Welcome to the club. It’s official. No one else has actually said it out loud, but we will – Thunder Bay is a fullyaccredited member of Ontario’s major mining centers. Three years ago, most people had trouble spelling the word lithium. Today, it’s on the lips of everyone in the mining industry and Thunder Bay is in the captain’s seat.
As you read this CEN CAN EXPO magazine and enjoy this amazing event, you’ll reach the same conclusion that we have, Thunder Bay has joined Timmins and Sudbury as a world-class mining town.
As the global transition to a sustainable future accelerates, Canada’s critical minerals are taking center stage in revolutionizing the electric vehicle (EV) industry. These minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite, are essential components in the production of EV batteries, wind turbines, and other green technologies. The strategic importance of these minerals cannot be overstated as they form the backbone of our efforts to combat climate change and build a greener economy.
Northern Ontario’s vast reserves of critical minerals position us uniquely among Western nations. Our country is not only rich in these resources but also leads in responsible mining practices, ensuring that our extraction methods meet the highest environmental, social, and governance standards. This commitment to sustainable development is pivotal as the world increasingly values ethical sourcing of raw materials.
The Canadian and Ontario governments, recognizing the critical role of these minerals, have launched comprehensive strategies to bolster our mining sector. Significant investments are being directed towards developing infrastructure, enhancing extraction technologies, and fostering partnerships with global EV manufacturers. These initiatives aim to secure a stable and sustainable supply chain, thereby cementing Canada’s position as a key player in the global EV market.
Moreover, the integration of our critical minerals into the EV industry is creating a ripple effect throughout the economy. This burgeoning sector is generating high-quality jobs, driving technological innovation, and stimulating economic growth in mining communities across the nation. As we continue to harness these opportunities, Canada is not only contributing to the global EV revolution but also ensuring long-term economic prosperity for its citizens. And the Thunder Bay region, indeed all of northwestern Ontario is in the thick of it.
In conclusion, Canada’s critical minerals are indispensable to the future of the electric vehicle industry. By leveraging our natural wealth and adhering to sustainable practices, we are poised to lead the charge in the global shift towards clean energy. Together, we can drive forward a greener, more sustainable world, powered by the very minerals that lie beneath our feet.
Enjoy the show, digest the impressive articles in this show guide, and know that we are all making a difference.
Evolution Mining hoping 2024 production tops 2023 at Red Lake
Goldshore Resources fast tracking PEA for Moss Lake
Wesdome’s $10 million exploration program pays off with more gold at Eagle River
Aussies hoping to resurrect White River’s Sugar Zone
EQUINOX GOLD poised for full
New
Kinross
Alamos
First Mining Gold using data-driven approach in Quebec and Ontario
Mattagami
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Message from the Hon. George Pirie, Minister of Mines
Ontario’s mining sector has been an engine of growth for generations. It remains a cornerstone of the economy – especially in the north. The global mining industry is undergoing a powerful transformation as the world races to secure the reliable sources of minerals that are needed to fuel the electric vehicle revolution and the technologies of tomorrow. Our government has a sound plan to capitalize on this opportunity and ensure that Ontario is the number one mining jurisdiction in the world. The Ontario advantage is clear – we have what the world needs. From mining to manufacturing, and a highly educated and experienced workforce, our resources are ready to power a reinvigorated and sustainable economy. As we look ahead, we can take pride in our province’s strong pipeline of mineral projects and the many future innovations we have instore.
Our government made a $35 million investment in the Ontario Junior Exploration Program (OJEP), which has aided in securing our province as Canada’s number one destination for exploration investment for the second year in a row. The results from projects across Ontario are evident – our plan is working. Our investments don’t stop at exploration – we are also investing in research and development. To ensure that we continue to be on the cutting-edge and to fill supply chain gaps, we are also making investments in downstream industries like processing. The launch of the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund (CMIF) has helped solve modern mining and supply chain challenges and has leveraged Ontario’s highly educated and experienced workers. We are also making targeted investments to cut red-tape and ensure that we are keeping pace with the increasing global demand for Ontario’s minerals.
As part of the 2024 Ontario Budget, we announced that our government is investing an additional $15 million over three years in the CMIF program. This fund has already supported many projects and partnerships across Ontario that are changing what we think is possible, unlocking new scientific advancements and sources of critical minerals. These investments are being leveraged to help foster Ontario-based innovation and solve supply chain challenges that will help us maximize opportunities for our province and everyone in it.
Building up our province means building up all of Ontario – that’s why the economic wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples, and their communities is a priority for our government. An important part of the mining industry’s long-term success lies in ensuring that Indigenous communities are able to have meaningful input, and that they can benefit from the tremendous resource development opportunities throughout Ontario. Our government will continue to strengthen positive relationships and support opportunities for Indigenous Peoples – to bring growth and prosperity to Indigenous communities, and to Ontario as a whole.
These are exciting times for Ontario’s mining sector, and there are fantastic exploration and mining projects across the province that have the potential to bring continued economic growth, employment, and opportunities to everyone in each corner of Ontario. Through our efforts to build a made-in-Ontario supply chain we are also building a more sustainable future and making our province one of the best places in the world to not just live, work and raise a family but also to invest and do business. We will continue to forge ahead and build a brighter future for Ontario for everyone.
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A Message from the Mayor
On behalf of my colleagues on City Council and the people of Thunder Bay, I’d like to welcome everyone to the 2024 CEN-CAN Expo, an opportunity to network and learn about the latest innovations and initiatives in the mining, energy and construction industries in Central Canada and beyond.
Participants and exhibitors will enjoy opportunities to connect via interactive demonstrations, presentations and more aimed at showcasing the success of companies and their commitment to smart, sustainable growth. It’s an exciting time as mining and metals continue to rev up as the world looks to a greener future.
All roads lead to Thunder Bay and the CEN-CAN Expo is a key contributor to greater prosperity in Thunder Bay and region.
On behalf of the City of Thunder Bay, many thanks to everyone, past and present, for bringing this important event to Thunder Bay. Best wishes for another successful show.
Sincerely,
Mayor Ken Boshcoff City of Thunder Bay
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Welcome to the CEN-CAN Expo
On behalf of the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), it is my great pleasure to welcome you to Thunder Bay, the Mining Supply and Service hub of Northwestern Ontario and the traditional territory of Fort William First Nation. Thunder Bay is renowned for its rich natural resources, strategic location, and strong mining service and supply network. Our community has long been at the forefront of mining and exploration, and we are proud to continue supporting the industry’s growth and sustainability.
CEN CAN 2024 brings together leading industry minds to explore the latest trends, technologies, and innovations in mining and exploration. Whether you are here to share your insights, explore new partnerships, or simply learn from the best, I am confident that you will find immense value in the discussions and activities planned.
While you are here, I also invite you to explore all that Thunder Bay has to offer. From our stunning natural landscapes and outdoor adventures to our vibrant arts and cultural scene, there is much to see and do in our beautiful city.
Thank you for joining us for CEN CAN 2024. We are honored to host such a distinguished gathering of professionals. Look out for the CEDC Blue Blazers or visit us at our welcome booth. Let’s connect and discuss how we can support your business in Northwestern Ontario.
Sincerely,
Jamie Taylor, Chief Executive Officer
Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission
Ontario back on solid ground!
Ontario Mines Minister gives State of Mining Address
By Kevin Vincent
Whether it’s Sudbury, Timmins, Thunder Bay or Webequie, if the provincial legislature isn’t in session, chances are you’ll find Ontario’s Mines Minister George Pirie criss-crossing the province in an all-out mission to create jobs and attract investors to the boardrooms of juniors and producers.
And it’s working. Nearly a billion dollars was invested in exploration in Ontario last year (2023), a number the province hasn’t seen in decades.
“This is a very exciting time in all sectors,” Pirie told a packed audience at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in June. “Whether it’s critical minerals, gold or base metals, it’s just our time. I said this last year, there’s a buzz in the room and there’s a buzz in this year’s conference.”
That’s a far cry from the years under the Liberal/NDP alliance that saw mines close, First Nations communities struggle, and investors allocating their dollars to other jurisdictions.
“We’ve got the geological signature... we have taken another step towards securing our future.”
Pirie says Ontario has the minerals today to fuel tomorrow’s needs. “We need every pound of nickel we can produce, whether it’s from Sudbury, whether it’s from Timmins, whether it’s from the Ring of Fire - we don’t want the nickel from Indonesia.”
The Ford government believes that if Ontario is going to participate fully in the EV Revolution, the materials have to be sourced ethically, responsibly and in an environmental fashion that everyone supports.
“That’s supported globally, we don’t want the cobalt to come from Congo either, we want it from Northern Ontario, that’s who we are.”
Pirie says the definition of sustainability is meeting the needs of the current generation, without compro -
mising the needs of the next generation. “And that’s what we do as miners here in Canada, but especially in Northern Ontario because I simply believe we are the best miners. I believe that because I was raised in the mining industry, I’ve seen the changes over the decades. I was part of that change of how we operated in the past, to how we operate now. We have operations that don’t even discharge water.”
“In fact, I was just at a mine in Sudbury and their water treatment facility is so good that the Ministry of the Environment came back and said ‘You got to add a few more minerals into them.’ It was that good. It was like they were discharging distilled water.”
The Mines Minister is sending strong signals to the industry. “Collectively we’ve got to raise our voices. We’ve got to be louder because it’s not going to happen effectively as it should unless everybody stands up and says; ‘This is who we are and this is what we can do’ so we have the full support of everyone.”
According to recent polls, 76% of Canadians acknowledge they want more mining. Why? Pirie says it’s understood that the electronic revolution can’t happen without mining. “You have to get the minerals out of the ground to use your cell phones, if you’re going to fully function within the aerospace industry the minerals have to come out of the ground. Technology is changing all the time and we’re getting better and better.”
Pirie told the audience that the mining industry is important to every community across Ontario especially to Indigenous communities.
“Everybody understands that nothing is going to happen without the Indigenous participation as full partners and that’s what we do. Take a look at Côté Lake. It has great employment numbers by Mattagami First Nation and Flying Post First Nation. Take a look at TTN and how they responded with Canada Nickel. This is just a couple of examples.”
Image: Ontario Minister of Mines, George Pirie giving State of Mining Address at the Canadian Mining Expo.
The Ford government’s Critical Mineral Strategy was developed to fulfill the supply gaps that were discovered during covid. “It was like we woke up one day and said, ‘Geez we’re not producing anything, it all comes from someplace else’ - which means extensive delays.”
In 2023, Ontario produced approximately $6.4 billion worth of critical minerals. Critical mineral exploration investments totaled $349 million. There were 221 critical minerals exploration projects reporting activity in Ontario, an increase of 18% from 2022 to 2023. There are 124 active lithium exploration projects in Ontario an increase of 143% from 2022. Pirie says the numbers are no accident - the result of the work to attract investment and to support the sector. Since Ontario launched the Ontario Junior Exploration program (OJEP) they’ve funded 133 projects, totalling approximately $19.4 million.
“Usually, at this particular time in my talk,” Pirie reflected. “I talk about why I became involved in politics. It’s because I wasn’t happy with what I saw in Northern Ontario. The population decline, there was a funk in the industry. A previous Premier actually said, ‘Our economy isn’t going to be defined by individuals that are standing over a hole in the ground.’”
“Some hole in the ground, it’s a world class hole in the ground. We’re proud of those holes in the ground – and we’re the best at digging those holes in the ground. I don’t know about you, I got a little angry when they tore down the smelter at Kidd Creek - the world’s best smelter900 jobs - not a whimper, a couple of protests. I couldn’t imagine that happening anywhere else. Now our copper and other metals have to go over to the Horne smelter (in Quebec) which is one of the world’s dirtiest smelters.”
“How did we allow that to happen? Most importantly, we can’t let that happen again anywhere, especially in Timmins,” said Pirie as the crowd stood and applauded.
Pirie says that’s why the Innovation Fund is so important. Canada Nickel was the participant of some of those funds. They did research on sequestering carbon.
“I’ll say it again, it’s our duty, It’s our obligation, we’ve got the mineral wealth, we’ve got the geological potential, we’ve got the geological signature, and every time a prospector goes out there that gets some money and drills another structure that’s new, we have taken another step towards securing our future.”
Sixteen years of patience and perseverance paid off this summer as Equinox Gold turned Geraldton into a booming mine-town. Local indigenous leaders joined company officials and Ontario Premier Doug Ford along with Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford to celebrate the company’s first gold pour.
Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, the Honourable Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nation Economic Reconciliation, Yvette Metansinine, Chief of Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek, Sonny Gagnon, Chief of Aroland First Nation, Sheri Taylor, Chief of Ginoogaming First Nation and Judy Desmoulin, Chief of Long Lake #58 First Nation, all visited the Greenstone Mine on June 18th to witness a gold pour.
“It was an honour to visit the Greenstone Mine and witness the remarkable process of a gold pour,” said Premier Doug Ford. “As we rebuild Ontario’s economy, our government is forming meaningful partnerships with First Nations communities and industry partners, fostering significant opportunities for growth and job creation, especially in critical minerals and resource development.”
Equinox Gold’s Greenstone Mine has agreements in place with Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek, Aroland First Nation, Ginoogaming First Nation and Long Lake #58 First Nation. Premier Ford and Minister Rickford were in Geraldton to announce renewed partnerships with all four First Nations and funding initiatives to unlock economic and resource development opportunities in northern Ontario, including:
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• $1.9 million from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for the Indigenous Workforce Development Program through the province’s Skills Development Fund to provide training and support to secure jobs related to mineral development in the region;
• $2 million to fund construction and maintenance of the Migizi Plaza Rest Stop, which will serve First Nation members, tourists and residents, create jobs, and drive revenue for the First Nations and Municipality of Greenstone. Greenstone Mine donated the land to its First Nations partners for the Migizi Plaza Rest Stop;
• Support for relocation of the Greenstone Ontario Provincial Police detachment, which was moved during Greenstone Mine construction; and
• Maintenance and upgrades to Highway 584 and Highway 11 to help connect more First Nations communities to the province’s highway network.
“Through strategic partnerships and critical infrastructure investments, we are laying the foundation for Greenstone to become the new centre of gravity for mining, in partnership with First Nations,” Minister Rickford said.
“We appreciate the province’s support for development and infrastructure improvements in the Greenstone region and applaud their commitment to developing meaningful partnerships with First Nations communities in Ontario,” said Greg Smith, President & CEO of Equinox Gold.
In May, Equinox Gold completed its acquisition of the remaining 40% of Greenstone Gold Mine GP Inc. from funds managed by Orion Mine Finance Management LP (“Orion”), giving Equinox Gold 100% ownership of the Greenstone Mine.
In connection with the Transaction, Equinox Gold also completed a previously announced US$500 million three-year term loan. “Closing of this transaction consolidates our ownership of the world-class Greenstone Mine, a long-life, low-cost gold mine of significant scale in a top-tier mining jurisdiction,” said Smith. “We again thank Orion for their partnership and support over the last few years and look forward to delivering value to all our stakeholders as we advance the Greenstone Mine towards commercial production.”
NEWMONT ’s Canadian Assets a great buy!
By Kevin Vincent
Now into its second quarter-century of operation, the workforce at Newmont’s Musselwhite Mine is waiting to see who the mine’s new owners will be. Located about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay on the traditional territory of North Caribou Lake First Nation, the Musselwhite mine commenced commercial production in 1997. Today, the mine employs about 1,000 full-time employees and contractors. With strong community partnerships, outstanding environmental stewardship and an inclusive workplace culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing, Musselwhite can be proud of its past successes. With continuous improvement programs and an expertise in unlocking its strong exploration potential, Musselwhite can ensure that its best days lie ahead for the mine, the community and its new owners.
Newmont announced in February that Musselwhite, along with mines in Timmins and Quebec would be sold. (As of our publishing deadline, only Newmont’s interest in one of the mines had been sold).
Newmont Corp hopes to sell six non-core assets, including the Éléonore mine in Quebec, the Musselwhite and Porcupine Division mines in Ontario, the Coffee project in the Yukon Territory, as well as its 70% stake in the Havieron joint venture with Greatland Gold (LON: GGP) in Western Australia.
FOR SALE
“A big part of our commitment is to deliver $100 million of free cash flow by bringing Newmont and Newcrest together… there is a reduction in headcount in order to achieve those synergies,” Chief Executive Tom Palmer said in a statement.
Following the divestments, Newmont will concentrate on ten tier-1 assets, its “go-forward portfolio,” intended to ensure long-term growth. “Our go-forward portfolio is the new standard for gold and copper mining [and] provides our shareholders with exposure to the highest concentration of Tier 1 assets in the sector,” Palmer added.
Fury Gold Mines didn’t hesitate to grab a slice of the Newmont sale. Fury and affiliates of Newmont entered into an agreement for Fury to purchase Newmont’s 49.978% interest in the Éléonore South project in Quebec for C$3 million ($2.2m).
The Éléonore South project is in an area of prolific gold mineralization, with Newmont’s Éléonore mine located to the north and Sirios’ Cheechoo deposit to the east. “Our team has historically ranked the ESJV as one of our more prolific targets for discovery,” Fury
Gold Mines CEO Tim Clark said in a news release. “We are excited to now have 100% ownership as we expect this to provide a clearer pathway for more exploration and potential upside in returns for our investors from this project consolidation and investment in Sirios.”
Having completed the acquisition of Newcrest Mining in November, the world’s largest gold miner (Newmont) stated that proceeds from the transactions would be allocated to reducing debt. The company, which held $8 billion in debt at the end of 2023, has set a shortterm debt-reduction goal of $1 billion.
The US-based miner also pinpointed $500 million in additional cost and productivity improvements, including job cuts.
Tier 1 assets are defined as “company making” mines and projects, which are large, have a long productive life, and incur low costs.
Newmont, produced 5.5 million ounces of gold last year, a 6.9% decrease from the 5.96 million ounces it produced in 2022.
The overall performance was impacted by several challenges, including $1.9 billion in impairment charges, $1.5 billion in reclamation charges, and $464 million in Newcrest transaction and integration costs.
The Denver, Colorado-based company reported a loss of $3.21 per share. Adjusted earnings, accounting for one-time gains and costs, amounted to 50 US cents per share, slightly below Wall Street’s estimate of 51 US cents.
Despite these challenges, Newmont distributed $1.4 billion in dividends to shareholders and projects 2024 total production to be nearly 6.9 million gold ounces, driven by 5.6 million ounces from its tier 1 portfolio.
Additionally, the company reported an increase in gold reserves to 135.9 million attributable ounces for 2023, up from 96.1 million ounces at the end of 2022. Newmont also noted significant upside in other metals, including over 30 billion pounds of copper reserves and nearly 600 million ounces of silver reserves.
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EVOLUTION MINING hoping 2024 production tops 2023 at Red Lake
By Kevin Vincent
Red Lake delivered 120,840 ounces of gold for Aussie mining giant Evolution Mining last year and the company is working diligently to outperform those numbers this year.
Evolution bought the old Campbell Red Lake mining complex in 2020.
The company says a number of milestones were achieved at Red Lake in 2023, notwithstanding that production performance was below expectations, positioning the site for significant improvement in 2024.
Evolution confirmed earlier this year that output was impacted by materials handling constraints and a seismic-related restriction.
The Red Lake operation is an underground gold mine in one of the highest-grade Archean gold camps in Canada, on the traditional lands of the Wabauskang and Lac Seul First Nation. Acquired in April 2020, an operational transformation plan is underway to restore Red Lake to a premier Canadian gold mine with a 15+ year mine life targeting 200,000 ounces per annum and expansion once justified.
Even the Wall Street Journal describes the prolific Aussie miner Evolution Mining as struggling to “hit its stride” at Red Lake.
Lateral development for both the June 2023 quarter and the full year was a record under Evolution ownership. Delivery of two jumbo drill rigs in January enabled full mechanical bolting at Cochenour and Upper Campbell, contributing to the planned upgrading of the mobile fleet during the year. In addition, the completion of the Red Lake workforce review, aligned to two of our values of “Excellence and Accountability” is supporting the delivery of the company’s FY24 production guidance.
In 2024, Red Lake is guided to deliver 125,000-135,000 ounces of gold with production stronger in the second half of the year. Red Lake’s priority is to consistently deliver 1.1 million tonnes of ore per annum to fill the current mill capacity and deliver increased cash generation. When the operation demonstrates sustainable performance at this level and above, further investment in expanding milling capacity will be considered.
Operating mine cash flow was $41.6 million, sustaining capital was $61.2 million and major capital was $189.1 million.
Overall, the company is healthy. “The first half of FY24 saw Evolution return to net cash generation, realiz-
ing the benefit of capital invested in growth projects over the past couple of years. This will see us deliver increased cash flows in the second half of FY24, and beyond, as we deliver on our commitment to building free cash flow, deleveraging and increasing shareholder returns,” said CEO Lawrie Conway in a mid-year statement.
In the interim, Sandvik has received a major underground mining equipment order from Australianbased Evolution Mining. The order is valued at approximately CDN$38 million.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the 3rd Q24 and continue over the next 12 months.
The order includes Sandvik’s advanced underground loaders, trucks, and development drills, to be implemented in different mines in Australia.
“We are very pleased that we continue to be a trusted partner to Evolution Mining and that we strengthen our partnership further as they renew a big part of their fleet,” said Mats Eriksson, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.
