the addiƟonal work de- fined by the terms of reference amend- ments will be integrated into Noront’s exist- ing documentaƟon to saƟsfy both the feder- al and provincial environmental assessment requirements. Upon compleƟon of the environmental assessments, Noront will proceed with the acquisiƟon of all regulatory permits and ap- provals to begin access road and mine site construcƟon acƟviƟes. M38 Summer 2015 / www.canadianminingmagazine.com Quebec News Watch Goldcorp Inc. inaugurates Éléonore Mine The Éléonore mine, located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory in northern Que- bec, was officially inaugurated by Goldcorp Inc. on July 31, 2015. In 2011, Goldcorp signed the Opi- nagow Collaboration Agreement with the Cree Nation of Wemindji, the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) and the Cree Regional Authority, setting the framework for the mine’s development based on genuine partnership, collabora- tion and respect. ConstrucƟon acƟviƟes took place be- tween 2011 and 2014. Goldcorp invested ap- proximately US$2 billion throughout the con- strucƟon phase, creaƟng over 2,000 direct jobs. Approximately 1,000 people are expect- ed to be directly employed by Éléonore dur- ing ongoing operaƟons. In addiƟon to its state of the art complex, Goldcorp invested approximately $US130- million in public infrastructure, including the construcƟon of access roads, power lines, an airport and telecommunicaƟon capabiliƟes that will serve local communiƟes and other mining exploraƟon acƟviƟes. Ore is extracted using high-tech equip- ment and processes designed to maximize gold recovery. InnovaƟve pracƟces are being used to ensure a small ecological footprint and posiƟon Goldcorp as a leader in sustain- able mining in Quebec. Upon ramp-up to full capacity in the first half of 2018, Éléonore is expected to pro- duce between 500,000 and 600,000 ounces of gold per year. Yorbeau releases report on Scott Lake On July 9, 2015, Yorbeau Resources Inc. reported exciƟng developments at its ScoƩ Lake project in Quebec. The third hole, which represents a step- out of 67 metres from SC-53W4, was found to have intersected massive sulphides and confirmed the discovery of a new massive sulphide lens outside of the current mineral resources on a new horizon situated 60 me- tres to the south of CFO lens. This new lens is located between the West Lens and the deeper CFO Lens where there is an important undrilled gap. Three holes drilled so far have led the company to believe that this well-located new lens could significantly increase tonnage and have posi- Ɵve impact on the project’s economics. At this Ɵme, the mineralized zone remains open in at least three direcƟons. Follow-up drilling on will focus to extend this new lens. This confirms that addiƟonal massive sul- phide lenses may be located on the property. Crowd-sourcing gold rush On June 23, 2015, Integra Gold Corpo- raƟon kick-started its own gold rush and is giving the term “data mining” a whole new meaning with the launch of its Integra Gold Rush Challenge. It hopes the crowd-sourcing will lead it to the next big gold discovery at its Sigma-Lamaque gold property in Val-d’Or, Que. In October 2014, Integra completed the acquisiƟon of the Sigma/Lamaque Mine and Mill complex adjacent to its Lamaque South project and became the owner of six tera- bytes of historical mining and exploraƟon data in a digital format. It spent six months compiling informaƟon daƟng back to 1933, which, once completed, it will release to the public in one consolidat- ed database. Integra says that, to its knowl- edge, no mining company has released such a large amount of proprietary informaƟon to the public before. Online prospectors will be able to ana- lyze and interpret the data to come up with a plan on where they think Integra has the best chance of making a major gold discov- ery. Further details on what specific types of submissions the company is looking for will be announced in the coming months, prior to the database being made public in September. The million-dollar prize, broken into a number of categories, will be awarded to whoever comes up with what the company and the compeƟƟon’s board of advisors be- lieve is the highest probability locaƟon for a major gold discovery. Integra has already made significant headway in raising the award money through sponsorships and plans to announce the win- ners next March in Toronto at the PDAC min- ing conference. Mason Graphite selected processing plant site Mason Graphite Inc. announced on June 18, 2015 that it has selected the site for its proposed graphite processing plant, there- by achieving an important milestone in the development of its Lac Guéret graphite proj- ect located 300 kilometres north of Baie-Co- meau, Que. Mason Graphite chose the Jean-Noel Tes- sier Industrial Park in Baie-Comeau for the locaƟon of the proposed processing plant, which is esƟmated to provide 50,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate per year. The site is governed by a memorandum of understanding raƟfied with Baie-Comeau De- velopment CorporaƟon and the City of Baie- Comeau, which will provide Mason Graph- ite, among other benefits, a declining prop- erty tax credit over five years and a commit- ment of the city to conduct the work neces- sary to allow the plant to connect to the city’s infrastructure. The site infrastructure is expected to include a processing plant, maintenance buildings, offices and a tailings pond. Man- agement esƟmates that operaƟons at the plant will require approximately 70 people, in addiƟon to approximately 10 posiƟons needed at the extracƟon site. ConstrucƟon of the faciliƟes is expected to take place in 2016. Arianne co-operation agreement Arianne Phosphate, along with the First NaƟons Innu from Pessamit, Essipit and Mashteuiatsh, announced