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Canada Mining – North of 60

Final hearing on future of Meliadine gold mine begins in Rankin Inlet – by Emma Tranter (CBC News North – September 12, 2023)

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

Agnico Eagle proposes to install wind turbines, extend mine life by 11 years

Meetings on a proposal that could change the future of Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine gold mine get underway in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Tuesday. The Nunavut Impact Review board will host technical meetings and a site visit followed by a community roundtable that will run until Sept. 20.

the Meliadine gold mine lies about 25 kilometres north of Rankin Inlet and 80 kilometres southwest of Chesterfield Inlet. It was first approved in 2015. The proposal now under review would extend the life of the mine by 11 years, until 2043.

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Rio to build Canada’s largest solar farm – by Esmarie Iannucci (Mining Weekly – August 11, 2023)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mining major Rio Tinto has announced plans to build Canada’s largest solar plant at its Diavik diamond mine.

The solar plant will feature over 6 600 solar panels that will generate approximately 4 200 MWh of carbon-free electricity annually for the mine. The solar power plant will provide up to 25% of Diavik’s electricity during closure work that will run until 2029, with commercial production from the operation expected to end in early 2026.

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Yukon gov’t inspectors find violations at Hecla Mining’s Keno Hill project (CBC News North – July 28, 2023)

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

Report from June notes concerns with tailings facilities, water discharge, and hazardous material storage

Yukon mine inspectors found a series of problems at the Hecla Mining Company’s Keno Hill property, according to a recent report. Inspectors raised a number of concerns, including sediment runoff from tailings facilities, poor storage of hazardous materials, hydrocarbon stains on the ground, and discharged water that was toxic to fish.

“When you say are there lots of infractions found, well, I can tell you there’s 11 different pieces of legislation, all kinds of rules that have to be followed, and we do everything we can to help our companies comply with those requirements,” said Will Tewnion who’s with Yukon’s department Energy, Mines and Resources.

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Geology student wins contest, then inks mining deal that might pay millions – by Tom Blackwell (Financial Post – July 27, 2023)

https://financialpost.com/

Winning the NextGen Prospect Challenge was a big deal for Ryan Burke, but within two years he had done much better

Winning the NextGen Prospect Challenge was a big deal in itself for Ryan Burke, a young geologist just out of university in 2020. The unique Dragons’ Den-style contest — held in Toronto at the world’s largest mining conference — had students and recent graduates pitching ideas for greenfield mines to mining CEOs. The winner claimed a $17,000 prize, connections with industry insiders and the chance to further pursue their dream proposal.

But within two years, Burke had done much better. Barely launched on his career, the Whitehorse native inked a deal in 2022 with one of the sponsors of the event to develop what could be a rich deposit of gold, silver and copper he found in the Yukon mountains.

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OPINION: NWT is rich in critical minerals, but its economy faces neglect and inadequacy – by Caroline Cochrane (Globe and Mail – July 27, 2023)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Caroline Cochrane is Premier of the Northwest Territories.

We stand at a critical juncture for the Northwest Territories. Throughout our history, the NWT has thrived on abundant mining activities, boasting a wealth of zinc, gold, diamonds and countless other valuable resources, including oil and gas. We are blessed with a land of immense potential, including being home to 23 of the 31 critical minerals essential for the green economy.

This should be cause for celebration, but instead, we are once again on the outside looking in. The race to supply allied economies with these vital minerals is under way, and unless Canada acts swiftly to invest in transportation corridors, telecommunications infrastructure and cleaner, more affordable energy in the North, the NWT and our people risk being left behind.

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Yukon Gold Miners Just Stumbled Across A Rare Trove Of Hundreds Of Woolly Mammoth Bones – by Kaleena Fraga (All That’s Interesting – Updated February 10, 2023)

https://allthatsinteresting.com/

The fossils belonged to three woolly mammoths that lived some 30,000 years ago. They were likely even part of the same family.

Agroup of miners in Dawson City, Yukon hoped to strike gold. Instead, they came across another sort of treasure. As they sifted through the dirt, they uncovered a stunning trove of woolly mammoth bones.

“It’s probably one of the best days I’ve had working,” said Trey Charlie, who came across the bones alongside another miner at Little Flake Mine. “It’s so much fun to discover these things.” Charlie and his fellow miner discovered the bones while excavating mud from a mine site. As they worked, they uncovered an enormous tusk.

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B2Gold hunting for more assets after Sabina Gold deal – by Felix Njini (Reuters – July 2023)

https://www.reuters.com/

B2Gold Corp said it would consider further opportunities to acquire gold assets to accelerate growth even after its recent purchase of Sabina Gold, which gave it its first project in home country Canada.

B2Gold’s C$1.1 billion ($832.1 million) acquisition of Sabina Gold, completed in April, included Sabina’s untapped mineral-heavy Back River Gold district in Nunavut, Canada, which is expected to start production in 2025.