GOLDSHORE RESOURCES fast tracking PEA for Moss Lake
By Kevin Vincent
The cards are on the table for Goldshore Resources as the company goes all-in to build the Moss Lake gold project near Shebandowan. In early July, Goldshore announced the engagement of GMining Services Inc. to conduct a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) that will give investors the ammunition they need to back the project.
“We are pleased to continue to execute on our strategic plan through the appointment of both G Mining and One-Eighty to meaningfully advance the Moss Gold Project,” said Michael Henrichsen, CEO. “We believe the PEA will demonstrate the deep value proposition of the Project and with the development of a strategic permitting plan, the company will have a clear path forward as we advance the Project through pre-feasibility and feasibility studies.”
The company put its foot on the gas pedal this Spring with the launch of its strategic plan followed by an aggressive series of moves.
“Having spent the last month working with our team and our strategic advisor, SAF Group, I am very confident we have the internal expertise and support needed to meaningfully advance Moss in the next 12 months,” said Henrichsen. “I have been very impressed with the growth
possibilities at Moss and the optionality that is present with respect to potential development scenarios, particularly with the possibility for higher grade starter pits that we internally believe will be defined in the PEA study. Moss represents an exceptional opportunity to advance a Tier 1 project adjacent to developed infrastructure in Canada and I look forward to realizing the full potential of the project in the coming years.”
The goal of the PEA is to develop an optimized and staged mine plan, infrastructure layout and to advance the Project toward a Project Description that will provide clarity on the scope of permitting work required said the company in its latest news release. Separately, the company has retained the services of One-Eighty Consulting Group Ltd to develop a comprehensive regulatory strategy aimed at facilitating a streamlined path to construction and commercial production.
The appointment of G Mining Services to deliver a PEA is an important milestone for the Project as it will provide the first assessment of the project economics, including cash flows, NPV, IRR, and payback period. G-Mining, founded in 2006 by Louis Gignac, a 2016 Mining Hall of Fame inductee, is recognized as an industry leader providing mining con-
sultancy services around the world with a reputation of delivering accurate, high-quality assessments. GMining completed the 2021 feasibility study on Equinox’s Greenstone Gold mine 275 km northeast of Thunder Bay. This puts the firm in an excellent position to evaluate the Moss Gold Project, which the company considers similar to the Greenstone Gold Mine.
The goals of the PEA are to outline a phased production approach prioritizing IRR and minimizing initial Capex with the study expected to be completed by the end of Q1 2025. The company plans to take a rigorous approach to the PEA utilizing well-defined cost estimates to ensure the projected Capex aligns closely to prefeasibility study standards to enhance the study’s accuracy. In addition, the PEA will define a work program that will allow the company to advance towards a subsequent prefeasibility study as soon as possible.
It is led by the ex-global head of structural geology for the world’s largest gold company and backed by one of Canada’s pre-eminent private equity firms. The company’s current focus is the advanced stage 100% owned Moss Gold Project which has large scale, high grade and excellent metallurgy. The company has invested over $60 million of new capital and completed approximately 80,000 meters of drilling at Moss, which, in aggregate, has had over 235,000 meters of drilling. As of January 2024 the updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate (“MRE”) has expanded to 1.54 million ounces of Indicated gold resources at 1.23 g/t Au and 5.20 million ounces of Inferred gold resources at 1.11 g/t Au. The MRE only encompasses 3.6 kilometers of the 35+ kilometer mineralized trend, remains open at depth and along strike and is one of the few remaining major Canadian gold deposits positioned for fast track through this development cycle
WESDOME’s $10 million exploration program pays off with more gold at Eagle River
By Kevin Vincent
The Eagle has landed – more gold. Mid-tier producer Wesdome kicked off the month of July with some encouraging news for investors. Drilling at the company’s wholly-owned Eagle River Mine near Wawa hit pay-dirt.
“These drilling results at Eagle River underscore the prospectivity across this asset, particularly as the high grade 6 Central Zone continues to expand down-plunge to the east, and the continuity and extension potential of the Falcon 311 and 300 zones is now being confirmed in follow-up drilling,” said Anthea Bath, President and Chief Executive Officer.
This year’s exploration program at Eagle River is expanding the existing resource base of known zones and identifying targets near existing infrastructure. In the coming months, Wesdome’s objective is to integrate results from this drill program with recently initiated asset optimization studies to potentially extend mine life, leverage existing development more effectively and increase utili -
zation of Eagle River’s 1,200 tonne per day mill.”
Wesdome’s budget for underground exploration at Eagle River in 2024 is nearly $10 million and includes expansion, infill and delineation drilling.
Precise details of the drill results can be found on the company’s website.
The news comes on the heels of a steady stream of senior management appointments, resignations and reassignments along with encouraging first-quarter results.
“We delivered a solid first quarter on the back of higher-grade material at Eagle River, as a result of short-term positive grade reconciliation and mine sequencing relative to plan,” said Bath.
“As anticipated, in the second quarter we began processing higher grade material from Kiena Deep (Quebec), which is expected to trend upwards over the balance of the year and thereby drive margin expansion.”
“Exploration underpins our success, and we continue to identify
new opportunities across both mine sites to unlock value. This year’s extensive exploration program is already yielding exciting results, including the intercept of high grades near mine infrastructure at Kiena Deep and continued growth in the recently discovered Falcon 311 and 300 zones.”
The company says its balance sheet continues to strengthen with meaningful improvements in both cash and total liquidity in the first quarter. “We took advantage of increased cash flow in the quarter, reducing the amount outstanding on our revolving credit facility by $10 million and putting us on track to repay the remaining balance by Q3,” noted Bath.
“Results to date are aligned with our expectations and the team is focused on execution and delivering on full-year guidance and strategic objectives. We are well positioned to achieve higher production and declining unit costs with increased free cash flow in 2024,” added Bath.
The 6 Central Zone, discovered in 2023, is located close to existing infrastructure and at relatively shallower depths of 600 to 750 metres.
Approximately 10,280 metres over 39 holes were drilled in the first half of 2024 with an additional 28 holes planned for the second half of the year.
Approximately 8,140 metres were drilled at the Falcon 311 Zone in the first half of the year across 44 holes. Drilling will continue to the end of the year with an additional 20 holes planned, mostly focused on extending the zone to surface and infill drilling for resource conversion.
Wesdome is a gold producer with two high grade underground assets, the Eagle River Mine in Ontario and the Kiena Mine in Quebec. The company’s primary goal is to responsibly leverage this operating platform and high-quality brownfield and greenfield exploration pipeline to build Canada’s next intermediate gold producer.
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Aussies hoping to resurrect White River’s Sugar Zone
By Kevin Vincent
Will the Aussies pour some sugar on the old Harte? Residents in and around White River are anxiously waiting for news from down under on whether one of Australia’s top goldproducers will breathe new life into the Sugar Zone Mine.
Red 5 Limited and Silver Lake Resources completed a merger of equals in June and the new company includes the troubled Sugar Zone gold mine near White River.
Silver Lake operates three mines and Red 5 operates two. All five mines are in Western Australia. Silver Lake acquired the Sugar Zone, 30 kilometres north of White River, after the mine was declared insolvent in early 2022. The incoming ownership elected to halt operations last summer and go back to the basics in redefining the gold resources in and around the underground mine with an extensive drill program while investing to upgrade the operation and make it cost-efficient.
Before it ran into financial troubles, the Sugar Zone produced 39,000 ounces in its last fiscal year. The latest government filings indicate 506,000 ounces in reserves and an estimated 1.5 million ounces in measured and indicated resources.
Harte Gold started full-scale operations at the Sugar Zone in 2018 and expected the mine to operate for at least 12 years, employing 200 peo-
ple. It was Ontario’s first new highgrade gold mine in over 10 years.
A delay in the start-up of the paste fill plant and lower-than-expected underground development rates hampered the mine in the third quarter. Shortly thereafter, the company cut its yearly production guidance in 2019 to between 24,000 and 26,000 oz. gold from its previous guidance of 39,200 oz. gold. All-in sustaining costs (AISCs) were forecast to jump to between US$2,000 and US$2,200 per oz., a massive increase from earlier guidance of US$1,300 to US$1,350 per ounce.
Mining rates fell below targets since the start of commercial production, and the company has had to supplement run-of-mine mill feed from surface stockpiles, all of which were drawn down by the end of July. Grades milled were lower than expected due to planned dilution, as the rate of decline development is behind schedule, which delayed access to the higher-grade portions of the orebody. As a result, the company was mining too much development ore, relative to stoping.
Along come the Australians. Red 5 Limited gobbled up rival Silver Lake Resources in an effort to build a midtier gold company valued at $1.5 billion, the two companies said in a joint statement in February. The merged entity will eventually lead to a diversi-
fied company, with a combined gold production profile of about 445,000 ounces per annum for fiscal year 2024.
Red 5 shareholders now own 51.7% of the merged entity, while Silver Lake stakeholders own the remaining 48.3%.
The Sugar Zone Mine is highgrade underground operation, approximately 30km north of White River, or midway between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. The Sugar Zone deposit is hosted within the Dayohessarah Greenstone Belt in the Abitibi-Wawa Subprovince of the Superior Province between the Hemlo Belt to the west and the Kabinakagami Belt to the east. The deposit is defined by sets of parallel, mineralized quartz veins, quartz flooding of strongly altered wall rock, thin intermediary porphyry lenses and dykes / sills parallel to stratigraphy and foliation, and gold mineralization.
Gold mineralization mainly occurs in quartz veins, stringers, and quartz-flooded zones predominantly associated with porphyry zones, porphyry contact zones, hydrothermally altered basalts and rarely weakly altered or unaltered basalt within the three subzones.
Mining of the Sugar Zone ore is by long hole open stoping method with ore hauled to surface for processing at the on site mill. The Sugar Zone comminution circuit includes two stage crushing and ball mill, followed by a gravity circuit to produce gold dore bars and flotation to produce gold concentrate. The plant has a processing capacity of approximately 800ttph or 292,000tpa.
Following completion of the acquisition in February 2022, Silver Lake commenced a review of operations at the Sugar Zone mine with the objective of delivering material operational improvements and a low capital intensity growth strategy to leverage the installed infrastructure and current Mineral Resource.
EQUINOX GOLD poised for full production
By Andrew Autio
Plenty of employment and contract opportunities are available at the Greenstone Mine near Geraldton for the next 14 years. “Greenstone Mine will be the cornerstone asset for Equinox Gold. Our expectations are to pour 400,000 ounces a year. We have an initial mine life of 14 plus years,” said Dan Barrie, the mine’s Supply Chain Superintendent. Barrie spoke at the 2024 ‘Projects In The Pipeline’ conference at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June.
Barrie outlined the company’s major objectives for coming years, including becoming one of Canada’s highest grade open pit gold mines, at 1.27 grams per tonne average. The commissioning of first ore production was introduced into the grinding circuit on April 6th. Production targets for gold was achieved on May 22nd. The company is targeting ‘Q3’ of 2024 for commercial production. Their stockpile sits at 1.5 million tonnes for startup. The tailings facility is permitted.
“All permits required for commissioning activities are in place, and all plant operations positions are filled with experienced operators,” he added.
On the environmental front, Barrie said an independent review board has been in place since 2017 to provide oversight for design, construction and oversight of the tailings management facility.
Air and surface groundwater monitoring will be ongoing. Each Indigenous community has an environmental monitor as part of the Greenstone Project environmental team and undertaking site monitoring and sam -
pling activities reporting back to the communities directly.
Barrie spoke about the significant Indigenous partnerships Equinox has built. “Currently, 24 contracts are active at the site where there are joint venture agreements with indigenous groups. It represents over $180 million in commitments or 20 percent of the project’s value. Certain services and logistics - joint ventures are expected to continue into the operational phase.”
Kenogamisis Investment Corporation, KIC, a partnership between the four First Nations is pursuing an opportunity for a partnership with the new Ontario Provincial Police station and a potential for a 10-megawatt solar energy plant.
Barrie says the mining project is a big financial boost the area. “Quarterly community events are being held. Community benefits include contribution to the upgrade of the municipal sewage water treatment plant, targeted to be operational. It was Q3 of 2023 and they’re still working on some other aspects of that. Executed option for purchase infrastructure, golf course, interpretive centre, head frame, provides funds to the community for longterm planning. Money flowing directly into the local economy from grocery, hardware, transport, restaurant purchases from the current workforce. It’s exciting times in Geraldton. Its growing.”
“On the production front, the mine has successfully completed all activities to mine the first large void. Over the next few months, we will see a large increase in the mining rate with
additional trucks and third and fourth shovel put into service.”
After his presentation, Barrie took a few minutes to chat with MiningLife about some of the exciting developments. “The first (gold) pour was May of 22. We started, and I won’t call it a ‘true’ mining operation, but we started stockpiling and getting ready in September of 2022, and we’ve been moving forward ever since,” he said.
Lots of employment opportunities are available at Greenstone in all sectors including mining operations (mechanics, welders, equipment operators), mill operations (millwrights, electricians, metallurgists), and support staff (human resources, IT, environmental, accounting) and that’s just to name a few. “We’re somewhere in the neighbourhood of about 450 to 475 full time employees at the moment, and growing every day.”
Barrie said preparations are ongoing to the mine site. “The push is on. It’s a stage situation as we move forward into production, as we add additional equipment for the mining operation. We’re building out the new camp into a situation where we can accommodate all. But it will be a nice, constant ramp-up,” he said. “It’s been done in waves. The initial wave, the mill portion of hiring, and now we’re moving back into the mining phase of hiring, and again, of course more maintenance personnel to support the mine.”
Barrie feels that the next year or so will be significant. “It’s exciting. The next big steps are commercial production and getting fully operational.”
Dan Barrie, Mine’s Supply Chain Superintendent speaking at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June.
NEW GOLD looking to finish year on heels of strong performance in 2023
By Kevin Vincent
Ontario teachers cashed out the lion’s share of their chips in New Gold earlier this year and the company is now exercising greater control of its assets.
In the spring, New Gold announced the closing of its “bought deal” equity financing of 100,395,000 common shares. At a price of $1.72 per share, the company raised $172,679,400. The offering was conducted by a syndicate of underwriters led by CIBC Capital Markets and that included BMO Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets, Scotiabank, National Bank Financial Markets, TD Securities, BofA Securities, Canaccord Genuity, Laurentian Bank Securities and Raymond James.
The company used the net proceeds to fund a portion of the cash payment to complete a previously announced agreement relating to its strategic partnership with Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board at the New Afton mine in BC, where New Gold increased its free cash flow interest to 80.1%.
New Gold is a Canadian-focused intermediate mining company with a portfolio of two core producing assets in Canada, the Rainy River gold mine near Fort Frances and the New Afton copper-gold mine in British Columbia.
Back in Ontario, the team behind the company’s well-established apprenticeship program at Rainy River had reason to celebrate with the certification of its first female Red Seal welder, Kaitlyn Baldwin. She is the first female employee to have gone through the apprenticeship program offered by the mine.
Unlike many other apprenticeship programs, New Gold pays employees’ wages and provides a live-away allowance during their schooling time, which amounts to around 3 months a year for an average of over 4 years. This proved to be a huge benefit to a working parent like Kaitlyn, giving her the peace of mind to focus on her studies. “I enjoyed the feeling of working toward my goal and felt set up for success during my schooling and when preparing to write my exam,” said Kaitlyn. “Not having to take care of everything on my own was a big bonus.”
Kaitlyn says that she’d like to see more women go through the program, recommending it to others who may have interest in working in the industry. “I really enjoyed learning from a range of different journeypersons – they all had different tips and tricks,” Kaitlyn said, adding that her peers all shared in her excitement when she passed.
As Kaitlyn embarks on her role as a certified welder at Rainy River, New Gold looks forward to welcoming new apprentices in the coming months and years.
“Now that I have my Red Seal certification, I can work anywhere,” said Kaitlyn. “I’m happy to be working at New Gold, knowing that I can rely on this designation later throughout my career.”
On another front, New Gold Inc. announced the publication of its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance Reports and its 2023 Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures Report. New Gold has published an annual ESG Report since 2015, reporting on the sustainability-related material topics that matter most to stakeholders.
Rainy River’ first female Red Seal welder, Kaitlyn Baldwin.
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“New Gold’s impressive sustainability performance in 2023 was made possible by the dedicated teams working on the ground to advance our environmental, social and governance performance,” stated Patrick Godin, President and CEO.
“These 2023 ESG Reports capture our achievements over the past year, but they also showcase the spirit of who we are. At New Gold, we live by our Core Values and our notable performance is an embodiment of these practices. I am proud of our team for their shared achievements in 2023 and look forward to continuing to embed ESG into our operations as One New Gold.”
Gillian Davidson, Chair of Technical and Sustainability Committee, commented “As a company, sustainability is core to our strategy and decision making. I am pleased to see the progress of our work and the release of New Gold’s 2023 ESG Reports. These reports demonstrate our commitments and priorities in embedding sustainability throughout the organization. During the year, the New Gold team have worked collaboratively internally and externally to advance us towards our sustainability goals, and I congratulate them on a successful year.”
New Gold’s 2023 ESG Reports were prepared in alignment with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
2023 ESG Highlights
Metals and Mining Standards, the Mining Local Procurement Reporting Mechanism (LPRM) and Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.
• Across operations, New Gold achieved a 4% reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions from 2022, with an overall 8% reduction from New Gold’s 2020 baseline year. The reductions were achieved through an increase in the use of battery electric production vehicles at New Afton and increased emissions tracking and mitigation practices at Rainy River.
• Reduction in water withdrawal by 50% across operations. While this reduction is partially associated with below average precipitation, significant work was accomplished to reduce the volume of water required in operations.
• New Gold’s total recordable injury frequency rate (“TRIFR”) decreased from 0.95 in 2022 to 0.80 in 2023, achieving the lowest consolidated TRIFR in New Gold history. This performance exemplifies New Gold’s safety-first culture and what it means to have the Courage to Care.
• Indigenous employees represent 25% of New Gold’s workforce across operations. The company is committed to engaging in ways that foster respectful relationships that are built on trust and acceptance and promote Indigenous cultural awareness throughout its operations.
• New Gold contributed over C$1,000,000 to non-governmental agencies, charities and research institutions in 2023. Striving to go beyond traditional philanthropic practices, New Gold support helps to create long term economic growth and social development in local communities.
KINROSS GOLD looking to turn Great Bear into a great Hemlo-like mine by 2029
By Kevin Vincent
In February 2022, Kinross acquired Great Bear Resources Ltd. and its flagship Dixie project in the prolific Red Lake district.
A year later, Kinross announced its initial mineral resource estimate for the project. The world-class project is the centerpiece of Kinross’s development portfolio and has excellent potential to become a top-tier deposit that could support a large, long-life mine complex and bolster Kinross’ long-term production outlook. Drilling has increased the resource-estimate by nearly 50% since Kinross took over.
Kinross’ drilling and exploration focus for 2024 is to expand the mineralized zones LP, Hinge and Limb, define deep mineralization, continue exploration along strike, and identify new targets around the property. The comprehensive exploration and development program will support Kinross’ vision of a quality, highgrade, open-pit mine and a longer-term, sizeable underground mine.
The Great Bear project is located on the traditional territories of the Wabauskang and Lac Seul First Nations. Kinross intends to make positive and lasting impact to benefit partners and all local communities through job creation, local investment and strong environmental stewardship.
Kinross is working with First Nations partners in a number of areas, including comprehensive baseline studies, site planning, future procurement, training and other opportunities. The Kinross team meets on a regular basis with stakeholders, engaging in a way that respects traditions and builds strong relationships. It is important for us to continue to meet. “At our Great Bear project in northwestern Ontario, Canada, I have prioritized opportunities to sit down with the Chiefs of the Wabauskang and Lac Seul First Nations to update them on our operations, hear feedback and take project input from them directly. For me this direct engagement is critical to our success as a company and helps to build collaborative, trusting relationships that can an-
At Great Bear, Kinross’ CEO Paul Rollinson, Chief Petiquan, Waubausang First Nation, and Chief Bull, Lac Seul First Nation share gifts to recognize the signing of the Amended and Restated Exploration Agreement.
ticipate changing needs,” said CEO J. Paul Rollinson in the company’s 2023 Sustainability report.
The company is also progressing studies and permit ting for an advanced exploration program that would establish an underground decline to obtain a bulk sam ple and allow for more efficient exploration of deeper areas of the LP Fault, along with the nearby Hinge and Limb gold zones.
Kinross has mines in multiple jurisdictions around the world. “We have had a strong start to the year and are well positioned to meet our annual guidance,” said Rollinson in the company’s quarterly report to share holders. “Our portfolio of mines performed well, driven by strong operational performance, disciplined cost management and higher gold prices. The company de livered a 20% increase in margins to $1,088 per ounce sold, which is approximately double the percentage increase in the gold price over the same period. As a result, free cash flow more than tripled over Q1 2023.”
With a strong sustained gold price, Kinross will con tinue to prioritize its financial discipline and operational excellence. They are focusing on maintaining margins and cost profile, prudent capital allocation and debt reduction.
