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Canada Mining – North of 60

Construction at Nunavut’s Meliadine gold mine on schedule, on budget – by Beth Brown (Nunatsiaq News – August 1, 2017)

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

Gold project near Rankin Inlet on track to start production in 2019

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. has reported that work at its Meliadine project, which received construction approval in February from Agnico Eagle’s board, is progressing as planned and is even slightly ahead of schedule.

The mining company operates the Meadowbank mine, which is currently nearing its end of lifespan, near Baker Lake in Nunavut’s Kivalliq region. To replace the exhausted mine, the company is building its long-awaited gold mine at Meliadine near Rankin Inlet and developing a satellite deposit near Meadowbank at a property called Amaruq.

Agnico Eagle included an update for its Meliadine and Amaruq deposits in a July 26 quarterly report, which cites a net income of $61.9 million, or 27 cents per share, for the second quarter of 2017, compared with income of $19 million, or nine cents per share over the same period in 2016.

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In search of the motherlode: Why Yukon is experiencing a 21st century gold rush – by Sunny Freeman (Financial Post – August 2, 2017)

http://business.financialpost.com/

You can find gold in Yukon riverbeds but original deposits have yet to be discovered, adding a mysterious mythology to the territory’s riches

Yukon gold has been legendary since bullion was first discovered in Dawson City in 1896, but a wave of investment from major miners in the past year suggests the territory could be on the brink of a 21st century gold rush.

Companies including Goldcorp Inc., Newmont Mining Corp. and Barrick Gold Corp. have lined up to invest more than US$600 million in the Yukon since 2016 — more than anywhere else in the world. “It’s a modern-day gold rush and, most surprisingly, it’s happening even though the Yukon has yet to host a significant hard rock gold mine,” said Gwen Preston, editor of the Resource Maven newsletter.

“Miners have pulled many millions of ounces from the Yukon’s rivers and gravel beds, but the territory has yet to offer up a large gold deposit that makes it to production.”

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Mines can create Indigenous middle class in Ring of Fire: Opinion – by Stan Sudol (Toronto Star – August 1, 2017)

https://www.thestar.com/

Ontario needs to follow the lead of Nunavut, where Inuit communities have benefitted from successful gold and iron ore mines.

It’s been 10 years since the world-class Ring of Fire mineral district was discovered in the isolated James Bay Lowlands, about 500 kms northeast of Thunder Bay. Not one mine has been built.

During those 10 years, the equally isolated territory of Nunavut has built two gold mines (Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank and TMAC Resources’ Doris) and one iron ore operation (Baffinland’s Mary River).

A fourth gold mine (Agnico Eagle) should be in production in 2019 — and Sabina Gold and Silver Corp. A junior exploration company with a very rich precious metal deposit has just been given continued development approvals by the Nunavut Impact Review Board.

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[Yukon Mining] Junior shakeup in the White Gold District – by Andrew Topf (Mining.com – July 23, 2017)

http://www.mining.com/

The White Gold District in the Canadian Yukon territory is continuing to see movement, this time among junior gold explorers hoping to grab a piece of the action.

Last week Taku Gold (TSXV:TAK) said it has picked up four White Gold properties from Golden Predator Mining (TSXV:GPY), including one from Golden Predator’s subsidiary, Golden Predator Exploration. The four properties are 40 Mile, Korat, Chopin and Lucky Joe.

According to Taku Gold the highlight of the all-share deal is the acquisition of the Lucky Joe prospect, since it butts up against Taku’s Rosebute project to the north. The company adds that it will be able to capitalize on Goldcorp (NYSE:GG, TSX:G) recently building a road to access the Coffee gold project the gold major acquired from Kaminak Gold:

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COMMENT: Dominion Diamond accepts sweetened offer from Washington Companies – by Marilyn Scales (Canadian Mining Journal – July 17, 2017)

http://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

YELLOWKNIFE, NWT – The management of Dominion Diamond Corp. has agreed to accept the sweetened takeover offer of the Washington Companies, the private company based in Missoula, Montana.

In March, Washington offered US$13.50 per share, and the Dominion board turned down the deal. Now offering US$14.25 per share, Washington looks to be the new, sole owner of the Ekati diamond mine (Canada’s first) and 40% of the Diavik diamond mine (operated by 60% owner Rio Tinto). The offer is a 44% premium over the March 17, 2017, share price and puts a value of US$1.2 billion on Dominion.

When that news hit my desk this morning, I thought, “There goes another one.” Readers will remember 10 years ago when Vale bought up Inco and Xstrata (now Glencore) scooped up Noranda/Falconbridge. Most of the writers who marked that anniversary recently thought the change in ownership did little to further Canadian mining or our place in the global minerals industry.

