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Canada Mining – North of 60

Obituary: Diamond hunter Chris Jennings played a key role in finding Diavik deposit in Northwest Territories – by Matthew Hart (Globe and Mail – December 12, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

On Nov. 12, 1991, the Australian minerals giant BHP issued a spare, eight-sentence press release that dropped like a bomb on Canadian mining. At a tiny lake 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, the company and its Canadian partners had discovered microdiamonds.

Canada would become a major diamond producer, but at the time the news stunned the mining community. Diamonds in the Arctic? A group of men and women who had spent their lives ransacking Canada for minerals gathered for a late-night meeting in Toronto as they tried to understand the news.

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Mining continues to power Nunavut’s economy – by Darrell Greer (Nunavut News – November 29, 2024)

https://www.nunavutnews.com/

Rapid industry expansion has led to the territory being first in Canada in economic growth

Mining continues to play a pivotal role in Nunavut’s economy and that isn’t about to change anytime soon, according to Annie Cyr-Parent, director of minerals and petroleum resources for Nunavut’s Department of Economic Development and Transportation.

Cyr-Parent said a mixed economy is characterized by relatively large mining and public sectors, while other industries hold great potential for growth, such as fisheries, the arts and tourism.

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Regulatory ‘overkill’ a barrier to new mines, CEO says – by Devon Tredinnick (NNSL.com – November 2024)

https://www.nnsl.com/

There’s plenty more gold buried near Yellowknife — whether any of it gets mined is still up in the air

Regulatory “overkill” surrounding mine remediation can guarantee two things: a mine is absolutely going to get remediated and, in the last few decades, no new gold mines have come on stream in the NWT, pointed out Dave Webb, president and CEO of 60 North Gold Mining.

And that’s despite gold climbing to more than $2,750 an ounce recently and Yellowknife having a long history of producing the precious metal.

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Opinion: The future of mining in Canada depends on Northern infrastructure investment – by Richard Burguess (i-Politics – November 19, 2024)

https://www.ipolitics.ca/

In an era of increasing demand for critical minerals and clean energy, strategic investments in northern infrastructure will be essential for securing Canada’s position as a global leader in sustainable mining.

Mining is set to play a pivotal role in Canada’s economic future. As outlined in the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) and the Critical Minerals Strategy, the sector is key to building a low-carbon economy. But, without significant investment in northern infrastructure — especially in energy — Canada’s mining potential will remain untapped, putting the country at risk of stagnation in a sector critical to both our economy and climate goals.

Several projects are aimed at addressing the North’s energy challenges, but none are as advanced as the Atlin Hydro Expansion Project (Atlin). As the government prioritizes reducing carbon emissions, fostering Indigenous participation in the resource sector, and ensuring Canada’s mining industry remains globally competitive, Atlin represents the type of solutions we must pursue.

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FPX outlines Baptiste-like nickel in Yukon – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – November 14, 2024)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Surface sampling outlines a zone of awaruite mineralization that is comparable in size and grade to B.C. nickel mine project.

FPX Nickel Corp. Nov. 14 reported that its summer sampling program at its Mich property in the Yukon has outlined a nickel zone that is comparable in size, grade, and style of mineralization as Baptiste, an advance-staged exploration project in central British Columbia that shows the potential of being a significant future supply of low-carbon nickel and cobalt, both of which are used in lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles and storing renewable energy.

Baptiste has the distinction and advantage of hosting a specialized nickel mineral known as awaruite, which is a nickel-iron alloy formed when sulfur is not present during mineralization. Nickel concentrates produced from mining awaruite do not require smelting or high-pressure acid leaching.

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B2Gold hits bonanza gold at Goose; eyes extended mine life in Nunavut – by Henry Lazenby (Northern Miner – November 14, 2024)

https://www.northernminer.com/

Drill results from B2Gold’s (TSX: BTO; NYSE: BTG) Goose project in Nunavut, which is under construction and expected to yield first gold next year, may point to a longer mine life and bigger resource base, the company said Wednesday.

Drill hole 24GSE-683Z1 at the Nuvuyak deposit at Goose cut 28.8 metres at 6.39 grams gold per tonne from 982.2 metres. It had a higher-grade interval of 23.49 grams gold over 6.5 metres from 1,005 metres depth. This extends high-grade mineralization by 150 metres to the north-northwest.

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GDP drop in N.W.T. last year shows territory’s economy ‘stagnating,’ researcher says – by Nadeer Hashmi (CBC News North – November 14, 2024)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/

N.W.T. was 1 of 2 jurisdictions in Canada to see its Gross Domestic Product drop between 2022 and 2023

New economic data from Statistics Canada show that the N.W.T.’s economy is “stagnating,” according to one Yellowknife economist.

And Graeme Clinton, owner of the research firm Impact Economics, says it’s not a big surprise, as the territory’s diamond mines are past their peak production and are preparing for closures. “There’s not a lot of activity coming in behind them, such that we can expect significant growth going forward,” Clinton said.

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Pine Point Mine Ltd. and Town of Hay River sign agreement in hopes of restarting mining project – by Carla Ulrich (CBC News North – November 7, 2024)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/

Pine Point mining project is located about 90 kilometres from Hay River, N.W.T.