“Our development projects are all proceeding as planned. At Great Bear, we made excellent progress on our 2024 drilling campaign, which continued to successfully target extensions of the resource at depth, and we remain on track to release a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) in the second half of the year. At Round Mountain, Phase S and Phase X are advancing well. We are also looking forward to first production at Manh Choh early in the third quarter. At Tasiast, our solar power plant is complete and generating power at full capacity.”
“Kinross’ commitment to sustainability is deeply rooted in our values and culture, and we are proud of our consistent high rankings in our industry.”
BUILDING A LEGACY IN RED LAKE
The Kinross Great Bear project is making strong progress to unlock the tremendous value this project offers. We are building a strong local workforce and supply chain network with a commitment to making a positive and lasting impact in the region.
Kinross is a Canadian-based global senior gold mining company with operations and projects in the United States, Brazil, Mauritania, Chile and Canada. Our focus is on delivering value based in the core principles of responsible mining, operational excellence, disciplined growth, and balance sheet strength.
ALAMOS GOLD in a great position for the long term
By Andrew Autio
Alamos Gold is positioning itself as one of the top gold producers in Canada, and a recent acquisition next door to one of its existing mines could ensure an even brighter future.
Luc Guimond, Chief Operating Officer of the Toronto based company, spoke as part of the ‘Projects In The Pipeline’ conference at the 2024 Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June.
the gold space, even into the junior sector, there’s a bright future.”
One of their top operations is the Island Gold Mine, near Dubreuilville, an underground operation with ramp access. “As part of our expansion, we were actually already undertaking a significant expansion with our Island Gold operation, basically converting it from a ramp access mine to a shaft access mine.”
“ We see the ability to be able to process 20,000 tonnes per day, on a bigger mill expansion”
“With the history of the Timmins Camp, the Kirkland Lake Camp, Val d’or, even to the west of us, towards Wawa, I think, obviously, we’re in a very good position for the long term with regards to this next stage of our production growth,” he said. In the bigger picture, Guimond told the audience that he believes the mining industry as a whole is headed in the right direction. “I think, from all companies, certainly operating in
In late March, it was announced that Alamos had acquired the Magino Mine from Argonaut Gold, which is adjacent to the Island Gold complex. They closed the deal in early July. “It’s got a depth right now of about 320 meters. Final depth would be about 1,350 meters, so we’ll continue to develop that over the next couple of years.”
Guimond also provided an overall snapshot of Alamos. “We are a
Canadian based company, and the majority of our assets are primarily in Ontario currently.” Alamos began in Mexico with their Mulatos operation, which they acquired in 2003 for $10 million.
“The current consensus as far as the NPV and the free cash flow generated with that project is over $1.1 billion, so it has been a significant contributor to the company and the cornerstone of our company really since 2003 and just last year we celebrated our 20th anniversary as a company.”
The Young-Davidson Mine, near Matachewan, is another one of the major assets. “In 2015, we acquired the Young-Davidson mine from AuRico Gold for a cost of $950 million and currently with the NPV and free cash flow that’s been generated over the operation, it sits at about $1.8 billion.” That was followed in 2017 when they acquired Island Gold from Richmont Mines. “Then, with the recent acquisition that we just announced a couple months ago with Argonaut and specifically the Magino mine, overall acquisi -
Luc Guimond, Chief Operating Officer, Alamos Gold speaks at the CME 2024
tion cost of about $1.2 billion and the NPV free cash flow aspect with regards to the value of that, those assets are now, $3.5 billion.”
They also have the Lynn Lake open pit gold project in northern Manitoba in the works. “We released an updated feasibility study there last summer, but the expenditures to date with the acquisition cost and capital invested of about $145 million, we’ve got a consensus NPV of $604 million.”
Guimond spoke with Mining Life after the presentation, and further discussed how Alamos will be able to achieve a relatively low-cost operation at the Island-Magino site.
“The big driver there is really the synergies by combining two mining operations into one, and having a centralized milling facility, which is what Magino brings because of the size of that complex,” he said.
“With limited capital expansion, we can actually set up the structure there so that we can have an underground operation and an open pit operation feeding one central mill complex and get the benefits from the synergies on that aspect. Which obviously reduces our overall milling costs.”
“Currently with Island Gold alone, at $48 dollars a tonne, on a combined basis it would drop our unit costs down to $18 per tonne. It’s significant.”
The Island Gold mill would eventually be decommissioned. “The Magino mill is a brand-new construction. They just declared it for commercial production. The Island mill is an older mill. It’s been in operations for a number of years. We were going to have to invest, and expand it, to be able to get it to 2,400 tonnes per day milling rate to support the mining rate increase,” explained Guimond.
“On this basis, we will invest some minimal capital, relative to what we had to with the Island Gold expansion, to be able to invest that money into the Magino expansion, to be able
support the feed from both the open pit and the underground.”
Capital savings will develop, as well as operating synergies, and Guimond said it’s exciting times at the complex. “There’s a bit of a 3-stage approach. Currently, we’ll look to get it to 11,000 tonnes per day for the
mill, by the end of this year. The next phase would be, in 2026, we’ll bring to 12,400 tonnes per day. Then in the longer-term potential, we see the ability to be able to process 20,000 tonnes per day, on a bigger mill expansion.”
“Good mines and good people are the foundation of our
Island Gold District
Young Davidson Mine
FIRST MINING GOLD using data-driven approach in Quebec and Ontario
By Kevin Vincent
With drills and advanced exploration underway in two provinces, First Mining Gold is confident their latest financing will underwrite eastern Canada’s next gold producer. The company has the Springpole Project in northwestern Ontario, and the Duparquet Project in Quebec.
SPRINGPOLE
First Mining came to terms with Cat Lake First Nation (CLFN) in June 2024, so it could build an 18-km temporary road to the Springpole exploration site.
In February, First Mining received construction permits for a temporary winter road by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (“MNRF”), which would allow for the safe transport of supplies and people overland. Shortly afterwards, the company received notice from litigation counsel to CLFN that it intended to challenge the permits issued to First Mining.
Following discussions between the parties, CLFN accepted a settlement offer proposed by MNRF. The settlement agreement was filed with the court bringing an end to the judicial review process.
First Mining continues to meet with CLFN and community leaders to discuss activities in their traditional territories to support awareness and environmental stewardship across their operations with a goal of building collaborative, respectful longterm relationships.
The company is hoping to complete its EA process by the end of 2025. CEO Dan Wilton told one investor analyst in June that First Mining is six years into what it believes is a seven-and-a-half-year process. “There are a couple of those years as we went into covid that, it was difficult to make meaningful advances on some aspects of the project. But for where we are right now, you got to remember we submitted that draft EA in May of 2022, that’s been reviewed by all the regulators and a number of the indigenous commu-
nities. We’re incorporating all that input into a final environmental assessment document and that’s what gets submitted.”
First Mining Gold will be a guest speaker at this year’s CEN CAN Expo. The project will be highlighted as part of the Projects in the Pipeline Conference Series (Northwestern Ontario) this September in Thunder Bay. To learn more about this project and others you can register online at https://virtex.cencanexpo.ca/
FINANCING
The company easily raised $7 million this summer to underwrite operations at both sites. They went to market looking for $5 million and raised $7M. At Springpole, the company says another $2 to $3 million of fieldwork is needed next year, including geotech drilling and hydrogeology analysis.
DUPARQUET
At Duparquet meanwhile, the company announced new drilling results from its 2024 Phase 2B winter diamond drilling program. This drilling targeted additional exploration trends of the North Zone, assessing the potential for higher-grade areas with extensional continuity. Drill hole DUP24-024 returned multiple intervals of significant higher-grade mineralization over considerable widths that are hosted proximal to and within a newly identified mafic volcanic unit, including 10.67 g/t Au over 5.3 m, 6.63 g/t Au over 9.0 m, 3.04 g/t Au over 33.5 m, and 5.97 g/t Au over 33.0 m (including 9.63 g/t Au over 4.2 m and 14.43 g/t Au over 6.0 m).
First Mining continues to explore mineralization trends of the Duparquet Project for extensions and new discovery zones through its ongoing Phase 3 drill program which aims
to continue drill testing at the North Zone, Buzz Zone, Valentre Target and additional regional opportunities.
“The higher-grade zones at these exceptional widths at Duparquet clearly demonstrate the ongoing resource growth potential in what is already one of the largest established resources in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt,” said Dan Wilton, CEO of First Mining.
“What I am most excited about is the fact that this new host unit where identified has never been a focus of exploration at Duparquet, demonstrating the value of our exploration team’s systematic, data-driven approach to discovery which challenges the exploration biases of past operators. With our recent flow-through financing completed, First Mining is well funded to continue delivering exceptional results at Duparquet.”
The Phase 2B winter program concluded in April 2024 and comprised a seven-hole, 2,856 m drill program. The objective of this drilling phase within the overall program
was to target further exploration and resource growth opportunities, with a focus on grade optimization and depth extension targets. Highlights from the first drill holes completed in Phase 2B included drill hole DUP24018 which returned 3.11 g/t Au over 13.16 m, and hole DUP24-019 which returned 3.07 g/t Au over 10.32 m at the North Zone, validating the geoscience approach and supporting further testing of the extensional opportunities of the North Zone.
At the Springpole Project, the company has commenced a Feasibility Study and permitting activities are on-going based on a draft Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) for the project published from 2022. The Duparquet Gold Project in Québec is a PEA-stage development project located on the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone in the prolific Abitibi region. First Mining also owns the Cameron Gold Project in Ontario and a portfolio of gold project interests including the Pickle Crow Gold Project (being advanced in partnership
with Firefly Metals Ltd.) and retains an ownership interest in the Hope Brook Gold Project (being advanced in partnership with Big Ridge Gold Corp.).
First Mining was established in 2015 by Keith Neumeyer, founding President and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp.
TREASURY METALS adds influential investor Frank Giustra to cap table
By Kevin Vincent
When it comes to building a mine in northern Ontario, horsepower matters. Junior explorer Treasury Metals took a giant leap forward in early July when it announced that the company can now boast Frank Giustra as one of its supporters. The news came on the heels of Treasury and Blackwolf Copper and Gold Ltd. announcing the successful completion of a previously-announced deal where Treasury acquired all of the issued and outstanding common Blackwolf shares.
The merger is designed to give Treasury a solid footing to develop the company’s Goliath Gold Complex (which includes the Goliath, Goldlund and Miller deposits) near Dryden.
“We are excited for the formation of a new growth-oriented company,” said Jeremy Wyeth, CEO and Director of the combined company.
“Completing this transaction will not only accelerate the ability to build Goliath but the new vision of a buy/build strategy,” said Morgan Lekstrom, President and Director of the combined company.
“This strategy comes with putting together near-term, buildable assets, that utilize the expert builder team, newly integrated finance and mar-
keting team, to create a platform for strategic growth. Stay tuned as we continue to grow on our path towards becoming a mid-tier gold company.”
Lekstrom brings significant minebuilding, operating and capital markets experience. Frank Giustra is a new strategic investor and has an extensive track record of well-tested buy/build strategies for creating growth.
In early 2024, Treasury announced results from the Far East drill program at Goliath, a follow up that designed to confirm the continuity of mineralization across the 600 metre, target defined by drilling conducted in previous exploration programs. The drilling occurred across two phases. The initial phase of the program (20 holes, 5,427 metres) was designed to confirm the continuity of the host lithology and mineralization between existing drilling, expand along strike and up-dip, and further the geological understanding of the Goliath-style target. The second phase (14 holes, 3,078 metres) was designed to further expand known mineralization along strike and up dip and step out further to the southwest along trend to explore the potential extent of the host rock lithology.
Drilling from both phases successfully intersected the targeted lithology and mineralization adjacent to and between past drilling, extending the identified mineralized trend to approximately 1 kilometre and improved definition of 400 metres.
“These confirmatory results at Far East demonstrate the continuity of this near surface target,” said Wyeth at the time. “The exploration site is located less than 8 kilometres from the proposed processing plant for the Goliath Gold Complex, which presents the opportunity for material that can potentially extend and expand the mine life, further enhancing the value from the positive PFS released on the project in 2023.”
In addition, the company says that the silver included at the Far East and those to be integrated in the next resource update at Goldlund, which historically has not been incorporated, may broaden the material available to be processed. “The results confirm the exploration potential on our 100% owned 330 sq km Goliath Gold Complex, and we believe that more examples like Far East will be found and provide new opportunities for growth with further exploration on the district-scale property package,” added Wyeth.
NEXGOLD Mining Completes
Name Change and Consolidation
On July 9th NexGold Mining Corp. announced the Company has changed its name from “Treasury Metals Inc.” to “NexGold Mining Corp.” and completed a consolidation of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares on the basis of one post-consolidation Share for every four pre-consolidation Shares (the “Consolidation”). The Shares will be trading under the symbol “NEXG” on the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) effective as of market open on July 10, 2024. Morgan Lekstrom, President of NexGold, commented “We believe the name NexGold Mining Corp. will resonate well with shareholders, current and future, as a growth-oriented gold company focused on near term production projects. The advancement of the
Goliath Gold Complex is one step in building the vision of a multi-asset gold producer, along with assembling a team of expert mine builders, financiers and long-term supportive shareholders. Momentum and ability to execute place NexGold in a strong position to create long-term shareholder value.”
In addition, the Company announces that in connection with its previously announced transaction with Blackwolf Copper and Gold
Ltd., it has paid a success fee in connection with advisory services to Haywood Securities Inc. Part of this fee was satisfied by the issuance of 1,236,400 pre-consolidation Shares at a deemed price of $0.2022 per pre-consolidation Share. The issuance of these Shares remains subject to the approval of the TSXV and the Shares are subject to a four month and one-day hold period in accordance with Canadian securities laws.
WEST RED LAKE GOLD carrying the Madsen ball into the end zone for 2025 startup
By Kevin Vincent
When you’re in a horse race, it goes without saying that riding a thoroughbred is a distinct advantage. For West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd., there are advantages-a-plenty. Enter Frank Giustra. “When we created Goldcorp, one of the largest gold mining companies in the world, one of our acquisitions was the Red Lake Mine - it produced a lot of gold - very high grade gold and helped make Goldcorp a $50 billion dollar market cap company,” said the global mining icon, a Co-founder and Strategic Advisor to West Red Lake, the new face of the company.
It took Goldcorp 10 years to build Madsen and it was one of the company’s most important acquisitions. According to Independent Mining Analyst Gwen Preston of Resource Maven, the Madsen Mine’s most recent previous owners (Pure Gold) may have missed the opportunity. “When I first visited this project, it was back in 2014. The predecessor company came in and saw the op -
portunity that there’s still a bunch of high grade gold in the ground. They dove into that opportunity - they defined the gold in the ground - they built the mill - and they literally stumbled at the 99-yard line - and that’s where West Red Lake Gold Mines is picking up the project.
Chief Geologist Jillian Christmann calls the 47 square kilometer land package that West Red Lake acquired “a buffet of opportunity” in an area where exploration had been neglected. “With the right approach and the time that West Red Lake is willing to take to develop this property I think there’s nothing but endless opportunity to grow this mine and the surrounding area,” says Christmann in a company promotion.
“There’s very few precedents for being able to pick up a high-grade resource in a storied gold camp with a brand new mine built,” said Giustra. “Acquisitions like the Madsen Mine don’t happen. In my entire career, I’ve never seen an acquisition
this attractive. The quality of the infrastructure here is absolutely perfect - it’s first class - it’s brand new - you couldn’t create this today with less than $700 million - it would take years, probably a decade,” he added. “It’s like buying a new car you could walk into, and you have that new car smell - that’s what this feels like.”
In June, the company outlined some of the key mine infrastructure and development projects they plan to undertake at the Madsen Mine in the near-to-medium-term with funds from its recent financings. WRLG has a goal to restart the high-grade Madsen gold mine in the second half of 2025. The company is working on a pre-feasibility study detailing that restart plan, which is targeted for release in early 2025.
“With the funds raised in our recent financings, including $10 million in Canadian Development Expense flow-through funding, we are excited to get started on these important projects,” according to Shane Williams, President & CEO. “With a year of work under our belts at Madsen, we know what needs to be procured, built, and developed at the mine site over the next six to twelve months to achieve our goal of restarting the mine in 2025. We look forward to keeping investors up to date on key milestones as this work progresses,” he added. “Our updated and refined geologic model has been performing well, as evidenced by our success reporting gold mineralization in both infill and expansion drill holes,” stated Will Robinson, VP of Exploration. “We are keen to continue building confidence in the Madsen resource with definition holes ahead of our prefeasibility study, to continue expanding the North and South Austin zones where our drill holes have been stepping out from known domains in recent months, and to test additional high caliber targets close to existing underground infrastructure where historic drill intercepts
suggest there is good potential to define additional mineralization, like the 8 Zone.”
Back to the horse race. WRLG completed the acquisition of the Madsen by acquiring Pure Gold Mining Inc. in June 2023. Another thoroughbred was entered. The ink was barely dry when the West Red Lake announced that Tony Makuch would join their Board of Directors. Makuch has over 35 years of mining industry experience, is the CEO and Director of Discovery Silver Corp and was previously President, CEO and Director of Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd.
During his five-year tenure as CEO of Kirkland Lake, Makuch led the transformation of the company, with annual gold production increasing from 315,000 oz to over 1,400,000 oz, the market capitalization of the company increasing from approximately C$1 billion to over C$13 billion and Kirkland’s share price increasing over 530%. These milestones were achieved through two successful acquisitions, industry-leading operational performance and significant exploration success and ultimately culminated in Kirkland’s merger with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited in 2022.
“We are delighted to have Tony Makuch join the board of directors of West Red Lake Gold.” said Frank Giustra when the announcement was made. “Tony brings a remarkable track record of achievements in gold mining, excelling as an engineer, executive, and company builder. With the recent appointments of Shane Williams and Duncan Middlemiss, West Red Lake Gold team is now fortified with three leaders in mine development and operations in the Canadian Shield. I am inspired by the team we are building.”
AVALON ’s proposed lithium processing facility in Thunder Bay has 20-year life projection
By Kevin Vincent
Avalon Advanced Materials and its joint venture partners and contractors are busy trying to become the bellwether players in northwestern Ontario’s emerging and prolific lithium sector. Avalon has engaged DRA Americas Inc., to conduct a Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) of a lithium hydroxide conversion facility in Thunder Bay. The project will be administered by a wholly-owned subsidiary, Lake Superior Lithium Inc. The PEA will consider feed-sourcing of high-grade lithium concentrates from various projects. The lithium conversion facility will feature the environmentally friendly Metso lithium conversion technology. This study will include lithium concentrate reagent receiving and storage, processing, and site infrastructure as well as shipping/handling of product and byproduct off site.
The Metso lithium conversion technology is being deployed globally. Two are currently under construction. They are expected to be operational in 2025. The Metso innovative technology is an acid-free lithium conversion process that eliminates the use of hazardous reagents and produces an eco-friendly byproduct that is a mixture of sand and limestone. The byproduct can also be used in the production of construction materials.
In June of 2023, Avalon purchased “a crown jewel” brownfield industrial site at 965 Strathcona Avenue in the heart of Thunder Bay. The 100% owned site is 383 acres and has direct access to all infrastructure needs including access to 80-100 MW of electrical power, natural gas, water and sewer, rail including two on-site rail spurs, road access near the TransCanada Highway, and an open water port on the shore of Lake Superior. The proposed production level of the facility would be based on similarly designed units and is anticipated to be in the order of 30,000 tonne per year lithium hydroxide (LiOH) production with an operating life of over 20+ years. The facility would be designed to produce both lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate to address demand for the downstream consumers.
Avalon has engaged DRA as the lead consultant to work closely with the company, its technology partner Metso, and all subcontractors and concentrate supply partners. In a news release, Avalon Chief Executive Officer Scott Monteith said he is pleased to see the PEA kick off. “The forecasted battery manufacturing capacity is expected to increase over the coming years as world EV and battery utilization becomes more mainstream. The decision to pursue production of battery grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate is driven by continued strength in lithium battery demand and North American supply chain needs for high quality product produced in North America.”
Site valuation
An Order of Magnitude Site Infrastructure Valuation Report, has been completed by AFRY Canada for Avalon’s proposed lithium processing facility. The report highlights that the replacement cost of the infrastructure at the site, factoring in its current condition, is estimated to be $46 million. In addition, the land value is estimated at between $11 to $16 million, which brings the total estimate of the site value to be between $57 to $62 million.
The findings highlight the value proposition inherent in Avalon’s Thunder Bay site. It includes several buildings: an office complex covering 3,545 square meters over three floors, a warehouse spanning 4,599 square meters, and as well as other structures. Underground services consist of potable water pipes, sanitary sewer systems, natural gas lines and fire protection piping, among others. The existing electrical infrastructure will be sufficient to service the planned processing facility. The rail spurs span 3,659 meters to the site and 919 meters on-site, with a main line switch and five on-site switches for optimizing freight movement. The deepwater port, which measures 214 meters by 47 meters wide, is expected to be sufficient to receive feed stock and other material on standard commercial ships.
“This valuation report reinforces Avalon’s conviction that our perfectly located property in Thunder Bay accelerates the timeline for the construction of Ontario’s first lithium hydroxide conversion facility, with major infrastructure already in place,” said Monteith.