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Game changer: NIRB now says yes to Nunavut’s Back River mine – by Lisa Gregoire (Nunatsiaq News – July 19, 2017)

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

“Sabina’s revised plans now constitute some of the most protective caribou protection measures ever developed for the Arctic”

It turns out that now is a good time to go ahead with Sabina’s Back River gold mine project. After saying “no” to the multi-million dollar Kitikmeot project in June 2016, and being told by a federal minister that “no” was the wrong answer, the Nunavut Impact Review Board “has concluded that the Back River Gold Mine Project Proposal may proceed at this time.”

However, the NIRB says this was not a foregone conclusion.

“For those who may have expressed concern that the Board’s further consideration of the Project would be a ’rubber stamp’ only, and would not lead to any substantive improvements to the Project, the Board notes that the further consideration was conducted with the same care and thoroughness as the original assessment,” the NIRB said in a July 18 news release.

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[Yukon Mining] S-6 failed to offer perfect solutions: Cathers – by Sidney Cohen (Whitehorse Star – May 18, 2017)

http://www.whitehorsestar.com/

In a rare turnabout, the Yukon Party is throwing its support behind Bill C-17, federal legislation that repeals four contentious amendments made to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act (YESAA) by the previous Conservative government through Bill S-6.

“Moving forward with the amendments contained in Bill C 17 is probably the best course of action at this point in time because of the concerns by CYFN (Council of Yukon First Nations) and individual First Nations,” Yukon Party MLA Brad Cathers told the House on Wednesday.

The legislative assembly unanimously voted Wednesday in favour of a motion to support the federal Liberals’ efforts to pass Bill C-17, which is currently before Parliament. YESSA spells out the process for assessing all Yukon lands for development, and is part of the Umbrella Final Agreement between Yukon First Nations, the territory and Canada.

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NEWS RELEASE: SABINA GOLD & SILVER RECEIVES POSITIVE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE NUNAVUT IMPACT REVIEW BOARD FOR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF BACK RIVER GOLD PROJECT, CANADA

Vancouver, BC – Sabina Gold & Silver Corp (SBB.T), (“Sabina” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has received a copy of the Second Final Hearing Report (the “Report”) from the Nunavut Impact Review Board (the “NIRB”). In the report, the NIRB has recommended to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (“INAC”) that development of the Company’s 100%-owned Back River Gold Project (“Back River” or the “Project”) in Nunavut, Canada, should proceed to the licensing phase.

This positive recommendation by NIRB concludes a five year comprehensive NIRB review and public hearing processes involving Inuit, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (“KIA”), Federal and Territorial governments, and community and other Northern representatives. This recommendation follows a direction of the Minister to the NIRB in January 2017 to reconsider the project after an initial negative recommendation from the NIRB in July 2016.

In February this year, a Final Environmental Impact Statement Addendum was submitted to the NIRB focusing on the areas that were identified as outstanding concerns in the First Final Hearing Report. The review of this addendum by all parties culminated in a second final technical and public hearing that took place in Cambridge Bay during May 27th to June 3, 2017.

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YESAB says Goldcorp failed to consult First Nations, halts Coffee mine assessment – by Lori Garrison (Yukon News – July 14, 2017)

‘They just came in and completely failed to read the local landscape’

The Yukon Environmental Socio-Economic Assessment Board has discontinued its assessment of the proposed Coffee gold mine on the grounds that Goldcorp did not adequately consult with the affected First Nations governments.

“Having carefully reviewed the information in Goldcorp’s proposal as well as the comments provided by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Selkirk First Nation, the executive committee is of the opinion that Goldcorp has not met its obligation to consult in relation to those First Nations and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun,” YESAB’s executive committee wrote in its report, issued July 12.

“The only aspect we’re looking at is the consultation record…. They (Goldcorp) are missing pieces of it,” said Rob Yeoman, a spokesperson for YESAB. Goldcorp appears to have tried to rush through the consultation process in an effort to meet what mine general manager Buddy Crill referred to as an “aggressive” March 31 assessment deadline.

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Diamond Hunting In The Arctic [Canada] – by Ludovic Hirtzmann (World Crunch – July 9, 2017)

https://www.worldcrunch.com/

GAHCHO KUÉ MINE — The old Jumbolino, a small, 1980s-model British plane, circles above the pack ice and its multitude of frozen lakes. Aboard, the 90 passengers, all of them miners, are waking up. “Welcome to Gahcho Kué,” the purser chants in a hoarse voice.

Gahcho Kué means “place of the big rabbits” in the indigenous Chipewyan language. But for outsiders, the name is synonymous with diamonds. The Gahcho Kué mine, owned by the De Beers company, is located in Canada’s Northwest Territories, about two-hour by plane from Edmonton, Alberta. It looks a bit like a lunar base, stranded on the tundra, endlessly flat and white.

After they land, the miners make their way onto a pair of school buses. The men are quiet. Later they arrive at the entrance of the camp, which is made of prefabricated huts arranged in parallel lines. A stern young man calls for silence.