on June 12, 2015 that it has completed the signing of a co-op- eraƟon agreement for the exploraƟon phase and pre-construcƟon of its Lac à Paul Phos- phate Rock Project, located about 200 kilo- metres north of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region in Quebec. “We are glad of the support expressed by First NaƟons to our apaƟte mine project,” says Pierre Fitzgibbon, chairman of the board of Arianne. “With this agreement, we will be beƩer able to benefit all stakeholders while taking account of the Innu communiƟes.” Arianne conƟnues to evolve the Lac à Paul project by opƟmizing the mine plan and reducing costs of producƟon of apaƟte concentrate. The BAPE process conƟnues and discus- sions with the provincial government are progressing well for the eventual granƟng of the mining operaƟng license. MCanadian Mining Magazine 39 Atlantic Canada News WatchCaribou Zinc Mine update commissioning update On July 7, 2015, Trevali Mining Corpora- Ɵon provided a mine and mill commission- ing update for its Caribou Zinc Mine in the Bathurst Mining Camp of northern New Brunswick. The company reported that sig- nificant progress has been achieved since late-May. Underground mining conƟnues to prog- ress, resulƟng in a significant coarse mill- feed stockpile of approximately 110,000 tonnes of mineralized material readily avail- able for ongoing mill commissioning. Under- ground dewatering and refurbishment are on schedule to be completed in August and October, respecƟvely. All mill circuits are integrated and func- Ɵonal with a June end-of-month availability factor of approximately 94 per cent at an ap- proximate daily throughput of 1,500 tonnes per day. Mill throughput will conƟnue to ramp up throughout the summer months. Commissioning iniƟally focused on the zinc circuit where saleable-quality zinc con- centrates have been successfully produced, grading approximately 53 to 56 per cent zinc. The commissioning team is now concen- traƟng on the lead circuit, where lead has been successfully floated to produce an ini- Ɵal lead concentrate and ongoing copper circuit installaƟon. “Commissioning at our Caribou Zinc Mine conƟnues to progress well as we’ve been systemaƟcally bringing the various milling, grinding and flotaƟon recovery cir- cuits online,” says Dr. Mark Cruise, Trevali’s president and CEO. “While it is sƟll early in the commis- sioning process and lots of work remains, we have made an excellent start. The Car- ibou team conƟnues to do an excepƟon- al job, having achieved within a one-year period both mining and milling opera- Ɵons and commencing iniƟal concentrate producƟon.” Massive sulphide drill intercepts On June 17, 2015, Puma ExploraƟon re- leased the results of its iniƟal 2015 drill pro- gram at its Turgeon Copper-Zinc VMS proj- ect in New Brunswick. The drill program, targeƟng the newly discovered Dragon Zone, successfully con- firmed the existence of a third major VMS system at Turgeon which doubles the vol- ume of the previously known sulphide min- eralizaƟon envelope. The four holes of the most recently com- pleted program encountered mulƟple mas- sive sulphide drill intercepts up to 13 meters wide. These massive sulphide intercepts, av- eraging five meters of core length, are com- posed of variable amounts of pyrite, chalco- pyrite and sphalerite. Also, the typical higher-grade copper- zinc stockwork zones that were intersect- ed are located within a larger copper-zinc mineralized halo intercept exceeding 100 meters. Puma also achieved another milestone with the discovery of this new ferƟle syn- volcanic fault that is interpreted to be the source of mineralizaƟon with higher-grade zones of 6.1 per cent zinc equivalent over 4.1 meters and 5.8 per cent zinc equivalent over four meters. Three new holes within the high-grade zone confirms the existence, and increases the size of the higher-grade mineralizaƟon previously encountered in the discovery drill hole FT14-05 (6.8 per cent zinc equiva- lent over 6.8 metres) with 6.1 per cent zinc equivalent over 4.1 meters (FT15-04) and 5.8 per cent zinc equivalent over 4.0 meters (FT15-03). The persistent alteraƟon and mineraliza- Ɵon halo indicates the presence of a major hydrothermal system with 0.8 per cent zinc equivalent over 112.5 metres (FT15-01), 0.8 per cent zinc equivalent over 116.5 metres (FT15-03) and 2.4 per cent zinc equivalent over 23.1 metres (FT15-04). A newly discovered, significant copper stockwork mineralizaƟon zone indicates the presence of an enƟrely new VMS system in the Dragon Zone area with 2.2 per cent copper over 2.1 metres (FT15-01) and 1.2 per cent copper over 2.4 metres (FT15-03). Marathon releases report on Valentine Lake project Marathon Gold CorporaƟon announced on June 15, 2015 that it has made the regu- latory filing of the report Ɵtled Technical Re- port and Resource EsƟmate on the Valen- Ɵne Lake Project. “The growing resource total at the Valen- Ɵne Gold Camp confirms our belief that we have just scratched the surface of this prop- erty’s potenƟal,” says Phillip Walford, presi- dent and CEO of Marathon. “The new Marathon deposit was discov- ered in the fall of 2014. Just seven months aŌer the start of prospecƟng, we have been able to quanƟfy a resource on a high-grade, potenƟally low-cost, open-pit deposit.” ProspecƟng and trenching is present- ly underway in the vicinity of the Marathon Deposit to idenƟfy addiƟonal mineralizaƟon along strike and in potenƟal parallel zones. The overall measured and indicated re- source for the ValenƟne Gold Camp has in- creased by 30 per cent from 816,000 ounc- es gold at a grade of 2.24 grams per tonne to 1,060,000 ounces gold at a grade of 2.2 grams per tonne. The overall inferred resource for the Val- enƟne Gold Camp has increased by 34 per cent to 200,000 ounces gold at a grade of 2.83 grams per tonne gold. MNext >