Avalon stands at the forefront of North America’s pivotal role in the global lithium industry. As the world transitions towards sustainable and clean energy solutions, lithium has emerged as a critical component in powering this shift. With a strong focus on lithium production and technology advancements, Avalon believes it is actively contributing to North America’s position as a strategic player in this dynamic sector. Meanwhile, Avalon and SCR-Sibelco NV (“Sibelco”) continue to explore their joint venture, Separation Rapids Ltd. (“SRL”), to advance mining activities at the flagship Separation Rapids deposit near Kenora, as well as at the Lilypad Project near Fort Hope. SRL is
jointly owned by Sibelco (60%) and Avalon (40%) and is well positioned with a unique dual-market strategy to supply petalite-lithium to both the global glass & ceramics industry, as well as to the North American EV battery manufacturing market. The joint venture owns and is working to commercialize the mineral assets at Separation Rapids and Lilypad. Sibelco has the sole funding responsibility for the first C$50 million of joint venture operations expenditures. Mineral output of petalite-lithium at Separation Rapids is expected to be sufficient to supply both the global glass & ceramics and North American EV battery markets. “Establishing this exciting new joint venture achieves a significant objective in our evolution as a clean energy company and enables the unique petalite deposit at Separation Rapids to be commercialized at a pace that will help position Canada in important international markets,” said Monteith.
“We are unlocking the potential of Separation Rapids and other projects, and in so doing, taking another key step in establishing the end-to-end lithium supply chain we envision for Ontario.” Separation Rapids is 70 kilometers north of Kenora. In mid-2023, Avalon released an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) for Separation Rapids, conducted by SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd., an independent global mining advisory and consulting firm. The MRE revealed a measured and indicated deposit 20% larger than earlier estimates. The MRE, compliant with NI 43-101, showed a measured and indicated resource of 10.08 million tonnes (Mt) of petalite, grading on average 1.35% Li2O. The resource is primarily from an open pit, while a smaller amount is from an underground resource. “Separation Rapids represents a unique opportunity for Sibelco to enhance a core business we know extremely well, while at the same time, provides us with an entry into the promising North American EV battery market,” said Ian Sedgman, Sibelco’s Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer. “It is a dual-market strategy we are confident will create long-term value for all stakeholders.” The Lilypad Project consists of 3,299 hectares of claims (8,152 acres) of lithium, tantalum and caesium mineralized pegmatites. Lithium pegmatite occurrences have been discovered in the area as spodumene and lepidolite. The company says it is encouraging that significant mineral discoveries to the north (Ring of Fire) have prompted the development of road access. This will greatly enhance the economic viability of any mineral deposits in the region, including Lilypad. Economic resources of caesium are very rare and Lilypad represents one of the very few known significant occurrences of this mineral in the world. With declining production from traditional sources, new producers are needed for this scarce advanced material to meet growing demand.
FRONTIER LITHIUM Made in Canada solution
By Kevin Vincent
Sudbury-based Frontier Lithium is sitting on what they believe is the second-largest lithium land package in North America - worth more than $2 billion Canadian. While extracting and delivering that value to investors is still early-stage, company executives are excited about the property north of Red Lake. The company is in the midst of an exploration and data analysis program that will form the basis of their upcoming feasibility study. Frontier Lithium Inc. is a preproduction business with a plan to become an integrated strategic domestic supplier of spodumene concentrates for industrial users as well as batterygrade lithium hydroxide and other chemicals to the growing electric vehicle and energy storage markets in North America. The company’s sole project is the largest land position and potential resource in what it calls a premium lithium mineral district in Ontario’s Great Lakes region.
Frontier describes the PAK Lithium Project as containing North America’s highest-grade lithium resource and the second largest in North America. The project is close to 27,000 hectares and remains largely unexplored. Since 2013, the company has delineated two premium spodumene-bearing lithium deposits (PAK and Spark), located 2.3 kilometres apart. In June, the company got results from a winter drill program and it’s encouraging. “The geotechnical winter diamond drill program yielded consistent drill intersections with the two northern holes confirming and extending a highgrade lithium zone, with enriched cesium and tantalum. The program also extended the Spark pegmatite 200 metres to the west,” said Garth Drever, VP Exploration. “Although width and lithium values were low, based on existing drill intercepts to the east, we expect the pegmatite to increase in both grade and width with depth.”
In addition to the diamond drilling at Spark, during February and March, geotechnical drilling continued on potential infrastructure sites including stockpiles, tailing management, mill and other related facilities. Environmental studies and monitoring continued and community engagement. The work was conducted out of the Knox camp on the winter road to Deer Lake. Exploration continues through two other spodumene-bearing discoveries: the Bolt pegmatite (located between the PAK and Spark deposits), as well as the Pennock pegmatite (25 kilometres northwest of PAK deposit within
the project claims). A 2023 Pre-Feasibility Study “National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report PFS PAK Lithium Project” by BBA E&C Inc., delivered a 24- year project life, delivering a post-tax NPV(8%) of US$1.74 billion and IRR of 24.1% according to a news release disseminated in May of 2023.
All of this comes on the heels of a partnership the company signed with Mitsubishi in April of this year. The joint venture is structured to facilitate the majority of equity funding for the planned mine and mill, with Frontier then being able to reduce its share of development costs, while maintaining at least 75% of future off-take optionality. The partnership aligns with a Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the governments of Canada and Japan to encourage value-added investments that will help establish sustainable and reliable battery supply chains between the two countries. Under the deal Frontier contributed all assets pertaining to the Project in exchange for a 92.5% stake in the JV and assumes the role of JV manager. Mitsubishi will have the option to increase its interest in the JV up to a 25% interest at a valuation based upon, among other things, the net asset value of the Project. Mitsubishi will collaborate closely with Frontier in securing debt financing to ensure full funding for the Project’s production. The completion of the investment is contingent upon certain preconditions, such as obtaining material infrastructure permits and other customary approvals. Frontier expects the conditions to be met in 2025. Mitsubishi Corporation is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses with a global network of around 1,800 companies.
ROCK TECH LITHIUM planning to duplicate European lithium refinery model at Red Rock
By Kevin Vincent
The global search for critical minerals and the technology to extract and process those minerals is finding northwestern Ontario more and more these days.
Earlier this year, Germany-based Rock Tech selected Red Rock as the location for Ontario’s First Lithium Refinery and secured a CAD $5.5 million project investment from the BMI Group.
Following an extensive location selection process, Rock Tech selected the former Norampac Paper site in Red Rock as the location to develop Ontario’s first Lithium Refinery Converter. Rock Tech and the BMI Group signed a binding Cooperation Agreement outlining a long-term lease for the location. With Rock Tech’s unparalleled expertise gained through the successful development of Europe’s first Lithium Converter in Germany, the company believes Red Rock will become Canada’s premier lithium refining destination. The township of Red Rock is 110 km northeast of Thunder Bay, along the Trans-Canada Highway 17, on the north shore of Lake Superior. Rock Tech’s 100% owned Georgia Lake mining project is 60 km north of Red Rock.
In early 2023, Rock Tech engaged in an extensive site selection process. Several green and brown-field sites across Ontario and the Northern United States were evaluated. Rock Tech’s comprehensive expertise in developing Europe’s first Lithium Converter in Germany was instrumental in running an efficient and successful selection process in Canada. Since 2021, the company has invested over 350,000 engineering hours and CAD $60 million into developing the Guben Lithium Converter in Germany.
Among others, the location in Red Rock was selected due to:
1. The availability of major supporting infrastructure, including the proximity to BMI’s emerging multimodal logistics hub and an energy grid providing abundant clean electricity.
2. Strong support for the Project by the local community and Indigenous partners.
3. Its proximity to the Georgia Lake project.
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The future of Canadian mining is being built on the strength of partnerships, strategic infrastructure, and the people realizing new capacity-building opportunities in the North.
From our joint partnerships in the ownership of the International Bridge in Fort Frances with the Rainy River First Nations, our Marine Heavy-Cargo partnership in Red Rock with the Red Rock Indian Band, to our collaboration with the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority at our Thorold Multimodal Hub, we’re invested in building shared perspectives with diverse stakeholders to realize common goals.
Join us at the Expo and learn how we’re putting that investment to work for the North.
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Equipped with the capability to process lithium from third-party mining projects, the Red Rock Converter will further unlock Northern Ontario’s nascent lithium mining sector. “This is a fundamental milestone for our North American Lithium refinery plans,” explained Kerstin Wedemann, Rock Tech’s Chief Legal & Operations Officer. “Lithium Converters are large value-added production facilities. Substantial infrastructure and several supporting factors are required to enable such projects. Our site selection process evaluated more than 150 different criteria and determined that Red Rock is the best location for this important Project.”
The binding Cooperation Agreement signed between Rock Tech and BMI is comprised of two aspects:
1. Rock Tech and BMI will enter into a long-term lease agreement for an area of approximately 50 acres (20 hectares) on the former Norampac Paper Mill site in Red Rock, allowing Rock Tech to develop, build and operate Ontario’s first Lithium Converter.
2. BMI will invest CAD $5.5 into Rock Tech’s Red Rock Lithium Converter on the asset-level of the Project. The investment by BMI will include an equity component, where BMI will acquire an equity stake in the Project, as well as a long-term loan.
“We believe in strong partnerships and the community benefits our projects can generate,” Rock Tech’s CEO Dirk Harbecke adds. “For over a decade now, we have been committed to developing relationships with our Indigenous partners in the area. With our decision to build our first Ontario Lithium Converter in Red Rock, we are proud to honour their request to refine where we mine. The Red Rock community is eager to see a large industrial project return. BMI shares this vision of realizing sustainable economic development in Northern Ontario, demonstrated by their asset-level investment into the Red Rock Lithium Converter Project.”
“From developing the northernmost port on the Great Lakes in partnership with the Red Rock Indian Band to working with the town of Red Rock, Iron and Oak Railroad Services, and Hydro One, we’ve been working to make Red Rock industry-ready,” commented Paul Veldman, CEO of the BMI Group. “Today, that work has secured a pivotal partnership with Rock Tech and a new future for the Red Rock community. Together, we’re working to fortify Ontario’s Critical Mineral Corridor from the North to Niagara to establish a robust, made-in-Ontario lithium supply chain crucial for meeting the province’s burgeoning automotive and battery manufacturing potential. At PDAC 2024, we met with industry partners to discuss the Port of Red Rock, Rock Tech’s Lithium Converter capabilities, and the Critical Mineral Corridor strategic supply chain.”
Rock Tech is a cleantech company with operations in Canada and Germany on a mission to produce lithium hydroxide for electric vehicle batteries. BMI Group is a real estate development and revitalization company specializing in the adaptive reuse and repurposing of end-of-use industrial and commercial properties and their transition from linear to circular economies. The former Red Rock mill site is being developed in partnership with the Red Rock Indian Band (RRIB), an Ojibwe First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, as a catalyst for the town of Red Rock and the greater Nipigon region.
GREEN TECHNOLOGY METALS considering options for Seymour Lithium Project
By Kevin Vincent
Australia-based Green Technology Metals (GT1) is making significant strides in establishing itself as a leader in the lithium industry with its vertically integrated lithium business in northwestern Ontario.
The Flagship Seymour Project is comprised of 15,140 hectares (151.4km2) of 100% GT1-owned Claims and is located near the township of Armstrong and Whitesand First Nation, approximately 230km north of Thunder Bay. The project has an existing Mineral Resource estimate of 10.3 Mt @ 1.03% Li2O1 (comprised of 6.1 Mt at 1.25% Li2O Indicated and 4.2 Mt at 0.7% Li2O Inferred) at North and South Aubry Deposit areas.
The company’s vision was presented in their March 2024 Investor Presentation at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference. “Based on feedback from Canadian operators and our ongoing efforts to optimise project capex and operational costs, we are evaluating a combination of both
open cut and underground development strategy,” said Executive Director Cameron Henry in a summer news release. “Preliminary findings suggest that this approach will enhance the project’s economics, extend the mine life and give greater development flexibility to incorporate additional feed from our potential new deposits. We have mobilized a drill rig to the project area and are optimistic about the results, as they have the potential to further increase the North Aubry resource and further prove the combined hybrid open pit/ underground strategy,” added Henry.
The company has been working on further options to optimise the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) released in December for the Seymour project, confirming its economic viability as an independent operation, and given the fluctuations in the commodity pricing forecasts.
Preliminary work has been completed with the evaluation of additional optimizations to integrate both the open pit and underground mining methods. This approach aims to enhance the project’s economic potential while also reducing its overall environmental footprint.
Specifically, the company is assessing three distinct approaches across various pit shell designs to determine the most effective integration strategy.
Option 1: Two-stage open pit development with a small underground component
Option 2: Three-stage open pit development with a small underground component
Option 3: Single-stage open pit development with a large underground component
GT1 is committed to environmental stewardship and values its partnerships with Indigenous communities, acknowledging the traditional territories they operate on. The company’s board of directors, comprising experienced professionals like John Young, Cameron Henry, Patrick Murphy, and Rob Longley, brings ex-
tensive expertise in geology, investment, and resource management.
GT1’s corporate snapshot reveals a market capitalization of $63.7 million, a cash balance of $16.53 million, and no debt as of December 2023. The company is focused on developing its key lithium projects in Ontario, which are the Seymour Lithium Project and the Root Lithium Project. The Seymour project, 100% owned by GT1, has a resource estimate of 10.3 million tonnes at 1.03% Li2O and is in the pre-development stage with expected production in 2025/26. The Root project, also fully owned, has a resource estimate of 14.6 million tonnes at 1.21% Li2O, with expected production in 2028/29. Both projects have shown promising exploration results with high-grade lithium mineralization. The economic potential of these projects is underscored by GT1’s Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), which highlights an after-tax net present value of C$1.19 billion, an internal rate of return of 54%, and a payback period of 1.3 years. The company’s strategy involves an initial production of spodumene concentrate by 2026 and chemical-grade lithium hydroxide production by 2028.
The demand for lithium is driven by the booming battery production industry, particularly in China and North America. Ontario, ranked #1 globally for its lithium-ion battery supply chain, provides robust infrastructure and favorable regulatory conditions, making it an ideal location for GT1’s operations. The company’s integrated strategy includes developing additional feed sources and establishing a lithium conversion facility to supply the North American market. GT1 is on track to become Ontario’s first lithium concentrate and chemical producer. With its clear strategy, robust resources, and favourable market conditions, Green Technology Metals believes it is poised to lead the lithium revolution in North America.
Generation Mining Limited is making strides in advancing its Marathon Palladium-Copper Project in Northwestern Ontario. The company is focused on optimizing the project design to improve constructability, reduce initial capital costs, and lower operating-phase expenses.
“I am confident this optimization work will further enhance the economics and construction readiness of the Marathon Project. We have continued to advance our permitting program and are making great strides towards having all necessary government permits and approvals for the construction phase. The goal of this work is ultimately to improve upon the initial capital requirements and cash flows from operations in the early years following start-up, without impacting the fundamentals of the design,” said Jamie Levy, President and CEO.
To achieve these goals, Gen Mining has engaged a construction-focused engineering firm. This collaboration aims to refine design, supply, and construction strategies with input from original equipment manufacturers, contractors, and construction consultants. The goal is to ensure plant and infrastructure designs are fit-for-purpose, leveraging a better understanding of site conditions to minimize the use of building steel and foundation concrete. Addition -
ally, Gen Mining is exploring alternative pit sequencing options. By exploiting the ore body’s proximity to the surface, the company aims to maximize cash flows in the early production years. This optimization will enhance plant feed grades and delay initial stripping requirements until later in the mine’s life. The optimization work commenced in late April.
Generation Mining’s primary focus is developing the Marathon Project, a significant undeveloped palladiumcopper deposit in Northwestern Ontario. The company filed an Amended Feasibility Study Update for the Marathon Project in May of this year. The Feasibility Study projects a Net Present Value (using a 6% discount rate) of C$1.16 billion, an Internal Rate of Return of 25.8%, and a 2.3-year payback period. The mine is expected to produce an average of 166,000 ounces of payable palladium and 41 million pounds of payable copper annually over a 13-year mine life. Total payable metals over the life of the mine include 2,122,000 ounces of palladium, 517 million pounds of copper, 485,000 ounces of platinum, 158,000 ounces of gold, and 3,156,000 ounces of silver.
The Marathon Property spans approximately 26,000 hectares. Gen Mining holds a 100% interest in the Project.
In the meantime, the company is also acknowledging the recent International Energy Forum (IEF) report titled “Copper Mining and Vehicle Electrification.” The report highlights a significant challenge: the world may not produce enough copper to meet the 100% electric vehicle (EV) production target by 2035 set by many governments. The IEF report suggests, “Policymakers might consider changing the vehicle electrification goal from 100% EV to 100% hybrid manufacture by 2035.”
Simon is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan and a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists. The Report references a February 2024 study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, indicating that EVs and hybrids have similar health costs from air pollution linked to manufacturing, fuel production, and vehicle emissions.
“Generation Mining has been advocating the need for hybrid vehicles and stressing the challenges of fleet electrification by 2035, for many of the reasons cited in Mr. Simon’s IEF report,” said Jamie Levy, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Key points from the Report include:
1. Meeting business-as-usual trends without full EV adoption requires mining more copper in the next 30 years than in all of history to date.
2. Electrifying the global vehicle fleet demands 55% more new mines than currently expected.
3. The 100% EV target requires additional copper for batteries and grid upgrades, while hybrids do not need extra grid capacity.
4. EVs need 60 kg of copper, hybrids 29 kg, and combustion engine vehicles 24 kg. Switching to hybrids would have minimal impact on copper demand.
5. Copper demand for EVs could significantly increase prices and hinder progress in less developed areas.
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INTERNATIONAL LITHIUM looking to rally investors
International Lithium tables PEA for Raleigh and sets sights on Firesteel
By Kevin Vincent
2024 has been a busy year for International Lithium as the nodebt, positive cash-flow junior hopes to turn heads with its Raleigh Lake project. Raleigh Lake is roughly 25 kilometres west of Ignace and 235 kilometres west of Thunder Bay.
The company has been steadily advancing Raleigh following the late 2023 release of an impressive PEA. “We are really pleased to have brought the first stage of the Raleigh Lake project to the PEA stage in a relatively short time, and it was pleasing to have been able to announce these results despite a considerable fall in the lithium price,” said John Wisbey, Chairman and CEO of ILC.
“Since publication in early December that price has fallen appreciably further owing, we understand, to destocking in the Chinese battery industry. The lithium price is now back to mid-2021 levels having been six times higher in late 2022. It is obvious that destocking cannot continue indefinitely, and we hope for a significant price recovery in 202425 given the tremendous progress taking place in new lithium battery technologies and the ever-increasing uptake of EVs and battery storage based on lithium.”
Wisbey added that the PEA takes no account of the considerable amounts of rubidium that the company has at Raleigh Lake. Rubidium is on the US critical minerals list. “We will be actively researching
the market for rubidium in the coming months and assessing the real likely annual demand.”
FIRESTEEL PROJECT
The company has its sights set on other properties as well. International Lithium took a 90% interest in a highly prospective grassroots copper and cobalt property in Northwestern Ontario. The Firesteel project, previously referred to as the Honeyjack project, is located less than 10 km directly west of Upsala along Highway 17 and stretches for 16 km to the Firesteel River.
At the same time, the company announced that it filed applications for permits to conduct the first drilling program at Firesteel targeting copper mineralization within the 6,600-hectare property. The company intends to test up to six distinct targets with up to 2,000 metres of core drilling.
The six target areas were predominantly identified from the airborne geophysical survey conducted by the Company in late 2023 as part of the due diligence process.
A number of the most promising anomalies (magnetic and conductive) correlate well, either directly or on trend, with surface samples returning anomalous copper and/ or historic drill holes, of which there are four drilled by the Canada Nickel Company that returned up to 30 metre intervals of massive pyrrhotite with chalcopyrite, pyrite and sphalerite also present.
In a news release, ILC stated that a Resident Geologist Program site visit confirms up to 2.8% Cu at the Roadside 1 occurrence on Highway 17; and 5802 ppm Cu with 217.5 ppm Co and 1728 ppm Cu with 309 ppm Co at the Roadside 2, approximately 2.8 km west from the Roadside 1 occurrence.
“We’ve got assets with demonstrable value. I think we’ve taken an enormous amount of risk out of these and that’s a very important thing,” Wisbey told Investing News. “That is fundamentally our strategy, and our business here is de-risking these projects to surface value through achieving milestones that allow other people really to see the value and want to mobilize capital towards them, whether that’s individual investors, whether it’s high net-worth and retail investors, whether that’s institutional investors - at some point, you will get recognition for the fundamental value in these projects - of that I’m absolutely convinced,” said Wisbey.
CANADA NICKEL COMPANY may be just one year away from permits
By Andrew Autio
Mark Selby doesn’t mince words. The CEO of Canada Nickel Company says CNC is planning to unlock an entire nickel district in Northeastern Ontario which could benefit the planet as a whole. That’s a bold statement when one takes Sudbury, Ontario; Thomson, Manitoba; Russia; China; and, Indonesia into consideration.
Selby made the comments at the ‘Projects in the Pipeline’ conference at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June. “With the funding that we received from Agnico Eagle, we’re doing $35 million worth of exploration this year, and by this time next year, we expect to be in a position where we have unlocked what we think can potentially become the world’s largest nickel sulphide district,” he said.