The Town of Hay River and Pine Point Mining Limited have signed an agreement with the goal of ensuring that residents and businesses will benefit from future mining operations in the area. Mayor Kandis Jameson and Jeff Hussey, the CEO of Pine Point Mining Limited signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday.

The Pine Point lead and zinc mining project is located about 90 kilometres from Hay River. There hasn’t been an operational mine at Pine Point in almost four decades, when the former mine and neighbouring community closed down and were abandoned.

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The transition to closure: The Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories is approaching closure in early 2026, but Rio Tinto aims to leave a positive legacy – by Ailbhe Goodbody (CIM Magazine – October 28, 2024)

https://magazine.cim.org/en/

Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories is set to close in approximately 18 months after almost a quarter of a century of operations. Over 144 million carats of rough diamonds have been recovered at Diavik through a combination of open-pit and underground mining since it entered commercial production in 2003, and the mine is a major contributor to the economy of the Northwest Territories, accounting for more than 10 per cent of the territory’s gross domestic product.

The current mine plan anticipates that operations will cease in the first quarter of 2026, followed by a transition to closure activities from 2026 to 2029. However, the mine was designed with closure in mind from the outset, and Rio Tinto hopes to leave a lasting beneficial impact in the region after its closure activities end in 2029, while limiting its carbon footprint at the same time.

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Times of ‘Wild West’ in mining are over: Agnico Eagle – by Arty Sarkisian (Nunatsiaq News – October 28, 2024)

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People remain suspicious of resource extraction even though more regulations are in place, says company director

Many Nunavummiut have misconceptions about mining, says Pujjuut Kusugak. Kusugak is the director of Nunavut affairs for Agnico Eagle, which operates multiple gold mines in Nunavut. “People still remember how mines used to operate — Wild West do whatever you want, no safety concerns,” he said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News at the Agnico Eagle office in Rankin Inlet.

People assume that the company still “does whatever it wants,” he added, but today Nunavut has some of the strictest regulations that protect the environment using both territorial and federal laws. Meliadine mine would have been “shut down” very quickly if it was operating the same way mines used to operate, Kusugak said.

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Why this town in the Northwest Territories was called the ‘Village of Widows’ – by Nina Dragicevic (CBC Docs – October 25, 2024)

https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/

The discovery of a rare rock amidst the tundra of Canada’s Far North nearly 100 years ago set in motion one of mankind’s most destructive legacies: Decades of mining, workers getting sick and, finally, a pair of atomic bombs that killed tens of thousands of civilians in an instant — and changed the world forever.

As author and professor Peter van Wyck says in the documentary Atomic Reaction: “This is a piece of Canadian history that doesn’t get talked about much.” It all started near Délı̨nę, a community on Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories, where the Sahtu Dene people have lived for thousands of years. Originally a nomadic people, they started settling more firmly at Délı̨nę in the 1940s.

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Meliadine gold mine: The ‘largest hotel’ in Nunavut – by Arty Sarkisian (Nunatsiaq News – October 21, 2024)

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Mine has more employees than the population of many Nunavut hamlets

Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine gold mine has approximately 1,500 employees. That’s about half the size of the population of nearby Rankin Inlet and slightly more than Clyde River. But only about 700 people live and work on the site at all times, which is still more than the populations of Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay and Chesterfield Inlet put together.

The mine’s employees live side by side in what they call the “biggest hotel in Nunavut” and their collective efforts produce about one gold brick a day that is roughly the size of a loaf of bread.

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Baffinland cuts 10% of workforce to focus on Steensby rail – by Samuel Wat (CBC News North – October 19, 2024)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/

Mining company will reduce amount of iron ore shipments out of Milne Inlet

Baffinland Iron Mines is laying off 10 per cent of its workforce in Nunavut due to weak iron ore prices. Senior adviser Paul Quassa said the company is diverting its resources to the $5.7-billion railroad from the Mary River Mine south to Steensby Inlet.

“We would be rationalizing our equipment and supplies… and reducing the number of permit fronts to concentrate folks on the Steensby authorization,” he said.

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N.W.T.’s new net-zero climate target necessary for its mining future says MLA – by Liny Lamberink (CBC News North – October 19, 2024)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/

MLA Shauna Morgan says bringing in renewable diesel will make the N.W.T. more attractive

The MLA for Yellowknife North says the government’s new commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 is “exciting,” and something that will need to be taken seriously if the territory wants mining to be part of its future.

Shauna Morgan pointed out in the Legislative Assembly on Friday that De Beers and Rio Tinto have both already made commitments to making their mining operations around the world net-zero.

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Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine mine close to extracting 2M ounces of gold – by Arty Sarkisian (Nunatsiaq News – October 16, 2024)

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Milestone expected to be reached in November; Nunatsiaq News takes tour to learn how ore is transformed

Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine gold mine is nearing a milestone. In November, the company projects the mine located near Rankin Inlet will have produced two million ounces of gold, said Pujjuut Kusugak, director of Nunavut affairs for Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.

Two million ounces is just under 57 tonnes — or perhaps a more appropriate measurement for such occasions, approximately 28.5 small elephants. Nunatsiaq News was given a tour Oct. 2 of the above-ground part of Meliadine mine to learn how rock gets blasted, excavated, crushed and transformed via chemical reaction into such an enormous amount of gold.

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