Chief has concerns with gold project – by Chris Ribau (Timmins Daily Press – November 15, 2011)

Location of Sold Gold Resources discovery sparks questions from First Nation

The Wahgoshig First Nation has expressed concerns over a exploration project close to the borders of their community. It’s concerns centre on Solid Gold Resource Corporation and their exploration of an area immediately north of the Porcupine Destor Fault zone at Lake Abitibi.

“Our territory covers basically south of Lake Abitibi,” said David Babin, chief of the Wahgoshig First Nation. “Our territory is about 12 miles long and three miles wide. Basically starting from Twin Lakes to three miles east. They’re not in our boundaries, but they’re just outside of them.”

Babin is concerned about keeping the historical significance of the area undisturbed and intact, as well as maintaining their culture and way of life.

“What we want is to make sure they adhere to some of our values within the area,” said Babin. “We have burial sites, artifacts in the area, and members of the community collect medicine for the community from the territory.”

Solid Gold has completed about 1,850 line kilometres of an airborne survey over recently acquired mineral claims in an area near Lake Abitibi. The company has reported significant findings from their survey of the area.

“As we realised the positive results that we got, we decided that we better go and do some more drilling,” said Darryl Stretch, president of Solid Gold Resources Corporation.

Several other companies surround the land packaged claimed by Solid Gold, which has the company confident in the data they’ve collected so far.

“Several other companies are working all around us and they’re having good results too,” said Stretch. “We’re fairly confident that area will heat up anytime soon.

“Solid Gold is still a small exploration company, but that could change with the discoveries made at the south end of Lake Abitibi.”

Despite the positive report by Stretch, Babin went into more detail concerning the project.
“We have enough mines that are up, and basically what we’re saying is that somebody has to come to some sort of basic saying that we’ve had enough with the mines,” said Babin. “We don’t want the mines here at all, unless they come up with an agreement and do a survey, do some archaeological study saying there not interfering with any of our values and history.”

Stretch explained the economic effect that mining has on an area.

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