In late December of 2023, gold-producing powerhouse Agnico Eagle announced they had invested in the nickel startup.
Selby also touted the potential positive environmental impact the project could have. “For those of you who have been following the story, we developed what we call our IPT Carbonation process,” he said.
“These deposits are hosted in rocks that have this great property where they can spontaneously absorb CO2. So, we designed a process where we can effectively inject CO2 as it is going through the mill, and we can sequester an average of a million and a half tonnes of CO2 annually during the 27-year peak period of the project life. That would make our Crawford project alone one of the largest carbon storage facilities in Canada.”
“With all of that nickel, with the ability to sequester carbon, it makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons to look at doing the next stage processing here in Timmins.”
Selby told the crowd that CNC would be somewhat bucking an unfortunate trend in recent decades. “Canadian mining companies have seemed to forget about processing things locally. So, there’s a real once-in-ageneration opportunity to rebuild a metal processing capacity here in Timmins.”
Selby’s comments were a reference to the closure and dismantling of the Kidd Creek smelter and zinc plant that led to Kidd’s concentrates being processed at the Horne smelter in Rouyn, Quebec and elsewhere. He spoke about the different properties the company has, most of which have been drill tested using geophysical and geological targeting and have the desired mineralization.
Speaking with Mining Life after his presentation, Selby elaborated on the potential for expanding nickel operations in the Timmins District.
Q. With Crawford being the largest nickel deposit in
Mark Selby, CEO of Canada Nickel Company at the ‘Projects in the Pipeline’ conference at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins.
TSXV: CNC
UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF THE TIMMINS NICKEL DISTRICT
Canada, could there really be 10 or more deposits even bigger in the vicinity?
A. “Yes. With these ultramafic deposits, we figured out that there’s a very specific geophysical footprint that we think delivers the right kind of deposit. And yes, at least 10 of them have a larger footprint than Crawford,” he said. “When we’ve drilled into the targets, 94 percent of the holes have worked out.”
When it comes to processing such a volume, it makes the most sense to mill in the area. “With lower grade ore, you can’t travel very far before you lose too much value. So again, it’s early days, but if what we think is there, we could just use the mill at Crawford as a template to eventually develop other deposits in the region, producing significant volumes of nickel,” said Selby. “That’s what the western world needs right now. All of the nickel growth since 2016 has all come from Indonesia. The rest of the world has been shrinking. And now we’re adding this big brand new demand for nickel in electric vehicles. Car companies are trying to figure out how to get as much nickel in there as possible, to have the longest range.”
“In Canada, we’ve got big cars and big trucks which will require big nickel batteries. This region could deliver 250,000 to 300,000 tonnes per year and that is exactly what the world needs – clean Canadian nickel produced at a much higher standard in terms of labour, environmental protections, true Indigenous participation, and safety. Frankly, there is nowhere else globally that has this kind of potential right now.”
Indonesia’s highly questionable environmental impact from their nickel operations is another factor working in CNC’s favour. “There is massive environmental damage (in Indonesia). There’s a huge carbon footprint, because they’re basically melting a tonne of soggy dirt with one percent nickel in it, and using coal-fired power, and some additional coal to turn it into metal.” Furthermore, in Indonesia, for every one tonne of nickel produced, there are a hundred tonnes of highly reactive tailings that need to be carefully managed in an environmentally sensitive region. “We’re lucky. The ultramafic rock – in addition to soaking up carbon – is basically non-deleterious. It’s ideal.”
The immediate future is encouraging. “We’ve gone from our fifth drill hole to feasibility study, and we believe we are a year away from permits – all within four years. Each year we’ve really advanced the ball down the field. So, I think by this time next year, we should hopefully be not too far away from getting permits, making construction decisions, and we’ll have additional resources published,” he said.
“I think there’s very few mining companies that have that kind of vision for an entire district beyond one project. And we’ve got the downstream that we are currently working on a feasibility study for.”
Selby says CNC wants the nickel processing plant up and running before they start mining at Crawford, so they can start processing third party feed. The goal remains to get the nickel plant into production within the next few years, with a target to see the Crawford mine in full production, permits pending, by the end of 2027.
As CNC continues to expand its operations in Northern Ontario, they announced on July 8 the creation of ‘ExploreCo’ – a subsidiary which consolidates the Canada Nickel-Noble joint venture in Mann Township and other exploration projects east of Timmins into a single private company. CNC owns 80 percent and 20 percent is owned by Noble Mineral Exploration.
EV NICKEL joins roster of juniors looking for nickel in Timmins region
By Andrew Autio
If the Timmins area is going to become one of the world’s nickel hotbeds in the coming years, Torontobased EV Nickel wants to be a big part of it. EV Nickel was developed in 2021 and 2022 as they acquired their properties, located 25 kilometres southeast of the city.
“I’m a geologist who actually made a 35-year career out of looking for nickel in a gold camp,” said Paul Davis, VP of Exploration at the ‘Projects In The Pipeline’ conference at the 2024 Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June.
Davis gave the audience a brief history lesson on nickel mining in the Timmins area, which, of course, is mostly known for its gold mines and the copper-zinc deposit of Kidd Creek. “Nickel mining in Timmins has happened quite a bit in the past. There’s been a total of seven mines within the Timmins area for nickel,” he said. “You can see this real cyclical nature. As the price of nickel went up, the nickel mine was open, exploration boomed, price went down, everything kind of slowed down again. It’s been a really stop-and-start type of model for nickel in the Timmins camp.”
Davis spoke about the excellent position the company is in. “We have a dominant land position down in the Shaw Dome. We have over 30,000 hectares of ground within that area that contains both large-scale depos-
its, similar to Crawford (of Canada Nickel),” he said. “We came out with a resource in 2023 of a billion tons of 0.24 percent nickel on our ‘CarLang A’ deposit, as well as high grade with our ‘W4’ deposit that graded about 2 million tons of 1 percent nickel, which we also released in 2023.”
“We’re really looking at a twotrack type of exploration program. We have the high grade. We have a total of four projects that have the potential to have over 1 percent nickel.” Davis says the company is actively exploring these in a sequential way. We’ve prioritized them, and we’re going to be working our way through the high grade. We also have the large scale. The CarLang deposit really only represents about 20 percent of the trend that we have exposed on the northeast portion of our project area.”
He added that similar to Canada Nickel, EV is aiming to produce ‘clean nickel’, citing the access to low-carbon hydroelectricity, and the potential for carbon capture at their operations.
“We’re also developing and going down the path of being able to produce our own product that could sell directly into the battery manufacturers with our bio-leaching from our W4 deposit and other mineralization within the Shaw Dome.”
CarLang A is the large-scale project. “We announced our original min-
eral resource assessment in 2023. We’re looking at a large open pit. We came up with a billion tons of 0.24 percent nickel, equally distributed about 500 million tonnes of indicated and 500 million tonnes of inferred. The pit goes down to about 425 meters depth in that particular model,” said Davis.
“One other big benefit of this area is that it is contiguous, so we don’t have to go deep in our open pits. If we need to expand production rates or increase mine life, we go laterally along strike, we don’t have to go deep. This is a much more economically efficient method of mining.”
Davis spoke with Mining Life to further discuss the 11 identified highgrade nickel deposits in the Shaw Dome area. “There’s 11 identified. Probably 7 of which are deposits, and 4 have been mined in the past,” he said. Davis acknowledged the exploration has been off-and-on,
Paul Davis, EV Nickel’s VP of Exploration at the ‘Projects In The Pipeline’ conference
but surrounding operations have hit resources. “We are systematically testing each of these, as we move through the next couple of years.”
When it comes to the next year or so, Davis summed it up in one word. “Busy. We have a really experienced exploration team that has a history of discovery and development, and over a hundred years of experience finding these types of deposits. We’re very fortunate.”
When asked about a longer-term vision and potential employment opportunities, Davis said it is promising. “We’re looking at something that is going to be comparable to Canada Nickel. They’re a bit ahead of us in terms of where they are when it comes to studies and permitting, but we’re trying to close that gap,” he said. He doesn’t foresee any major ‘head-butting’ between the two companies. “I think the world needs all of our nickel. If you take a look, even the amount that Sudbury produced last year won’t be enough nickel to supply the three battery plants in Southern Ontario that are going to be coming online in two to three years. So, you’re going to have to have another ‘Sudbury’ just to supply those battery plants.”
So, is the demand for nickel still there beyond the electric vehicle market?
“Definitely. If you take a look, stainless steel is the main user of nickel. I think stainless steel is still around 65-70% of the nickel market today. Its growing at a rate of 3 to 5 percent per year, so that’s a lot of new nickel that has to come in just for stainless steel,” said Davis.
“The EV batteries are on top of that. There are close to 25 new battery plants being built in North America as we speak. So there’s a huge amount of nickel that has to come from somewhere, which is why I’m really excited about our bio-leeching, to be able to supply an end product to them that we can tailor to meet their specific needs.”
ONYX GOLD focuses on discovery & providing organic growth for producers looking to replace reserves
By Andrew Autio
Onyx Gold is a new kid on the exploration block, but they are aiming to make big waves in Northern Ontario with significant assets in favourable locations.
Onyx emerged from HighGold Mining (who still owns 5 percent) in the summer of 2023, and their goal is to become the top ‘go-to’ exploration company in the Timmins camp.
“We have the cash to execute, but we’re also very tightly held, so it doesn’t take much results to move the stock very quickly on the back of any exploration success,” President and CEO Brock Colterjohn told the crowd at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June.
He described the company as a discovery, exploration-focused company, focused on two Canadian jurisdictions, one in Yukon territory, and the other is Timmins, where they are assembling one of the largest land exploration positions in the area.
Onyx currently has ownership of 420 square kilometres between three properties – Timmins South, and Golden Mile, as well as MunroCroesus, just east of Matheson, approximately one hour from central Timmins.
Fletcher
“The strategy here over the recent years has basically been consolidating fragmented ownership. We want to be focused in one of the most prolific gold camps in the world, the number one gold producer in Canada, so as an exploration company, go where the gold is,” said Colterjohn.
“After that, we look at areas where that exploration has been held back, largely because its a mature camp, fragmented ownership, patent claims, different vendors, and properties basically prevented a significant amount of exploration.”
Their Munro-Croesus property is now 93 square kilometres after more than 30 deals have been made by the company to expand and consolidate. “We’re not just consolidating moose pasture here, we’re consolidating the key geological breaks – the pipestone, the Munro faults, that are known to host million-ounce deposits surrounding us.”
Colterjohn said that after drilling programs in the fall of 2023 and the spring of 2024, the company is very excited about two new discoveries. “The GM Vein, which is a high-grade near-surface discovery located only 320 metres away from the old Croesus mine, and then the Argus Zone, which is an early-stage, kind of Fenn-Gib lookalike, its bulk tonnage near-surface hosted peripherally by the Pipestone fault.”
Regarding their Golden Mile property, Colterjohn told the audience they are very excited about its prospects. “Its a big property. It kind of stares down at close to 100 million ounces of historical production, but its only seen about 15 holes. It’s got all the right structures, the right geology, but very limited drilling because its got 20 metres of overburden, and there’s a shallow lake. That’s been the hurdle,” he said.
When it comes to the Timmins South property, he said it has ‘high grade potential, as well as bulk tonnage’ which is an intriguing combination for the company.
After his presentation, Colterjohn spent a few minutes with Mining Life where he elaborated on the plans for the next year or so. “Our goal as an exploration company is to make a discovery, define that discovery, and then ultimately re-rate.”
If Onyx discovers something major, the processing could take place at any number of mills in the Timmins area. “I think there’s obviously a significant amount of milling infrastructure in particular that need additional mill feeds,” he said. “Our goal is basically to reward shareholders by making that discovery, and being purchased at a significantly higher valuation, and then let the producer decide where to put that ore.”
Colterjohn reiterated Onyx’s place in the Timmins gold camp. “We’ve seen that its been a really difficult several years in the mining space in terms of access to capital, especially for exploration companies. Producers will typically find new growth through brownfield exploration, finding ounces around the old head frame as they say, and the second way is buying exploration companies,” he said. “But with that hard access to capital, there hasn’t been enough exploration companies putting money into the ground, to make new discoveries.”
Colterjohn pointed how there are only a few exploration companies right now in the area, when years ago, they were many more. “So for us, we’re keenly focused on making that discovery and providing that organic growth for those producers who are far behind their ability to replace reserves.”
The next 12 months or so will be very busy for the company. “We still have 5 drill holes pending from the Argus Zone, which is located on our Munro-Croesus property east of Matheson. We are planning, on MunroCroesus, a field program. We just recently acquired a property that is contiguous to Munro-Croesus. It hasn’t been explored since 2011. It adds a really nice pipeline of high grade targets.”
“So we want to get boots on the ground this summer, do channel sampling, open up old trenches, really do some greenfield type of exploration, and that will help inform a drill program later this year on that property, but in addition to expanding those two discoveries we made at Munroe-Croesus – the Argus Zone, and the GM vein.”
“On our Golden Mile property, we’re planning to do, potentially, some drilling later this year, and additionally at Timmins South. That drilling program at Golden Mile would include exploring underneath Frederick House Lake by barge. “We were planning to do some ice drilling this winter, but obviously it was a pretty mild winter so we couldn’t do that. So we’re looking at ‘Plan B’ to either do a barge drilling later this summer, or potentially wait until the winter time and hope the ice is good,” said Colterjohn.
Brock Colterjohn, President & CEO of Onyx Gold addresses a crowd at the Projects in the Pipeline Conference in Timmins.
STLLR GOLD, 18 million ounces as a junior exploration company
By Andrew Autio
It may not be a household name yet, but STLLR Gold has its sights set on becoming a major player in two regions of Canada. STLLR was born out of a merger between Moneta Gold and Nighthawk Gold (NHK) in February of this year. John McBride, VP of Exploration, spoke at the ‘Projects In The Pipeline’ conference during the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June, where he provided an overview of the company’s forward-looking plans.
In reality, Moneta Gold bought out NHK. However, the management team from Nighthawk came over to manage STLLR, according to McBride, who was part of Nighthawk. “We thought it would be good to re-brand and revitalize as we join these two projects together. We ran a global crowd-source competition for naming the company, and STLLR, without the vowels, came to the top. They did all the symbols, so that’s where the name came from. So if you were wondering, it’s STLLR (pronounced stellar),” McBride told the crowd.
When the two companies merged, Nighthawk’s Colomac Gold Project, in the Northwest Territories, was brought into the portfolio along with Moneta’s Tower Gold Project, just east of Matheson, approximately a one-hour drive from central Timmins.
Why bring these two projects together? McBride says there’s a lot of synergies. “They’re very similar in concept, where they’re large tonnage, moderate grade deposits that have to be mined in a similar concept, where they are individually built of multiple deposits, multiple geological models that are blended together, which is a great opportunity for optimization, for mine planning, for high grading,” explained McBride.
“Our underground open pit, both projects combined, gets us to almost 18 million ounces as a junior exploration company. Our market cap is about $110 million right now, with average grades of over a gram.”
McBride, VP of Exploration, STLLR Gold
McBride said the Colomac project “brings about 5.1 million ounces to the party” and that it’s a ‘well-controlled, well-drilled, low-risk resource’, while the Tower Project brings the bulk of the ounces, but it needs significant de-risking. “However, again, comparisons between the deposits, they’re very similar. They’re predominantly open pit. They’ve been drilled and targeted as open pit projects. There is underground portions to it, but over 80 percent of the resource is open pit. All the deposits are open a long strike and at depth. There’s still tons of upside to these projects.”
McBride said the two deposits are significant. “These are very robust projects and at $2,400 gold or spot price, whatever you want to take it at, these are substantial projects. If you look at the annual production rate, we’re looking at four million ounce, plus the 300,000 ounce production annually. So, a combined company with half a million ounces annual production in our portfolio.”
Company officials are still mapping out their current strategies. “The biggest question we get is which one is our flagship? What project are we focusing on? And the answer is both and that has to do with the
John
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seasonality of those projects and the fact that they’ve been brought to the stage they are in the PA at different rates, and at different focuses. So, we can be focusing on one project while in one aspect, while we can focus on another and we’re doing desktop work on another. We really believe we have the optionality to advance these both to de-risk them going forward.”
McBride spent a few minutes with Mining Life after his presentation to further discuss the Tower project specifically, including the potential for a new open pit operation.
“The gold in the ground is optimal for an open pit. Its right at surface. The grades kind of dictate that bulk, large volume mining, is what’s going to be economical for this project,” he said, adding that it could combine two of their properties into one. “It’s both Golden Highway and Garrison blended together. We consider them as one project, even though they’re separated physically, but the design and economics will drive them together.”
Regarding the company’s timelines for next year or so, McBride said there is much work to be done, and that it must be done tactfully. “What we really want to do is get it right. We’re a new group, coming into a new project where we’re relying on the skillset of the team
on the ground, and we really want to just sink our teeth into understanding the database, understanding the modelling, and doing a mineral resource update. So we’re working hard to get that out as soon as possible.”
When asked about the ultimate potential for the Tower Project, McBride said it remains very high, but reiterated there’s a lot of paperwork ahead. “We’ve got 12 million ounces in the ground right now. There’s definitely gold there. Now it’s all about de-risking it, advancing it on the environmental front, the social front, the technical front. There’s a lot of work for us to do, but we’re excited to do it.”
GOWEST GOLD going private in efforts to become next Timmins producer
By Andrew Autio
The markets may not like Gowest Gold, but that isn’t the case for the company’s longtime shareholders.
Gowest executives announced June 24 that they have signed a definitive agreement with a group of existing shareholders who acquired all of the company’s outstanding common shares for $0.15 each. That’s a 114 percent premium to the $0.07 closing price of the shares on the TSX Venture Exchange on June 21, 2024, the last price prior to the agreement.
“Gowest has faced significant challenges for a number of years in raising sufficient capital to carry out its objective of developing the Bradshaw deposit and ultimately bringing it into production. Operating as a public company is expensive and has become a constraint on the ability of the company to raise capital and operate efficiently,” said President and CEO Dan Gagnon in a release.
“This transaction will allow a small group of our committed investors, who historically have been our most substantial source of capital, to bear the significant continuing exploration, financing and other risks facing the company going forward. At the same time, it will also provide our existing shareholders with liquidity and the opportunity to realize certainty of value for their common shares, in cash, at a significant premium to the company’s recent trading price. This transaction is intended to benefit not just shareholders, but all stakeholders of the company,” Gagnon added.
Even Stavre, Chief Geologist, Gowest
In the interim, Gowest continues its quest to get another gold mine in full operation in the Timmins camp and has recently received a financial boost. The Timmins North Gold Project is 32 kilometres northeast of Timmins.
Even Stavre, Chief Geologist, delivered an update at the ‘Projects In The Pipeline’ session at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June. “Since last April, our Gowest management team was able to achieve quite a bit of restructuring of the company, then put forward the plan for advancing a new gold mine in Timmins,” said Stavre.
The company has current exploration ongoing on the Bradshaw Gold Deposit, what he called the ‘flagship deposit’ and also in two other gold zones – Sheridan and Roussain. “Gowest started exploration drilling program last summer, and then completed this 5,000 meters last December,” Stavre told the audience. The focus of the drilling was resource expansion at its flagship Bradshaw gold deposit, expanding the mineable resources for the test gold zones in the east and the west extension.
Drilling also started in 2023 on the Sheridan gold zone and the Roussain zone with enough significant intercepts that the company geologist team decided to follow up with the extension of both, specifically on the west side of the Sheridan and northeast of the Roussain zone. “There’s tremendous exploration potentials between Bradshaw and Sheridan gold zones which is almost untested at this point,” said Stavre. “We’re aiming to go to a little over one million tonnes of ore with an average of 5.68 gram per tonne, which gets us to close to 189,000 ounces of gold.” Stavre says that’s enough for a three-year mine life and the possibility of a seven-year life.
Stavre spoke with Mining Life after his presentation. He pointed out that the discovery of the Bradshaw deposit dates back to the early 1900s. “Ever since, there’s been quite a bit of work done. Whether its rock sampling, soil sampling, other types of exploration, leading all the way up to the modern days with diamond drilling and other techniques.” Exploration stopped on the property around 2016 or 2017.
Minor drilling activities have taken place at the Sheridan and Roussain zones. Stavre says there is potential to connect the Bradshaw and Sheridan deposits. “The strategy was to drill Sheridan first, to make sure that we do have enough ore extension to the east side, which goes towards Bradshaw.”
He said there is still a decision to be made on whether it will be a down-plunge or an extension. “So far we have identified a few zones that have quite a bit of potential to join each other. We have to mention the fact that both deposits are offset by the Pipestone fault, which is one of the most prolific gold zones in the Timmins area.”
With the 2024 program, Gowest plans to test areas which have been under-explored or never drilled at all.
Regarding the milling process, Stavre expects momentum to pick up in the coming months. “Currently, our investors are helping out quite a bit with funding our Northern Sun mining contractors. These guys are trying to help us out to make the Redstone Mill available for us sometime during late September, or beginning of October maybe, depends on the progress. But we’re very excited to see that work has been progressing very well. We also do have quite a bit of ore tonnes at the surface ready to send to the mill.”