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Are the feds ready to buy into the Ring of Fire? – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 7, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Transport minister launches national $2-billion transportation infrastructure fund

It’ll be a wait-and-see proposition if Ottawa is finally ready to invest in mining-related transportation infrastructure for Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire. Federal transport minister Marc Garneau announced some of the details behind the Trade and Transportation Corridors Initiative (TTCI) as part of the government’s “nation-building infrastructure plan” on July 4.

The feds said they’re prepared to spend two billion dollars over 11 years on trade-oriented transportation infrastructure through investments in ports, waterways, airports, roads, bridges, border crossings, and rail networks.Up to $400 million is earmarked to support transportation infrastructure for the movement of people and goods in Canada’s Northern territories under a merit-based program.

Proponents are now being invited to tap into this fund by submitting an expression of interest to support transportation projects. Last March, no mention was made in the federal budget of any kind of investment toward building mining-related infrastructure for the Ring of Fire.

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MAC lauds initiative to improve transportation infrastructure in Northern Canada – by Megan Van Wyngaardt (MiningWeekly.com – July 5, 2017)

http://www.miningweekly.com/

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has welcomed the launch of the federal government’s Trade and Transportation Corridors Initiative (TTCI), which will include an allocation of up to $400-million in dedicated funding for transportation infrastructure in Northern Canada.

The acute lack of infrastructure in Canada’s remote and northern regions is inhibiting further sustainable mineral development owing to the high costs of exploring, building and operating in these regions.

A recent study co-authored by the MAC had found that it cost about two- to two-and-a-half times more to build a gold or base metals mine in northern Canada than in the south, as a result of the lack of infrastructure.

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YUKON – A STAMPEDE OF GOLD HUNTERS – by Eduardo Arcos (Global Business Reports – June 6, 2017)

http://gbreports.com/

ALL OF A SUDDEN MAJORS AND JUNIORS ALIKE ARE SNAPPING UP PROPERTIES IN YUKON.

For decades, Yukon has failed to live up to its mining potential. This territory, roughly as large as Spain, currently hosts only one major operating mine – Capstone’s Minto copper mine. Despite its widely acknowledged mineral wealth, companies have been reluctant to invest heavily in Yukon as they focused on overseas acquisitions during the boom years and cited high operational costs in this territory during the downturn.

However, recent developments suggest that a paradigm change is in the works. Vancouver-based giant Goldcorp acquired Kaminak Gold in July 2016 through a $500 million transaction. Its Coffee Gold project is a high-grade, heap leach project and Goldcorp is currently in the process of reviewing and optimizing Kaminak’s feasibility study along with developing infrastructure.

Another major with an established presence in Yukon is Kinross Gold, which acquired the White Gold property in 2010 with an inferred resource of 400,000 oz at its Golden Saddle zone. Last December, Agnico Eagle announced the acquisition of 19.3% of White Gold Corp, the largest landholder in the prolific White Gold district.

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A CANADIAN DIAMOND PLAY WITH DISCOVERY, DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL – by James Kwantes (Resource Opportunities – June 2017)

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The November 1991 discovery of diamonds in the Northwest Territories by Chuck Fipke and Stu Blusson put Canada on the global diamond map. It also triggered one of the largest staking rushes in the world, as hundreds of companies hurried north to find treasure.

A few years later, many had retreated to warmer climes. One company that remained in the hunt was Gren Thomas’s Aber Resources, with a large land package staked by Thomas and partners at Lac de Gras near the Fipke find. In the spring of 1994, an Aber exploration crew led by Thomas’s geologist daughter, Eira Thomas, raced the spring melt to drill through the ice in search of kimberlite — the rock that sometimes hosts valuable diamonds.

It was a longshot. Since the Fipke find, the great Canadian diamond hunt had virtually ground to a halt — despite the millions of dollars spent in search of the glittery stones. But the drill core from that final spring hole had a two-carat diamond embedded in it. The Diavik discovery meant it was game on for Aber — and Canada’s nascent diamond industry.

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CANADA 150: Yellowknife’s toxic history through the eyes of the Betsina family – by Hilary Bird (CBC News North – June 28, 2017)

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

This story is part of a series from CBC North looking at Canada 150 through the eyes of northern families.

‘The government spoiled our lives,’ says Muriel Betsina. ‘Giant Mine spoiled our lives’

Muriel Betsina’s voice is soft and nurturing as she explains, step by step, how she makes the perfect piece of bannock. But ask her about the old mine site you can see out of her kitchen window in N’Dilo, N.W.T., and her voice drops. Her fists clench.

This tiny Dene elder has a rage that boils deep. “The government spoiled our lives,” says Betsina. “Giant Mine spoiled our lives.”

During more than half a century of mining, 19,000 tonnes of toxic arsenic trioxide dust went up the stacks of smelters at the Giant and Con mines and settled on the once-pristine land and lakes in and around Yellowknife. The gold mining industry began in the late 1930s. Giant Mine closed in 2004, leaving a toxic legacy that has deeply changed the lives of people in N’Dilo.

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