A real world education: Temagami pit reopening for aggregate production – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – June 19, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

A once-dormant Temagami aggregate pit could become a beehive of activity this year. Randy Becker, a member of the Temagami First Nation and the new operator of the Frontenac pit, has ambitious plans to use the property as an active exploration site for base metals, establish an aggregate extraction operation, and utilize the site as a training ground for future Indigenous diamond drilling assistants and heavy equipment operators.

The former municipal pit is located just south from the Town of Temagami and west of Highway 11 at the 12-kilometre mark of the Lake Temagami Access Road. The permit to operate the pit was transferred to one of Becker’s companies, Nimkie Mining Services.

To advance the multi-faceted development, Becker has struck a number of agreements with business partners including Asabanaka Drill Services, a majority First Nation-owned outfit out of Kasabonika Lake First Nation, to assist with the startup of a 10-week diamond driller training course.

Sudbury’s Canadian Driller Training has joined the venture to provide additional safety instruction. Class sizes will be limited to eight trainees with a ratio of students per instructor.

“We have a couple of people signed up for training this summer and are waiting to see about drill availability,” said Becker. Additional interest has come from individuals in central and southern Ontario.

For the rest of this article, click here: https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/aboriginal-businesses/a-real-world-education-647078