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GFG RESOURCES looking to capitalize on large-scale Timmins land package
By Andrew Autio
The right team, the right track record, and the right jurisdiction – it’s the perfect recipe that makes for exciting times in the Timmins gold camp. That’s according to upstart GFG Resources. President and CEO Brian Skanderbeg told the audience during the Canadian Mining Expo in early June.
“We set this company up eight years ago and our mission, our vision, was always to be a district scale explorer. We’re a team that’s found ore bodies before - or operated them. We have immense familiarity with the camp through our previous company called Claude Resources and we really felt that we wanted to work at the front-end of the business,” he said.
Skanderbeg said the company currently controls around 800 square kilometres of land around the Timmins camp.
“We are one of the largest landholders in this camp, outside of Newmont, and we put that together because we believe in this camp, and we believe there’s future discoveries to be made and that’s really the focus of the company.”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that Timmins is an exceptional asset and sits on the world-class stage. I think about endowment. I think about how many ounces have been mined here but I actually think about what’s yet to be found and I believe there’s an immense amount of gold yet to be found here, and to me, those are worldclass belts that we want to be active in.”
Skanderbeg doesn’t mince words when it comes to the company’s posture. “We’re aggressive, we’re disruptive. What does that mean? We’re trying to do things differently. We recognize the history of the camp, and we recognize how to make discoveries moving forward in this camp, and that’s what really GFG is trying to work towards.”
One of the company’s largest shareholders is Alamos Gold, another major player in the area.
Skanderbeg acknowledged the challenging nature of junior explorers. “When you think about mineral exploration, this is a tough game we play and your odds are long, so you’ve got to be good to be successful,”
Brian Skanderbeg, President & CEO GFG Resources Inc.
he said, adding “Discovery trends are declining and it’s harder to find an ounce of gold.”
“I think you’ve got to be really selective about how you approach the exploration business. We put together these huge land tracks of ground and we identify them through a really good, detailed understanding of the history of the camp, and where we see opportunity yet - and we try to go about things a different way.”
With nearly a century and a quarter of production, Timmins is an ideal hunting ground for gold. “I think it’s a great place to make the next discovery and I don’t make that lightly because we put a lot of thought into where we go and why we go there. But when I think about Timmins, there’s a lot of reasons to be here. A, there’s lots of really strong infrastructure base, you can look around, there’s mills around us that have been invested in over the seasons, there’s a lot of really high-quality people here, people that want to be in the mining business, you have a supportive communities and stakeholder base,” he said.
“Most importantly, I think there’s a lot more gold to be found in the ground and it starts with that, so endowment is how much gold is here and then the remaining endowment in this camp I think is very high.”
While it’s certainly not easy to get a mine into production, he feels that progress can get moving fairly quickly. “When you look at Côté - 20 years ago Côté wasn’t on the map, Borden wasn’t on the map, Timmins West wasn’t on the map - and those mines really show the discovery potential of this camp, so I think this is a great place to find a new mine.”
One of GFG’s properties that they’re most excited about is Montclerg, which is the west portion of their Gold Arm Property, where they have spent the bulk of their dollars over the past two years. It is approximately 160 square kilometres, 40km from Timmins. “Montclerg is a classic example where you’ve got a good-looking gold system and very limited drilling along strike from it,” said Skanderbeg, adding that the Gold Arm Property is the smallest of GFG’s 3 major properties, however it is the most advanced.
The other properties Penn and Dore are west of Timmins. “Both of these are exceptionally interesting land positions, they’re earlier stage, there’s no resource here but a lot of really interesting geology, there’s lots of really good interesting drill intercepts,” said Skanderbeg.
“I’m really excited for what we’ve seen at Dore.” The company doesn’t have all the data back but at an early-stage Skanderbeg says that data “looks really interesting.”
He spoke with Mining Life after his presentation to elaborate on their upcoming exploratory plans. “Over the last two to three years we’ve advanced and focused on Gold Arm. Before that, we focused a little more on Penn, and Dore, and this year, it’s kind of like all 3 are moving forward. It’s a good, balanced approach,” he said. “I like our targets at Montclerg, which is going to be the focus of the drilling. But I really like the opportunities and the early-stage systems that we’re seeing out at Penn, and Dore. It’s a pretty balanced approach, and that’s the plan for this year.”
The rest of 2024 will see about 7,000 metres of drilling at the 3 properties, a $2.7 million dollar spend.
Skanderbeg says there’s lots of grass-roots exploration outside of that, including bulk sampling, soil sampling, geophysics, and prospecting. “Those are the supportive programs that build an exploration pipeline, and that’s all part of the plan for this year.”
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GALLEON GOLD looks to ramp down in order to take any risk out of West Cache Project
The West Cache Gold Project, about a 10-15 minute drive from the city centre of Timmins, is making solid progress towards a producing mine.
were here back in the early 2000s, built a mine called Black Fox, had it in production by 2008. I believe we came back here because I knew of a property on the south end of town that had never been mined, and its right next to Lake Shore West,” he said, adding that the West Cache property has proven to be a more than solid prospect. “We started with a database now of about 550 core holes, 260,000 meters, and out of all those holes we have 100 percent hit, we have not missed gold yet.”
the point where we’re actually saying, hey, we’ve got to produce a mine. So watch for the next year or two.”
The property is approximately 10,000 hectares in size. Russell said about 550 core holes, or 250,000 meters of drilling has taken place. “We can say we’re only about 8 or 10 percent drilled, we’ve got 1.56 million ounces of gold. Chances are we’re going to advance this ore body as we go with time.”
“You don’t build a mine on a PEA study, it’s a snapshot in time, it just says, hey, we’ve got gold, we’ve got great economics, now move it forward and better the project. So we’ve done that, and now we need the next step, and that’s called the pre-feasibility study on the project.”
CEO and Chairman David Russell spoke as part of the ‘Projects In The Pipeline’ conference at the 2024 Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June and one couldn’t help but notice the excitement expressed during his presentation.
“The other night I got to stand up here and say, and I believe this is the best camp in the world. I’ve been to probably about 12 or 15 different mining camps around the world, built mines and whatnot, and you couldn’t ask for a better place to find gold, number one, and find the right people to actually work with on building a project,” he said.
Russell told the audience that Galleon Gold has been around for a little over three years now. “Now we
“We took it through the planning stages, from the drilling to pre-feasibility, PEA studies, and we said, okay, now its time to bulk sample, let’s go prove it, let’s prove what we’ve been telling everybody, that we have gold down there, we can mine it, we know what the costs are and how we proceed with a full-scale project. So this will be about three years in the making when we get to
“Sure, we’ve got a lot of help from the gold price, but we’ll be advancing the project and showing you what this project can really be? To do this, we’ll put a ramp down. And why are we doing that? We’re going to go down and we’re going to prove up the development costs, prove up the ground conditions, prove up what it costs to mine it and what the grades are and take the risk out of the project. We’re targeting 86,500 tons at about an eight-gram gold grade for 22,000 ounces of gold recovered, sold probably about 20. By doing this we will get all the answers we need for the pre-feasibility and feasibility study.”
David Russell CEO and Chairman of Galleon Gold receives the prestigious Rising Star Award at this year’s Canadian Mining Expo Gala Dinner. The award recognizes and honours a junior or senior mining company that demonstrates great promise as a future leader and promising producer in Northeastern Ontario.
Russell said there will initially be four stopes, and they’re aiming to produce 86,500 tonnes, which will take approximately 15 months to do. “I might add, we started with the environmental work three years ago before we even turned any of this work out, because I knew from building a mine at Black Fox, it was going to be a three-year run to get all the documentation together, submit to the ministry, and then work with our partners, First Nations, and actually have a permit in your hand to be able to do this project,” he said. “There’s a lot of steps we go through with subpermits and different things, building permits in town, but all of those are in the works right now.”
Russell spoke with Mining Life afterwards to talk more about the bulk sampling plan. “The timeline looks like about 8 to 12 weeks max, to get through the Ministry to where they say ‘go’ and you post the bond. Then we’ll have the final consultations with the five First Nations that we’re dealing with, our partners on that end of it,” he said.
Russell said that by the late summer, things should we well underway, and they can start surface work.
“We’ve been working with the power companies already. It will come in off the transmission line, and it will be dropped into the substations that we’ll put in right as you enter the property. Then we’ll start the actual road construction. Obviously, we’ll have to remove some of the smaller trees and whatnot, and then get what’s called a ‘box cut’ which is where you remove the sand and gravel and get to the hard face.”
He said that could take about 4 or 5 months, and then ramp construction will begin. Towards the end of 2025, he expects the stopes to begin dropping. He added that they are still undecided on which local mill will be processing their ore, but expects that to be determined relatively soon and that there are 4 or 5 options.
Detour Lake production vaults AGNICO EAGLE into position as Canada’s top gold producer
By Andrew Autio
Agnico Eagle continues to secure a place as one of the world’s biggest gold producers. “We’ve been following this strategy for quite some time now and it’s working for us, which is to consistently work in stable jurisdictions with high exploration potential,” said Andre Leite, VP Ontario, who provided an update as part of the ‘Projects in The Pipeline’ conference at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins in early June.
Agnico Eagle has operations in Finland, Australia, and Mexico, along with their Canadian mines in Northern Quebec, Nunavut, and Northern Ontario. Agnico is now the third largest gold miner in the world, producing approximately 3.5 million ounces annually. Only Newmont and Barrick Gold are bigger.
The company’s bottom line is strengthened by what Leite said is a very competitive cash-cost, and a strong mineral reserve base. “This first quarter in 2024, we became the biggest mining company by market cap in Canada.” Currently, 80 percent of Agnico Eagle’s gold production is from its Canadian operations. It has a major economic impact in the Northeastern Ontario region, and the province as a whole, with over 4,100 employees. “We employ a significant amount of our workforce here in Northern Ontario.”
The company’s flagship asset is the Detour Mine, located 260 kilometres northeast of Timmins. It employs over 1,500 people, 85 percent of whom live in Northern Ontario. “We’re focusing a lot on becoming the preferred employer in Northern Ontario, the preferred partner from a First Nations perspective, from a government perspective, and from a community perspective,” Leite told the packed audience. “We have 11 agreements with Indigenous First Nations. We’ve been working really hard with this growth plan that we’re working towards to ensure that the sustainability of our business and the First Nations community’s relationships is, I would say, instrumental for us to achieve our targets.”
Leite told the audience that the company has been significantly investing in exploration, both at Detour, as well as the Macassa Mine in Kirkland Lake. The company is seriously studying whether to proceed with an underground operation at Detour to supplement its massive open pit. “Since 2020, we launched a significant exploration campaign to better delineate the ore body to the west and to define the exploration potential from an underground perspective,” said Leite. “The next phase now for us, will be to better understand the ore body, and that would include the exploration ramp. Our plan is to start everything late this year, or early next year, pending board approval.”
Like every mine, Leite also explained that Agnico Eagle has been able to find a number of efficiencies. “We were able to move Detour from a 600,000-ounce producer to a 700,000-ounce producer with a relatively small investment - with a lot of work done in optimizing drill and blast, optimizing how we choke feed the crusher, and optimizing the milling operations.” Leite said that overall, the high-volume, low-grade, low-cost operation at Detour is an excellent strategy for the company, processing around 28 million tonnes of ore each year, with more growth potential. Detour is now the largest gold producer in Canada. “We’re producing around 700,000 ounces a year. It’s an operation that is going to be in operation for over 30 years with potential to grow that life of mine, with the exploration potential that we are observing.”
Leite spoke with Mining Life after his presentation to further outline the full potential of the Detour mine. “The production from the pit. Right now, we’re at 700,000. That pit is going to go a little higher to around 800,000 ounces, based on the latest life of mine that we have,” he said. “The true growth for Detour will be associated with the potential underground operation. That potential could bring Detour to over a million-ounce producer for an extended period of time.”
The target to go underground is 2031, although timelines are not set in stone. “That’s the potential, based on the view we have currently, and based on the study
2030 and 2032. This view is evolving, given the new information that we’re obtaining, and the positive results from an exploration perspective we’re achieving towards the west,” he said.
“It would be in parallel with the open pit, operating simultaneously. And what it would capture is the potential that is going to the west, off the current pit. The open pit at Detour is close to 6 kilometres long. As you go to the west, that because of the landscape, and the grade, it becomes smaller than on the east side. The potential is underneath the reserve pit, which is where you’re going to see the mine developing.”
A substantial exploration program is planned to further outline and understand the ore body, stated Leite.
“This first phase could start as early as this year, with an exploration phase. So that means an exploration ramp that would allow us access to that ore body, and to better understand how that ore body would perform.”
And the impact on the local economy? Leite says the underground operation would likely create an ad-
FINDIN G BETTER WAYS
Andre Leite, VP Ontario, Agnico Eagle
WYLOO extends invitation for First Nation dialogue on Ring of Fire development
By Kevin Vincent
The door at Wyloo is wide open and First Nations communities across the north have an open invitation from the Ring of Fire company to start or continue a dialogue about the long-contentious potential mining region. Chief Executive Officer (Canada) Kristan Straub was on the hotseat in early July as a guest of Mushkegowuk Lands and Resources during a call-in show on Wawatay Radio that included live Cree translation.
The host peppered Straub with a long list of questions around consultation and environmental stewardship, framing his comments on the premise that there are community members who support the development of the Ring of Fire, and there are those who are unsupportive because of the potential impact on traditional territory. “We’ve taken the approach of our predecessor to work very closely with the First Nations within the region. And in this particular case, we worked very closely through a memorandum of understanding with Marten Falls First Nations and Webequie First Nation,” Straub told the audience who had tuned in to the live-streaming on Facebook.
Straub explained that the reason behind the 2022 acquisition of Noront was for the assets of the Eagle’s Nest deposit and the chromite deposits within the Ring of Fire region. Straub made it clear several
times that Wyloo will meet formally or informally with any First Nations community in the region.
“Good to know your door is open,” said Ivan. Straub outlined that a lot of work has already been done. “Our predecessor company has done a lot of work around the baseline data collection and the planning for a potential north-south road. And when Marten Falls and Webequie expressed interest in taking on the environmental assessment for policy, we transferred all of that information across to those groups. And now what people see is in the form of three environmental assessments that are led by the First Nations. And we don’t participate in those environmental assessments as proponents. We participate through our partnership with the First Nations, and that’s the Marten Falls Community Access Road,” Straub explained.
Straub was asked when Wyloo hopes to start the mine. “Our devel-
opment plans and timeline are guided by the interaction that we have with Marten Falls and Webequie First Nation - and our plans associated with the environmental assessment of the roads and with the hopes - and the potential for the environmental assessment to be conducted and be successful in the communities to make a decision that these communities would like to proceed with the development,” he said.
Wyloo’s business plan is built on that consultation and partnership with First Nations. “So, the very first part of it is predicated on the roads.”
Straub was asked about plans for the mine itself – would it be open pit, or underground?
“We would plan to start some early site preparation activities in 2026 and start construction of what would be the operation in 2027. Now that operation is designed as an underground mine. We are currently going through a feasibility study to frame
and design what would be various pieces of infrastructure and how the mine would be constructed. Based on our current work, it would be an underground mine accessed via a tunnel from surface that would then descend down. And you ask the question about how deep it would go. The current known mineralized zone of nickel extends down to about 1600 meters. It is very much shaped
targets, one is nickel at Eagles Nest, and the other is the nearby chromite deposit. “The minerals of the Eagles Nest deposit are principally nickel, copper and then small amounts of cobalt, platinum and palladium. Nickel and copper are roughly at 1.8 percent nickel - in and around that range. So, if someone wants to understand the value of the material on a per-ton-of-ore basis, it’s
It’s important through that process that the First Nations community members of the region have an opportunity to present what their thoughts, their beliefs, their view is on what the design of our project should look like, how it’s managed through operations, and even before it starts, understand what it should look like when the operation is completed.
like a pencil standing up.” Straub explained that the entire orebody is estimated to be about three times the height of the CN Tower. When it comes to tailings, Straub outlined the unique plans to use the tailings underground as backfill. “We decided on an underground operation simply because of the feedback. The other key component of our underground mine design is that the materials that are produced from underground and concentrated called the tailings will be stored back underground as backfill in the areas where we’re mining deeper to ensure that material is not on surface - it’s not left as a legacy liability on surface. In the underground environment that material can be effectively encapsulated and not have any impact to the surrounding water bodies that are up on surface.”
As for the deposit itself, Straub told the audience that there are two
roughly about 3% nickel per ton of ore in terms of value.”
Eagles Nest is a multi-commodity deposit and It’s clear to Wyloo that the nickel is where the highest value material is. Today nickel is sought after for the utilization of nickel in batteries for battery electric vehicles.
“The second deposit, which the Ring of Fire is also very well known for, is the chromatite deposits. We would look in the future to develop the chromite deposit that is immediately adjacent to Eagle’s Nest, which is the Blackbird Deposit.”
Straub gave his most detailed answer to a question on consultation. “I’m a First Nation member myself,” Straub said. “I fully understand why behind the question is asked based on the region and from past experiences with First Nations within the region for industrial development and the challenges that have been associated with that and a lack of
consultation for many of them. We’ve actively reached out to many of the other First Nations within the region. I won’t name all of the groups. We have been publicly called out by groups like Neskantaga and we have an open offering of discussion at any point in time. If Neskantaga, likewise for Attawapiskat, is so inclined to engage and have a discussion about it, we’re willing to be there. We’re looking for an invite to come to the community and to meet with Chief and Council and meet with community members. And like I said, very happy to answer in an open and transparent manner the questions that people have. And to your question on the potential for activities to have impact on the river systems and ecosystems, one of the fundamental elements, one of the fundamental basis of the project is to develop a project that is co-led and co-managed (by First Nations) from the project’s perspective. And that co-led and co-managed process is a process that we are engaging with on a First Nations basis. Now, of course, Marten Falls and Webequie today are in those discussions. And we would be open and welcome those discussions to other interested First Nations that would like to participate in that - because I believe it’s important through that process that the First Nations community members of the region have an opportunity to present what their thoughts, their beliefs, their view is on what the design of our project should look like, how it’s managed through operations, and even before it starts, understand what it should look like when the operation is completed. And it would be returned to its natural state.”
Impressive Growth of First Nations Owned Businesses in Mining
In the following section, Mining Life and Exploration News shines the spotlight on First Nations Businesses that participated in the Canadian Mining Expo 2024 “Building First Nations Business Conference”. Participation by First Nations communities in mining has come a long way from the days when there was little or no participation. Each year, the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins, Ontario features the Indigenous Partnerships Conference, which focuses on opportunities for First Nation communities in mining.
“Building More First Nations Business”.
We’re
Ready!
The Wabun Model
In an opening speech Jason Batise, Executive Director said it’s been his lifelong passion and pursuit to spend most of his career with the Waban Tribal Council (WTC), working on behalf of the nations that they service. Wabun Tribal Council was host to the Building More First Nations Business conference that was held as part of the Canadian Mining Expo.
The Waban Tribal Council. Who are we?
WTC is a non-profit regional council established in 1989 and based in Timmins, Ontario. “You know, back in the day when they established the Tribal Council policy at Indian Affairs, we were really set up just to do what I would call bureaucratic Indian business of the Canadian government. That’s what our mandate was. That’s how we got our money and that’s how we continue to get our core funding. We’re supposed to do what the government wants us to do and when they want us to do it,” said Jason.
It was said that thankfully they have expanded upon those roles since 1989 and have gone far beyond the mandates that are laid out by the Department of Indian Affairs. The WTC has five First Nations as members of their council. Brunswick House, Chapleau Ojibwe, Flying Post, Mattagami, Matachewan First Nations, and affiliate, Beaver House who are pursuing their First Nation status.
Jason spoke about economic development and resource development. “You know it wasn’t that long ago that, as I heard as a young fellow in my career, that the logging trucks and the mine trucks went back and forth past our communities, and I know we received absolutely no benefit from those activities.”
Jason went on to say they were impacted but not included in any of those economic opportunities. “Thankfully, we’ve discovered a path forward in part because of case law, governments making good choices and all those things sort of forcing a better conversation and better partnerships between the First Nations, the original peoples of this land, and the industries that want to exploit the natural resources of our area. The WTC communities are deeply embedded with respect to the mining industry as they hold impact benefit agreements with 99% of the mines in their territory. “In each of those impact benefit agreements, there’s a specific chapter that talks about business, it talks about specific avenues for First Nations advantage when they’re accessing business for procurement of goods and services at these mines and make no mistake why should we advantage First Nations? Because we have to catch up, because there’s a rights-based approach. The communities are unapologetic about their advantages over business, perhaps in a way that people seem to think it’s unfair. But I would challenge those folks to remind themselves what’s happened over the last 100 years with respect to our communities and our opportunities and how things were imbalanced then and how we have to sort of help the communities catch up. The First Nations have set aside contracts, contracts for which they would promote themselves
Pictured: Jason Batise, Executive Director speaks to a group of invested stakeholders and companies looking to partner with Indigenous communities.
as a specific advantage or a specific entity that would do those works specifically.”
Jason pointed out that they also carry partners with them, it’s also their business friends from North Bay, Timmins and Sudbury, all helping them along the way. They have open book contracts where they can negotiate before public tender. The communities can go in and sit with the procurement teams from these mines and sit and negotiate specific scopes of work so that the community can take advantage of those. It’s a price bid advantage. So if there’s a public tender and the communities and the partners are close to the low bid in a certain parameter, that they would be awarded that work.