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Ekati sale official, new owners hopeful the future is bright – by Jenna Dulewich (CBC News North – July 7, 2023)

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

New owners want to extend mine life, hire more northerners

The Ekati diamond mine officially has new owners. The sale, which carries a price tag of $150 million US, was finalized on Tuesday — transferring 100 per cent of the Arctic Diamond Company Limited shares to Burgundy Diamond Mines, an Australian-based company. It is the third company to own the mine since 2017.

“I think it is exciting for everyone,” Kim Truter, CEO of Burgundy Diamond Mines told CBC News. The company wants to extend Ekati’s mining life and hire more northerners. “I think the North desperately needs these diamond mines to continue,” Truter said.

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Ekati finds a new home with Burgundy – by A.J. Roan (North of 60 Mining News – July 5, 2023)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Acquires diamond mine from Arctic Canadian for US$136M

Burgundy Diamond Mines Ltd. has finalized its acquisition of the Ekati diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories, adding another precious stone mine to its portfolio.

Already a 40% partner with North Arrow Minerals Inc. at the Naujaat diamond project in Nunavut, Burgundy closed a transaction on July 4 that provides the Australian diamond company full ownership of the world-class Ekati Mine, which will significantly elevate Burgundy’s efforts to deliver high-end cut and polished diamonds mined in Canada’s Arctic to global markets.

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Northern premiers say Canada can’t have Arctic security without infrastructure – by Chuck Chiang (CBC News North/Canadian Press – July 5, 2023)

https://www.cbc.ca/

Arctic security is under renewed focus as Russia and China eye the region, but leaders in the North say Canada won’t be able to exert sovereignty if their communities aren’t built up properly. The premiers from all three Northern territories say the federal government, while mindful of the need to strengthen Arctic security, has lacked a cohesive infrastructure plan to construct the foundation required to reach that goal.

Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane said in an interview that while policymakers have increased talks of building up the North, few concrete plans for key infrastructure such as hospitals, telecommunications, airports and road systems have emerged.

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Minto Metals hasn’t paid mining royalties in two years, says Yukon gov’t – by Ethan Lang (CBC News North – July 4, 2023)

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

Territory takes company to court, saying it owes close to $2.5M from abandoned mine

The Yukon government says Minto Metals, which abruptly abandoned its mine near Pelly Crossing, Yukon, in May, hasn’t paid mining royalties in two years.

That would be a direct breach of Yukon mining legislation. Under the territory’s Quartz Mining Act, any mine that falls within the Act’s jurisdiction — like Minto’s former copper mine — must pay an annual royalty on profits that exceed $10,000. The percentage depends on the profit, but starts at three per cent.

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Yukon government raised red flags about copper mine before owner abandoned site – by Brent Jang (Globe and Mail – June 21, 2023)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The Yukon government raised red flags about a copper mine’s environmental infractions days before the owner abandoned the site last month, an inspection report shows.

The new report filed this month by two employees of the territory’s Department of Energy, Mines and Resources says they inspected Minto Metals Corp.’s mining site on April 26, finding that its storage capacity for contaminated water in an open pit and tailings waste management were unsatisfactory.

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Ottawa, Yellowknives Dene sign procurement framework agreement for Giant Mine cleanup – by Emily Blake (CBC News North/Canadian Press – June 23,2023)

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

Deal includes tougher penalties for companies that fail to meet Indigenous hiring commitments

The federal government and Yellowknives Dene First Nation have signed a procurement framework agreement for the cleanup of Giant Mine, one of Canada’s most contaminated sites. Ottawa says the agreement confirms its commitment to increase procurement opportunities for Indigenous people through the more than $4-billion Giant Mine Remediation Project, including prioritizing contracts with Indigenous-owned businesses.

The First Nation says the deal will increase its oversight of how the project awards contracts and provides for tougher penalties for companies that fail to meet Indigenous hiring commitments.

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Feds say Agnico Eagle has failed to protect caribou at Nunavut gold mine as promised (CBC News North – June 15, 2023)

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

Company ordered to comply with its permits to operate, or face penalties

The federal government says Agnico Eagle Mines is not doing what it has promised to protect migrating caribou at the Meadowbank gold mine in Nunavut.

An order issued last month by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) says the company has failed “on multiple occasions” to meet its obligations under its project certificates for the mine, and under the Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act. The order requires the company to comply with its permits to operate or face potential penalties.

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OPINION: Mining the Arctic’s critical minerals is vital for Canada’s sovereignty, Northern prosperity – by Sean Boyd (Globe and Mail – June 12, 2023)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Sean Boyd is executive chair of the board of Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.

Canada launched a new Arctic and Northern Policy Framework in 2019, supported by $700-million in dedicated funding. It correctly calls on all of Canada to strengthen our sovereignty, while building the kind of economic future northerners want, and doing it in a way that protects the environment. This was a positive first step.

But it is missing a component: the development of the Arctic’s abundant mineral resources, including critical minerals crucial for the decarbonized economy of the future. That must be an essential element of any Arctic strategy.

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