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GoldbrookVENTURES www.goldbrookventures.com
C O R P O R AT E B R O C H U R E
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Goldbrook Ventures
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ickel resources remain scarce, yet demand continues to soar in countries ke China and India, putting a premium on the price of nickel. For those in ntrol of nickel assets, like Goldbrook Ventures through its participation in Nunavik Nickel Project, the potential is unlimited, Andrew Pelis discovers
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oldbrook Ventures made the shrewd decision to buy up land for exploration many years ago and is today regarded as the largest property holder in the region, having rights to over 891,000 acres. The investment strategy in the region began back in 2003 when the company recognized just how rich in mineral reserves the area was, and that set off a chain of aggressive acquisitions and joint ventures.
Goldbrook Ventures
Exploration Sans Frontières At
Exploration
Sans
Frontières
(Exploration
without borders), we have been involved in the Quebec (Canada) mining exploration industry for the last 12 years. Our employees have a solid background in prospecting and some of our members have over 15 years of experience in mining exploration. Tasks performed by Exploration Sans Frontières: • Prospecting • Line cutting • Staking • Boulder buster - Pionger (drill) • Blasting (Spring 2009) • Geochemistry (sampling) - sediment (streams and lakes), • Manual or water scraping • Drilling, anchoring or blasting • Trenching • Accompanying geologists for diamond drilling activities • Accompanying technicians on geophysical studies • Camp construction and logistics We have worked throughout the province: in Abitibi, Gaspésie, James Bay and Ungava Bay, on Anticosti Island, Ontario the North-Shore and even in the Nunavik, Northwest Territories (Manitoba, Saskatchewan). We have always fulfilled our contracts within the required time periods and according to the highest quality standards, whatever the conditions or season.
The district occurs within the same belt of ancient rocks that hosts the prolific Thompson nickel deposits in Manitoba. The Raglan (or Cape Smith) belt is approximately 325 kilometers long by 60 kilometers wide and hosts Xstrata’s Raglan nickel-copper-platinum group metals (PGM) mine, which began commercial production in 1998. Development in the area has resulted in widespread infrastructure improvements that have made it much more easily accessible thanks to improved port facilities, a network of roads,
Goldbrook Ventures
Matrix Unique in the exploration industry, Matrix provides a one-stop, turnkey service that includes all aspects of helicopter and fixed-wing transportation, as well as camp set-up, camp management, field logistics and fuel management. Utilizing a wide range of experts and suppliers, Matrix meets the distinctive needs of clients such as Goldbrook, in any environment—including the special circumstances of the Arctic. With this unbiased approach and a strict due-diligence and safety process, Matrix provides professional expertise that routinely exceeds expectations. Clients consistently report that Matrix gives them peace of mind and the ability to focus on exploration rather than logistics.
and daily air service to nearby communities. In 2008 the Xstrata mine produced over 26,000 tonnes (metric tons) of nickel-in-concentrate, over 6,700 tonnes of copper-in-concentrate, and 523 tonnes of cobalt-in-concentrate, with significant quantities of palladium and platinum. The mine now accounts for approximately 10 percent of Canada’s annual nickel production and has about 30 years expected mine life. But it isn’t just nickel that makes the area so attractive to prospective mining companies; there are also concentrated areas combining both quality and volume of lucrative minerals such as copper and PGMs—all markets that in recent times have remained fairly buoyant, making mining not just affordable but profitable too. Goldbrook has therefore continued to focus on these markets when looking at potential acquisitions and joint venture projects.
“Goldbrook Ventures made the shrewd decision to buy up land for exploration in the Raglan Nickel District many years ago and is today regarded as the largest property holder in the region, having rights to over 891,000 acres”
“It isn’t just nickel that makes the area so attractive to prospective mining companies; there are also concentrated areas combining both quality and volume of lucrative minerals such as copper and platinum group metals� Diversity is a virtue in the current global economic climate, and by focusing on a number of metals Goldbrook has been able to mitigate the effects of individual metal price fluctuations while maintaining its focus on meeting long-term market demands. Raglan is regarded as an emerging Ni-CuPGE district at an early stage of exploration and development, and the combination of the highvalue Raglan deposits found to date and the generally limited amount of exploration that has taken place in the region help to explain the lure of the Raglan belt. Since 2003 a number of significant ore bodies have been discovered in the region: the Xstrata deposits occur as multiple ore bodies scattered along a 55km section of a laterally extensive geological trend known as the Raglan trend, or north trend. Both Goldbrook and Anglo American made discoveries in 2003 that indicated that significant mineralization may also be found on this trend as far as 45 km east and 90 km west of the Xstrata deposits. Five years later, Knight Resources announced that it too had discovered nickel along
the north trend, while Canadian Royalties Inc. made discoveries that established the potential of a second trend (the south trend) by the discovery of a series of deposits that are now being scrutinized through feasibility studies. Goldbrook has invested heavily to develop a multidisciplinary approach to exploration in these vast landholdings, including airborne remote sensing surveys, prospecting, geological mapping, geochemistry and diamond drilling in addition to airborne and ground geophysical surveys to help detect potential nickel-bearing rocks. A series of exploration programs took place between 2003 and 2008 that established NiCu-PGE sulphide targets, along the Belanger and related trends, as part of the longer-term exploration objectives of the company. Perhaps the most significant discovery during this period was the enigmatically named Mystery Zone, which was drilled extensively in 2008 and resulted in the find of significant Ni-Cu-PGE sulphide intersections. In addition to this exploration work, Goldbrook has added to its portfolio through strategic acquisitions. In November 2009 the company,
Goldbrook Ventures
in a joint venture with Jien Canada Mining Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Jilin Jien Nickel Industry Co., Ltd. of China, acquired Canadian Royalties and all its nickel-sulphide assets for $192 million. Goldbrook owns 25 percent of the voting shares of Jien Canada Mining Ltd., the owner of the nickelcopper-cobalt-platinum-palladium-gold deposits in the Raglan mining district that collectively form the Nunavik Nickel Project. The past 12 months has seen the partnership working in the pre-planning stage toward the construction and mine development phase, which will make the partnership one of Canada’s major nickel producers. At the time, David Baker, chairman and CEO of Goldbrook Ventures, said, “We look forward to making a significant investment in the development of the large-scale Nunavik Nickel
Project. We firmly believe that many stakeholders will benefit from this transaction, not only the Canadian Royalties security holders, who will realize substantial and immediate premium.” The agreement in place means that once Goldbrook has repaid its committed share of the acquisition and construction costs, it will earn a quarter of all cash flow derived from the Nunavik Nickel Project. Throughout this past summer the organization has embarked upon an ambitious exploration program encompassing a regional mapping program, geochemical surveys and ground geophysical surveys. At the time of writing, however, Goldbrook is presently in dispute with its joint venture partner Jilin Jien Nickel Industry Co, over a share issue which is beyond the scope of this article. www.goldbrookventures.com
GoldbrookVENTURES www.goldbrookventures.com