WTC have tender evaluations that include a scoring evaluation. Jason pointed out that if you, as a private business, ignore the calls of the First Nation to talk to them and become a partner to them, you will be scored on that conversation, that dialogue, your interaction and your commitments to the nations. And again, it’s a significant part of the bid evaluation at public tender.
Jason encouraged the audience to talk to the communities. Each of the communities has somebody to talk to. Each of the mines has a coordinator or somebody at the site that can guide you and walk you through and tell you who to talk to. It’s reasonably easy to partner with First Nations. “We have hundreds of partners that make up all kinds of different business agreements ranging from paying a commission to the community, to
51-49% partnerships where the joint venture commits to subcontracts to one of our performing businesses. Some of the partnerships are simply as suppliers to our business. An example is our relationships with Lafarge and Pioneer Construction and how we actually lend money to big companies like Pioneer to help build the facility that we own and they operate. All of those profits, all of that benefit accrues back to the nations. It goes into the community’s bank account where the communities are making wise choices about community investments, whether it’s housing, community infrastructure, new band offices, new health centres or new programming for kids’ education.
If you’ve tried to pursue government grants before and tried to build community infrastructure, solely on government grants, you know how hard it is. And thankfully, we don’t have to chase that dollar anymore. We have our own money to create our own priorities and take our own initiatives. And mostly, it’s about future generations. I feel like I just got started in this business, but I’ve been around for a while and I’m hoping to hand it off as the youth come up and hopefully, we’ve built something that can sustain itself and the communities become better places.”
Jason concluded his presentation by saying, “I can tell you that when I started, the nations were small and were not the places they are today. They were, I would say, less healthy, less complicated and less sophisticated infrastructure. We now have new water plants, schools, our kids are getting education, all because of the things, I think, that the businesses that we own, and run have accomplished. And I would dare say, a lot because of the folks like you in this room that are dedicated and committed and understand that First Nations deserve, require, and need your help and that we should be doing this business together in a meaningful way”.
YOUR PROUD PARTNER
NIIWIN one of Newmont’s top contractors
By Frank Giorno
It has been nearly a decade since First Nations leaders in the Timmins region inked an historic deal that has created hundreds of jobs and delivered millions in contracts.
“Our resource development agreement with Newmont has allowed us to provide full-time employment to First Nation community members, as well as training opportunities to increase employability,” said Calvin Goerk, General Manager of Niiwin General Partnership (NGP), who spoke about his company’s work in the mining sector at the Building More First Nations Businesses conference in Timmins on June 5th as part of the Canadian Mining Expo.
Niiwin was also the recipient of the Canadian Mining Expo‘s 2024 Indigenous Business Award. The award honours excellence and focuses on the successes of Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs serving the Mining Industry.
The NGP is part of a resource development agreement that was originally signed with Goldcorp in 2014. The partnership includes four First Nation communities; Flying Post, Matachewan, Mattagami, and Apiti -
pi Anicinapek First Nation (formerly Wahgoshig FN).
Newmont Mining acquired Goldcorp in 2019 and continued to honour the terms of the agreement. The agreement is a framework for continued consultation on existing and future operations in the Timmins area and includes long-term benefits for the four First Nation communities. Under the agreement, Newmont as the successor to Goldcorp, recognizes and respects Aboriginal rights and interests in the area of the Porcupine Gold Mines operation and the four First Nation communities recognize and support Newmont’s rights and interests in the operation and future development of the mine. The agreement reflects Newmont’s
commitment to protecting the environment while supporting Aboriginal social and cultural practices in a spirit of continued collaboration.
During his presentation, Goerk summarized the benefits of the agreement and the services that Niiwin provides for the mining industry.
“Some of the things we do include heavy civil construction, environmental reclamation, general contracting, project construction management, and surface aggregate and material movement,” Goerk told the attendees at his presentation.
“We have grown to be Newmont’s third largest contractor,” Goerk noted. “Our ongoing projects with Newmont right now are Hoyle Pond, where we haul ore, provide winter main -
Photo of Calvin Goerk, GM of Niiwin General Partnership receiving the prestigious Indigenous Business Award at the Canadian Mining Expo
tenance, screen tailings and haul sludge away for proper disposal,” Goerk explained.
Hoyle Pond is Newmont’s largest producing mine in the Timmins area. “We’ve also completed the water treatment plant for the site, and we did that between 2021-2023,” Goerk added.
Same services are provided by Niiwin for Newmont at Newmont’s Paymaster and Hollinger Open Pit.
In addition to the contracts with Newmont, Niiwin also does work for the Northern Sun Mill in the Timmins area, and Agnico Eagle’s Macassa Mine in Kirkland Lake. “At Northern Sun, we’re completing the preliminary blasting work, haulage and stockpiling and preparation for dam raises at the Redstone Mine Mill,” stated Goerk. “We’re crushing the aggregates for the dam raise, brushing the right of ways, and we’re
starting the dam raise, in the next few weeks.”
Agnico Eagle Macassa
With Agnico Eagle, Niiwin had a winter maintenance project and is currently bidding for crushing and hauling contracts. Niiwin completed the blasting and earthworks at the Macassa Shaft 4 sinking in 2017. Niiwin was also involved in pipe laying work with GORF Contracting at Macassa. Other services provided by Niiwin include janitorial services at Hoyle Pond. “We do the servicing on the site maintenance and buildings, periodically going underground, performing miscellaneous cleaning tasks, and we work with Timmins Cleaning as our subcontractor,” Goerk said. Niiwin also provides security services, including a fencing project in partnership with Northern Fencing for all the Newmont’s active and closed sites. Security, through
our RDA, we’re currently looking for partnerships to merge security for all our Newmont active and closed sites.
Hauling
Niiwin provides hauling services in partnership with several trucking companies including Rubino and Sons at the McEwen Black Fox Mine in Matheson. Niiwin has 2 trucks of its own and will be expanding more into this field in the future. Niiwin General Partnership is 100 percent First Nations owned. Each of the four communities hold a 25 percent stake in the company. In terms of staffing, 52 percent of Niwiin’s staff is First Nation employees. “We strive to hire First Nation workers and contractors,” said Goerk. “Niiwin is currently pushing at building our number of female employees in the mining field.”
“Niiwin’s currently employing about 40 employees and we’re always looking to expand,” Goerk said.
Custom-engineered attachments
Northern Community Members see benefits from Three Nations Development General Partnership
By Frank Giorno
The lives of members of Brunswick House, Chapleau Ojibwe, and Chapleau Cree First Nations have greatly improved as the nearby Borden Gold Project mine started to be developed near Chapleau.
“It’s great to see so many people in our three First Nation communities advance and gain employment opportunities as a result of our agreement with Newmont,” said Darlene LaFontaine, the Director of Three Nations Development General Partnership Inc.
Lafontaine made her comments at the “Building More First Nation Business Forum” during the Canadian Mining Expo 2024 in June in Timmins. The Forum on Indigenous Mining is organized annually by the Wabun Tribal Council in partnership with Mining Life & Exploration News.
The Borden Mine, Canada’s first all-electric powered mining operation is owned by Newmont. The Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) was signed with the previous owners Goldcorp in 2018. Full production at Borden began in 2019. Newmont bought Goldcorp in 2020. “I learned a lot from my participation in the IBA negotiations,” LaFontaine told the audience. “I have increased my mining knowledge and assisted other First Nations when it comes to these negotiations, espe -
cially from the financial perspective,” Lafontaine added.
The IBA contains provisions for employment and training and contracting opportunities. It also contains provisions for environmental and health protections, as well as respect for traditional cultures. “More than a quarter of the staff at Newmont’s Borden Lake operation are people from the three First Nations, which has been very good to see and it continues to grow,” LaFontaine noted.
A major benefit was the formation of Three Nations Development General Partnership Inc., which includes partners from Brunswick House and Chapleau Ojibwe First Nations, part of the Wabun Territorial Council and Chapleau Cree First Nation, members of the Mushkegowuk Territory. Each partner has a third of the share of the revenues the company generates. Three Nation Development GP manages several business ventures, including accommodations for some employees and service providers working at the Borden Mine. The company operates a 14-unit apartment building in Chapleau, dedicated to companies that need accommodation while providing service to the Borden Project. “We hope to grow and expand this business as the mine continues to expand,” LaFontaine said.
Three Nations Development also partners with companies that win service contracts with Borden. According to LaFontaine, Three Nations Development has about 100 agree -
ments. As Three Nations look to expand they are looking into adding services such as cleaning and security. Some of the major challenges facing Three Nations Development GP noted by LaFontaine include finding qualified people to help manage their many partnerships. “We are trying to find workers and I encourage people with experience in mining and mining supply services to send us their resumes,” pleaded LaFontaine. Though the lives of community members living in the three First Nations of the Three Nations Development General Partnership have improved LaFontaine said, there is still room for improvement.
The agreement with Newmont is relatively new when compared to Matachewan First Nation and its agreement with Alamos Gold, which was signed in 2010. LaFontaine hopes that more benefits accrue to address the health and social well-being of the communities. “We are bringing in a lot of healthy lifestyle and preventative health approaches to our communities,” she said.
Eventually, with education and training in the mining field, LaFontaine says she hopes to see someone from the three communities become a vice president or other senior manager with Borden Mine. “Why can’t we move that way?” Lafontaine mused. “Why can’t we dream and tell our young people, and even our older individuals that senior positions are part of the labour market so that we can do those things?”
Darlene Lafontaine, Director of Three Nations Development GP
David Courtoise, IBA Coordinator, Borden Lake Mine
Matachewan First Nations Limited Partnership Provides Services to Alamos and Agnico Eagle
By Frank Giorno
Matachewan First Nation has unquestionably been a leader in developing business opportunities for its community. It all began in 2010 when the Matachewan First Nation Limited Partnership (MFNLP) was mandated by a resolution of Band Council.
Chester Jobson, the Business Manager of Matachewan First Nation Limited Partnership spoke at the June 2024 Canadian Mining Expo “Building More First Nations Business Forum” in Northeastern Ontario.
The Matachewan First Nation is located north of the Township of Matachewan, about 60km west of Kirkland Lake and 70km southeast of Timmins. Jobson explained that the directors of the limited partnership (LP) are appointed by Matachewan First Nation Council and reporting structures, audits, and other financial oversights ensure that the LP is accountable to the Matachewan First Nation. Matachewan First Nation Limited Partnership was formed through agreements with mining companies operating or undertaking exploration work in Matachewan First Nation’s traditional territories. As part of the plans to re-open the shuttered Young-Davidson mine, an IBA (Impact Benefit Agreement) was signed with Northgate Mining that
paved the way for the creation of Matachewan First Nations Limited Partnership. The IBA also provided training for direct employment in the mine. Young-Davidson was reopened by AuRico Gold. They had their first pour of gold in 2012, and full commercial production commenced in 2013. The mine is now owned by Alamos Gold.
The services that opened the door for Matachewan First Nations Limited Partnership when the mine opened included cleaning services. Today, MFNLP has four main divisions. The Pace Backfill, Janitorial Services, Trucking and Underground Drilling. MFNLP now provides services at two area mines, the Macassa in Kirkland Lake operated by Agnico-Eagle, and the Young-Davidson mine operated by Alamos Gold site in Matachewan.
Backfilling Services
The Pace Backfill plant in North Bay is a partnership with Fisher Wavy. “Our LP financed that to the tune of $1.7 million and we co-own the plant with Fisher Wavy,” Jobson said. Backfilling in underground mines is an essential part of mining - refilling excavated holes. Jobson says the current capacity at the plant is 900 metric tons. Two of the silos hold the slag and the other two silos hold the general-use cement. The slag
is obtained as a waste byproduct of the steel mills. It’s commonly recycled into material used by mines for backfilling operations.
Trucking
The backfill material is shipped to the Young-Davidson and Macassa Mines with a trucking fleet owned by MFNLP. “Our trucking operations, which is called Blue Water, is 100% owned by our LP, “Jobson said. “Currently we’re operating with five trucks and six trailers to provide the mines with the binder material.”MFNLP suppli es the Young-Davison with approximately 34,400 tonnes of material or 858 loads annually. They are also supplying the Agnico Macassa with 26,215 tonnes or 654 loads annually. “We have the ability for growth. The infrastructure has the capacity to service additional mine sites as required and when we constructed the facility. We built it so
Chester Jobson, the Business Manager of Matachewan First Nation Limited Partnership
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FORGING NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH SUCCESS
that it would be easy to add more silos to allow more capacity for the binder material,” Jobson explained.
Underground Drilling
MFNLP’s underground drilling business supplies the Young-Davidson and the Macassa with underground exploration services. The business is a partnership with Boart-Longyear. “We have a partnership where we have a company called Ridgie Wagun, which means partnership in our language,” Jobson said. “We’ve purchased five new drills and leased those to our drilling company, Wanica,” he added. “Boart-Longyear pro -
vides the operation and maintenance for the MFNLP equipment in a very successful partnership model that we have structured.” Jobson says additional equipment purchases will be made based on customer requirements as the MFNLP grows its business.
Janitorial Services
The company’s janitorial services are wholly-owned and operated companies servicing the Agnico-Eagle Macassa mine and the Alamos Young Davidson mines. MFNLP currently has 32 full and part-time front-line and managerial staff, 18 at the Ma-
cassa, and 14 at the Alamos site. At Alamos, the company provides cleaning services for the entire site. At Macassa, they clean shaft 3, shaft 4, and 16 apartments that AgnicoEagle rents out to staff.
Fuel Business
MFNLP has expanded its business by partnering with Canada Clean Fuels. They supply local mines and businesses with fuel products along with the trucks. “We have a 300,000-litre plant situated in the town of Elk Lake,” stated Jobson. “We service not just the mines, we’re servicing the farming communities, the forest industry at the mills and in the bush operations,” he added.
Matachewan First Nation Limited Partnership provides positive financial returns to its shareholder, Matachewan First Nation. MFNLP operates as a limited partnership to exercise tax advantages and insulate the community from business liability. “We expect to do somewhere between $25 and $30 million worth of work annually this year through positive cash flow and responsible management,” Jobson added. “And we’re continuing to invest in the future growth of our existing businesses and we’re also looking for any new opportunities that may arise,” he said.
The future looks bright for MFNLP. In May, Alamos reported that its exploration program has revealed a new gold zone at the Matachewan Mine based on the results from an underground exploration program operation. Alamos released new drill results on May 14, 2024 from that program, showing, what the company said, is a “new style of highergrade gold mineralization” in zones in the hanging wall of the deposit, and located between 10 and 200 metres away from the existing mine infrastructure.
FORGING NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH SUCCESS
Mattagami Aki guided by traditional teachings
By Frank Giorno
Mattagami Aki LP, a Mattagami First Nation-owned company, lives by the traditional seven grandfather teachings, and a commitment to transparency, sustainability, and community prosperity. Established in 2018, Mattagami Aki LP is a 100 percent band owned a special purpose vehicle (SPV), delivering community participation in business and contracting opportunities at the Côté Gold Project, near Gogama. Côté Gold was developed in partnership with the Mattagami and Flying Post First Nations.
“The seven grandfather teachings are ingrained in our workplace philosophy,” said Tim Harvey, the Chief Executive Officer of Mattagami Aki Limited Partnership at the Canadian Mining Expo event in Timmins in June. “We’ve adapted them slightly, so they fit corporate office setting,” Harvey explained. “We rely on them to set the right tone and atmosphere in our business, and that definitely represents our community’s values and culture.
The Seven Grandfather Teachings are: Respect - Love - Truth - Bravery Wisdom - Generosity - Humility
Mattagami Aki LP’s primary agreements are with the Côté mine, which is on the traditional territory of Mattagami First Nation. The limited partnership is the vehicle for Mattagami First Nation to participate on various agreements, limited partnerships, joint ventures, memos of understanding, and service agreements. “In the last three years, we were able to develop two limited partnerships, where Mattagami First Nation would be the majority owners,” Harvey said. “These two companies are Aki Caron and Aki Moreau.”
In 2020, Mattagami Aki signed a strategic partnership with Caron Equipment. “Aki Caron, is our flagship entity on the Côté Gold project,” Harvey noted. Harvey said, the collaboration has been a success and will continue to excel and provide many opportunities for the community. Some of the projects they’ve worked on at Côté are tree clearing, earthworks, and contributing to building of the cement plant in partnership with L. Fournier & Fils Construction. An other limited partnership was with Aki Moreau which focuses on the construction of mining projects starting with Côté Gold, where the partnership completed a majority of the mill construction. They also were
in charge of structural, mechanical, piping and electrical (SMPE) works, like crushing, conveying, scaffolding, processing and grinding.
As well as their limited partnerships with Aki Caron and Aki Moreau, Mattagami AKI also has a list of open book partners. “There’s too many to list, but just to mention the ones that we are currently working with on contracts at Côté Gold, the list includes Tisdale Bus Lines, NanJV, Valard, Waggs Petroleum, Suncor, Petro-Canada Lubricants, SGS Canada, Advanced Security and as mentioned many others,” Harvey told the audience.
These roughly 80 service agreements provide jobs and subcontracting in Mattagami First Nations. The terms of the service agreements allow for training to help community members become ready for employment. “The number of opportunities that we’ve seen over the last three years has been astronomical, and with many more projects upcoming, we’re hoping to see that increase,” Harvey concluded.
A major part of the success of Mattagami Aki has been community building noted Mattagami First Nations Council member Devin Naveau. “By participating in the mining
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industry, we’re able to generate revenues, and invest those monies into the community,” explained Naveau.
A community comprehensive plan was developed by Mattagami First Nation with active community engagement when it formed Mattagami AKI, providing a roadmap for AKI to participate in the community. The comprehensive plan, contains a four-year strategic plan that aligns with the goals of Mattagami First Nation. The progress made by Mattagami Aki has been truly remarkable explained Naveau. “When we started, about three years ago it was the middle of the covid pandemic,” Naveau said. “We didn’t even have a bank account set up, and now we are managing several partnerships and working within the mining industry.”
Naveau acknowledged the community support from the Band Council and Wabun Tribal Council for advocating on behalf of First Nation communities to make this all happen. As an example of how these partnerships are benefitting the community, Naveau mentioned one of the companies graciously donated trailers that were used to build a fitness centre that opened in March of 2024. Some of the revenues are being earmarked for mental health, wellness and traditional cultural activities.
Naveau explained that the contracts negotiated by Mattagami Aki supports subcontracting to other First Nation businesses.
An important project that is being funded is the building of a 42foot diameter geodome containing
hydroponics and butchering space for preparing meats obtained from traditional hunting. With a portion of the revenue from Mattagami Aki, the community will be investing in a refrigeration system for its Odamino Indoor Skating Centre.
Climate change has meant warmer winters for the area and the lessening of time for winter freezing that permitted outdoor recreation like skating and hockey. The indoor skating arena also was dependent on below-freezing temperatures to maintain the ice surface. “Last winter was fairly warm, and within our arena, we’ve been reliant on Mother Nature, which hasn’t really allowed us to provide ice for community members to skate,” said Naveau. This will contribute to the year-round health and wellbeing of the community.
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“We’re all here as one” The Benefits of Partnerships
By Frank Giorno
“For much of our history, we were pushed aside, taken off our lands and moved out of the way to make room for mining projects - thankfully, that’s not our reality anymore.” Poignant words from Chief Jennifer Constant of Mattagami First Nations during a panel discussion on “Building More First Nation Business Forum” at the Canadian Mining Expo 2024.
The panel discussion dramatically underscored how far First Nations communities have evolved.
The days of low-return Impact Benefit Agreements or IBA’s have given way to meaningful partnerships and in some cases, equity positions.
“When we first started with the mining sector there was a lot of mistrust. We had issues with the mining sector and anyone that wanted to do explorations on our First Nation,” said Chief Alex “Sonny” Batise, Matachewan First Nation. “We had to say, hey, this is our land, this is our backyard and it’s never going to change.”
Building More First Nations Businesses Forum, Panel Speakers representing Industry and Communities was proudly hosted by Wabun Tribal Council. Pictured on the top left to right are Charley Goheen, Tech Advisor and Darlene Lafontaine, Director. Both were moderators from Wabun Tribal Council. Bottom Row left to right: Mike Timmins, Manager, Process Operations and Asset Management for Newmont, Marcel Cardinal, Director of Environment and Sustainability at Lake Shore Gold, Sydney Oakes, Director of Indigenous Relations and Public Affairs for Canada Nickel, Jennifer Constant, Chief of Mattagami First Nation and Sonny Batise, Chief of Matachewan First Nation.
Representatives from Newmont, Lake Shore Gold and Canada
Nickel, along with the Chiefs of Matachewan and Mattagami First Nations engaged in a discussion on the benefits of partnerships. The mining reps and the chiefs agreed - the
relationship today is vastly improved over what it had been in the past. The moderator asked the mining reps what they saw as challenges in developing partnerships with First Nations and how they overcame those challenges.
Mike Timmins, Manager, Process Operations and Asset Management for Newmont said there are two important aspects to the relationship between his company and First Nations. He said there’s a business partnership - and a relationship with the people of the First Nations communities. “They are the foundation of the relationships,” he said. “We must avoid pitfalls by developing the right structure for the relationship between the mine and the community. Respect and transparency are paramount.”
“Mining projects are some of the most complex projects in the world. And as the operator you need a solid understanding of the key concerns of the community which can definitely help the situation,” said Marcel Cardinal, Director of Environment and Sustainability at Lake Shore Gold. A consistent truthful message helps to build and strengthen the relationships and creates trust on both sides of the table he added.
Sydney Oakes, Director of Indigenous Relations and Public Affairs at Canada Nickel worked with First Nations before being employed in mining. She says the mining-FN relationship needs to be based on equal opportunity. “When you’re working with First Nation communities, it’s important to recognize there has to be some sort of equality in what folks are getting when from these,” she explained. Oakes emphasized the mining company must be aware that being a partner means helping the community realize their goals and dreams.
Chief Constant responded that her community is on board with the benefits of the partnership they have with the Côté Lake Mine just south of Gogama. “We’ve been able to
communicate effectively with our partners and explain - hey, this is Mattagami. We have a process that you can follow, and we haven’t been hiding anything,” Chief Constant added. She said her community is happy with the relationships they have with the Côté Lake Gold project that is operating on their traditional lands.
Chief Batise said he hopes that the benefits to Matachewan First Nation continues to thrive for future generations. “Everybody’s starting to realize that it is a good business for all to negotiate and come to good terms. I mean, we’re all here as one,” said Chief Batise. “We are looking towards our future generations.”
On the question of how the agreements and partnerships have evolved, Mike Timmins sees two fundamental changes. “The trend is more towards the ownership model,” he said. “So that communities actually have skin in the game and own part of the asset.” In the future, Timmins says he can see 100 percent indigenous-owned mining company. Another improvement is that mining companies have started thinking along generational lines and not on what will happen in the next quarter. Cardinal pointed out that mining projects don’t last that long. After 10 or 20 years of operations, they leave impacts that may be long lasting to the community. “We want to make sure that wherever we’re operating, that we minimize those impacts, and give sustainability to the communities beyond the life of the project,” Cardinal added. “Every time we change our operations, there’s impact. So, I’d like to go back and review those agreements, and how they are implemented,” he said.
Oakes said she has witnessed an attitudinal change in the way mining companies view their relations with
the communities. In the beginning, it was just about fulfilling the terms of the agreement. Today it is more about working with the communities. “There has been an attitude shift that’s coming from the proponents to actually say, what a privilege it is to be able to work and learn within your traditional territory,” Oakes explained. She gave the example traditional knowledge contributing to the scientific knowledge used by her company in water monitoring. “We have so much scientific data, but now First Nation partners are bringing their traditional knowledge to the table,” she said.
The final question dealt with advice for mining companies starting to develop partnerships with First Nations. Timmins said taking the time and energy to develop the relationship and establishing open lines of communications is very valuable. “Early and continuous engagement is the key to understanding your partners and developing a trusting relationship,” added Cardinal “We’re trying to move projects at the speed of light and you’re often dealing with communities who have a small staff,” Cardinal noted. He also said mining companies have a responsibility to make socio-economic conditions better for the communities they work with.
From the two Chiefs perspective, they recommend companies be prepared to provide funding so they can develop capacity for working on the partnership-building alongside their other duties. Mining companies also need to do their due diligence and identify the true representatives of the First Nations communities and not individuals who are neither elected nor appointed by the community.
CEN-CAN Expo:
Part of the Driving Force for Northwestern Ontario’s Mining Industry
The Central Canada Resource Expo, known as CEN CAN Expo, has emerged as a pivotal event for Northwestern Ontario’s thriving mining industry. Organized by Canadian Trade-Ex which has been producing trade events for the past three decades. The event is held annually in Thunder Bay, and serves as a dynamic platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and showcasing the latest advancements in the sector. With a rich history and a commitment to fostering collaboration, CEN CAN Expo plays a crucial role in propelling the region’s industry sectors forward. The three-day event brings together key stakeholders, including mining companies, suppliers, service providers, government representatives, and Indigenous communities. The event features a comprehensive exhibition showcasing cutting-edge equipment, technologies, and services relevant to the mining sector.
Promoting Collaboration and Innovation
Additionally, attendees can participate in informative conferences, workshops, and presentations covering a wide range of topics, from exploration and development, Indigenous partnerships to environmental sustainability and community engagement.
One of the primary objectives of CEN CAN Expo is to foster collaboration among industry players. By facilitating networking opportunities, the expo enables companies to forge strategic partnerships, share best practices, and explore potential synergies. This collaborative envi -
The 2023 CEN CAN Expo saw over 3000 visitors and over 280 displays inside and outside the Fort William Gardens arena and curling club.
CEN CAN Expo generates significant economic benefits for Northwestern Ontario, particularly for the host city of Thunder Bay
ronment is essential for driving innovation and addressing the complex challenges faced by the mining industry.
Through its diverse program of conferences, the expo delves into critical issues such as environmental stewardship, Indigenous engagement, workforce development, and technological advancements. By facilitating open dialogue and knowledge sharing, CEN CAN Expo contributes to the development of sustainable and responsible mining practices in Northwestern Ontario.
As the mining industry continues to evolve, CEN CAN Expo remains committed to adapting and meeting the changing needs of its stakeholders and partners. The expo organizers are constantly exploring new
ways to enhance the event’s value proposition, ensuring that it remains a relevant and impactful platform for the mining community. With its strong track record and dedication to fostering collaboration and innovation, CEN CAN Expo is poised to play an even more significant role in shaping the future of Northwestern Ontario’s mining industry.
The Central Canada Resource Expo, widely known as CEN CAN Expo, has emerged as a pivotal event for Northwestern Ontario’s thriving mining industry. Held annually in Thunder Bay, this expo serves as a dynamic platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and showcasing the latest advancements in the sector. With a rich history and a commitment to fostering collabora-
tion, CEN CAN Expo plays a crucial role in propelling the region’s mining industry forward.
As the industry continues to evolve, CEN CAN Expo will undoubtedly remain a driving force for growth, innovation, and sustainable development in the years to come.
The positive impact of CEN CAN Expo extends beyond the mining industry itself. The event generates significant economic activity for the host city of Thunder Bay, attracting visitors from across Canada and beyond. Local businesses benefit from increased tourism, while the expo also creates employment opportunities in various sectors. Furthermore, CEN CAN Expo helps to raise awareness about the importance of mining to the region’s economy and its potential for future growth. These benefits can be categorized into short-term and long-term economic impacts: Short-term:
- Increased Tourism
- Job Creation
- Direct Spending
Long-term:
- Investment Attraction
- Business Development
- Infrastructure Development
- Knowledge Transfer and Innovation
Overall, the CEN CAN Expo plays a crucial role in driving economic growth in Northwestern Ontario. By attracting investment, fostering business development, creating jobs, and supporting infrastructure development, the expo contributes significantly to the region’s economic prosperity.
The overall agenda of the event and registration for the trade show, conferences, competitions and networking events is now open online and can be seen at www.cencanexpo.ca or by calling 1-866-754-9334 in Canada or direct at 1-705-264-2251
Photo: Networking and conferences offer valuable and informative opportunities for those who participate in any or all of the CEN CAN Expo activities.
Cen-Can Resources Expo will be showcasing the richness of opportunities to the world Sept 11th -12th at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay.
Admission at the Door $25.00
Register online & be eligible to win 1 ounce of gold
Trade Show Location: Fort William Gardens, 901 Miles St E, Thunder Bay ON, P7C 1J9
Conference Location: Elk’s Lodge, 201 Syndicate Ave N (1 Block from Fort William Gardens)
Gala Dinner : Valhalla Hotel & Conference Centre, 1 Valhalla Inn Road Thunder Bay Ontario P7E 6J1
Vip Social Location: Da Vinci Centre, 340 Waterloo St S, Thunder Bay ON P7E 6H9 For more info: call 705-264-2251, toll free 866-754-9334 or mail at info@canadiantradex.com This event is proudly
SEPTEMBER 10-12
Tuesday 10th
6:00 pm – 11:00 pm Gala Dinner • Hosted by CIM Thunder Bay Branch and CT-EX
Valhalla Hotel & Conference Centre
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Cocktail Hour (Cash Bar)
Wednesday 11th
10:00 am
During show hours
Trade Show Doors Open
All guests must register prior to entering trade show grounds
• Central Canada Job Fair - Trade Show Grounds
• Live On-Site Demos
• Core Shack displays - Curling Club Parking Lot under the big tent
11:00 am Grand Opening Celebrations
Curling Club Parking Lot (Jackleg Drilling Competitions Site)
11:30 am – 4:30 pm Jackleg Drilling Competitions
Outside at the Jackleg Drilling Rocks (Curling Club Parking Lot) Divisions for Dignitaries, Novice & Pros.
11:30 am - Dignitary Challenge
1:00 pm - Novice Mixed
3:00 pm - Northern Jackleg Pros (pros only)
4:30 pm - Award Ceremonies
5:00 pm
Trade Show Doors Close
6:00 pm VIP Social (VIP Guests Only. Limited to 600.)
Thursday 12th
9:00 am
During show hours
Da Vinci Centre, 340 Waterloo St S, Thunder Bay ON P7E 6H9
Trade Show Doors Open
All guests must register prior to entering trade show grounds
• Central Canada Job Fair - Trade Show Grounds
• Live On-Site Demos
• Core Shack displays - Curling Club Parking Lot under the big tent
8:00 am Full Day Conference kicks off with Networking Session & Breakfast Elk’s Lodge, 201 Syndicate Ave N, (1 Block from Fort William Gardens)
8:30 am First Nations Partnerships Conference
11:00 am Critical Minerals
12:30 pm State of Mining Address
1:00 pm Projects in the Pipeline & Indigenous Partnerships Conference
3:00 pm Trade Show Doors Close
Thanks to our Palladium Sponsors
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Gala Dinner
Valhalla Hotel & Conference Centre
Tuesday, Sept. 10th
6:00pm – 11:00pm, 6:00 – 7:00 Cocktail Hour
Tickets $125.00 each. Tables of 10 available. Tickets are limited (320 Seats)!
Order your tickets now.
Limited seating.
Contact Rhonda Larochelle at 866.754.9334
Proceeds from the event will go to the establishment of a bursary award that will support undergraduate students at Lakehead University and Confederation College.
Attention Investors! Core Shack displays
Location: Curling Club Parking Lot.
Get the latest drilling results on gold, precious and critical minerals exploration projects. Meet the world’s top mine finders and developers in the big tent.
Grand Opening Celebrations
Curling Club Parking Lot (Jackleg Drilling Competitions Site) Sept. 11th, 11:00 am
Grand Opening Remarks and Kick off to the CEN CAN Expo. Dignitaries representing the mining industry, communities, First Nations, Academia, and government will all welcome the guests and the participants to the event. and Investment Specialists.
Hosted by:
Hors d’oeuvres sponsor: Wine sponsor:
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Northwest Jackleg Drilling Competitions
Outside at the Jackleg Drilling Rocks (Curling Club Parking Lot) Sept. 11th, 11:30am - 4:30pm
Win Prizes & Trophies!
Divisions for Dignitaries, Novice & Pros.
11:30 am - Dignitary Challenge
1:00 pm - Novice Mixed
3:00 pm - Northern Jackleg Pros (pros only)
4:30 pm - Award Ceremonies
Online registration is now open (FREE)
All are welcome to participate.
The Big VIP Social
DaVinci Centre, Sept. 11th, 6:00pm (VIP Guests Only. Limited to 600.)
600 VIP guests will enjoy northern hospitality at its finest. An evening of networking, food and entertainment.
Thanks to our Gold Sponsors
Sponsored by:
Hosted by:
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Full Day Conference
Location: Elk’s Lodge, Mile’s Str. East (1 Block from Fort William Gardens) Sept. 12th, 8:00am - 3:00pm
8:00 - Networking Session & Breakfast
The all-day conference will start with a Networking session and breakfast.
Breakfast sponsored by
8:30 - First Nations Partnerships
Hosted by I.C.E.
Moderator: Michael Fox
11:00 - Critical Minerals
Meeting the demands of the EV surge
12:00 - Lunch sponsored by
12:30 - State of Mining Address by Minister of Mines, George Pirie
1:00 -
Projects in the Pipeline: The Next 5 Years
Proudly Supporting Mining
Creating a sustainable future for all
Hear from CEO and Management level representatives from Canada’s top producers and future leaders. Learn of opportunities that exist within the supply and service sector as these companies prepare for the expansion and development of world-class mine operations.
Tickets are limited and are $50.00 each for the full day. Includes: Tradeshow Pass, breakfast & lunch.
SEPTEMBER
Live Demos
See what’s new and in action
Sept. 11th - 12th, During show hours
Watch Live Demonstrations of equipment. CEN CAN Expo 2024 will be hosting live demos, exhibitors will be showcasing their equipment. Attendees will be able to view the live demonstrations and ask questions.
Central Canada’s
Mining Job Fair
Trade Show Grounds
Sept. 11th - 12th during trade show hours
Discover Career Opportunities in the Natural Resource Sector. Visit HR staff and drop off your resumes. Speak to training and education providers.
Simulators Come test your skills
Location: Curling Club Parking Lot
Trainees can put real knowledge and skills into practice not just by reading books on theory or listening to lectures, but through physical, handson activity.
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
OUTDOOR MAP
Epiroc OA-10
Brandt OM-10
GardaWorld OA-04
Kenworth Ontario - Thunder Bay OV-08
Komatsu Canada OM-01
MacLean Engineering OA-09
Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association OC-12
Nuclear Waste Management Organization OC-12
Seven Generations Education Institute OC-11
Strongco OV-11, 12
Toromont CAT OM-02, 03
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
ARENA 1 MAP (SKATING RINK)
Companies accepting resumes or providing education and training programs (also marked on map with orange)
Agat Laboratories Ltd. Back 05
AirMP Inc. R6-03
Alamos Gold R2-03
Armour Valve Ltd. R4-12
Asiniikaa Mining and Construction Ltd. Back 04
Automation Now R5-01, 02
Barr Engineering and Environmental Science Canada Ltd. R1-05
Becker Varis R1-04
CD Nova R3-02
CIMA+ Back 03
ClearWater Energy Services R2-09
CoreLift Inc. Lobby 11
CSL Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd. R2-10
Digital Engineering, Inc. R5-15
Dragan Technologies Inc. Lobby 09
Dumas R2-13
E.S. Fox Limited R1-06
Environmental 360 Solutions R3-10
Epiroc R1-12, 13, 14
Equinox Gold - Greenstone Mine R1-10
Equipment North Inc. Front 04, 05
First Mining Gold Corp. R5-07
Fisher Wavy Inc. R6-17
Fountain Tire Back 01
GFL Environmental Inc. R3-01
Gillis Custom Containers R4-10
Hepburn Engineering Inc. R4-04
Imdex Limited R6-05, 06
Impala Canada R4-14
Kenworth Ontario - Thunder Bay R1-15
Kinross Gold R4-01
Komatsu Canada R3-13
Lakehead Ironworks R4-11
Lakeside Process Controls Ltd. R1-17
Levert R4-06
Levitt Safety Ltd. R2-02
LH North Ltd. Lobby 01
LTL Contracting Ltd. R2-14
Manroc Developments Inc. R4-08, 09
MMD Mineral Sizing (Canada) Inc. R1-07
Morgan Fuels R6-15
Newmont Musselwhite Front 03
Nordmin Engineering Ltd. R6-04
Orbit Garant Drilling Services R6-11
REP Security/REP Giwaydin R1-16
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions R2-01
SGS Canada Inc. R4-02
Sigfusson Northern Ltd. R3-05
Smart Modular Canada R3-03
Steamline Industrial Contractors Lobby 06
Summit Camps and Catering R6-10
SureWerx™ Lobby 07
Synterra Security Solutions R3-08
TechnoSub R2-04,05
The Bucket Shop Group R5-05, 06
Tria Products Ltd. Lobby 08
TULLOCH Engineering R4-07
UBC Millwrights – Millwright Regional Council Canada R5-04
Wajax R5-08, 09
White Cap Supply Canada Inc. R3-12
Windigo Community Development Corp. R6-08
Woodland Heritage Northwest Back 02
Workforce Inc. R1-11
WSN Construction R5-14
Zimmer Air Services Inc. Lobby 04
SEPTEMBER 11-12
ARENA 2 MAP (CURLING
RINK)
ALS Geochemistry R7-06
AMI Attachments R7-01, 02
Bayside Geoscience Inc. Back 05
Blue Heron Solutions for Environmental Management R3-04
Brigade Electronics R3-05
Cenovus Energy R5-04
Cyr Drilling International Back 06
DMC Mining R6-03
Driving Force R3-06
ECS Electrical Cable Supply Ltd. R2-07
Exsics Exploration Ltd. Front 03
GRIDLINK Front 08
HydroTech Mining R4-07
Kasper Transportation Service R4-05
KBM Resources Front 05
Lakehead University R4-06
Matrix Camps, Logistics and Aviation Management R8-07
McCANN Equipment R4-08
NexGold Mining Corp. R1-04
Norcat (Thunder Bay Office) Back 02
NORPRO Security R1-06
North Fringe Industrial Technologies Inc. R6-09
Nuclear Waste Management Organization R2-05
Nuna Group of Companies Front 07
Panasonic Canada Inc. R1-08
PCL Constructors Northern Ontario Inc. R3-09
Peter Lucas Project Management Inc. R1-09
Platinum Diamond Drilling Inc. R8-05
Safety Net Security R2-04
Samson Controls Inc. R5-05
Santasalo R5-08
Seven Generations Education Institute R8-02, 03
TBT Engineering Limited R5-03
Thermon Canada Inc. R3-10
Timmins Mechanical Solutions R4-01, 02
Viacore R7-07
Voyago R7-10
Wasaya Airways LP R2-02
Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. R2-01
Wisk Air Helicopters Front 01
ACTIVATION LABORATORIES LTD.
R3-09 (Arena 1)
Actlabs has been recognized as one of the highest quality labs serving the mineral exploration industry for over 30 years. We provide fast turnaround time, responsive and knowledgeable customer service. Our full service ISO 17025 accredited laboratory in Timmins can help you with your analytical needs.
AGAT LABORATORIES LTD.
Back 05 (Arena 1)
AGAT Laboratories is the most geographically and technically diversified laboratory in Canada. It includes multiple scientific divisions across the Mining, Environmental, Energy, Industrial, Transportation, Life Sciences and Agri-Food sectors. AGAT Laboratories’ Mining Division provides comprehensive services for exploration and mining development and offers various monitoring programs. Full-service solutions are provided by the following divisions: Mining Geochemistry, Geology, Organic fluids / oils, Environmental Chemistry, and Air Quality Monitoring.
AIRMP INC.
R6-03 (Arena 1)
Airmp manufacturer of HVAC systems for industrial buildings, mining and heavy industrial. We also manufacture prefabricated steel buildings such as E-house with or without equipment. Technical room … CSA -A 660 , ISO 9001-2015 certification.
ALAMOS GOLD
R2-03 (Arena 1)
Alamos Gold is a Canadian-based gold producer with a long-term track record of creating value for all stakeholders through solid financial performance, low-cost production growth, and a company-wide commitment to social responsibility and environmental stewardship.
ALS GEOCHEMISTRY
R7-06 (Arena 2)
Laboratories specializing in analytical data service and metallurgy services for the mining industry. With over 60 locations around the world we are able to provide consistent, swift, productive and reliable service to our clients.
AMI ATTACHMENTS
R7-01, 02 (Arena 2)
AMI Attachments is an industry-leading manufacturer of quality, reliable construction and mining attachments, including exclusively patented designs. With a facility in Ontario, Canada, AMI serves the heavy equipment attachment market across North America.
ARMOUR VALVE LTD.
R4-12 (Arena 1)
Armour Valve is Canada’s trusted source for specialty valves and process equipment, providing solutions for challenging mining and forestry applications, including abrasive and corrosive media, autoclave isolation, power generation, and tailings management.
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
ASINIIKAA MINING AND CONSTRUCTION LTD.
Back 04 (Arena 1)
Asiniikaa Mining and Construction Ltd. is Northern Ontario’s full service Indigenous-owned and led mining and construction group of companies. Comprised of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous team members, Asiniikaa brings decades of sector experience to the north. Our relationship to the area is essential as the north is where we, along with our partners are located. Our focus as a company is to exceed the expectations of our clients while building sustainable, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations. We invest in capacity development, training and development, and procurement opportunities in every community that we work within.
AUTOMATION NOW
R5-01, 02 (Arena 1)
Automation Now Inc. is a leading provider of design, build and support services for electrical power, instrumentation, automation and control systems. Our specializations include VFD’s, PLC’s, electrical field services, custom CSA certified panels and containers. Our customers include industrial, municipal and heavy commercial applications, such as lumber, pulp & paper, mining, water and wastewater treatment, and more. We are recognized as the only provider of full automation, instrumentation and electrical services company based in Northwestern Ontario.
BARR ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
CANADA LTD.
R1-05 (Arena 1)
More than technical expertise Being an employee-owned company means our success depends on your success. We listen carefully, to understand what’s most important to your organization and stakeholders. We invest deeply, planning and implementing solutions that are tailored to your needs. Providing exceptional service is Barr’s fundamental focus, and solving clients’ complex problems is what makes us tick. In a world of experts, our engineering and environmental team brings even more to the table: passion, thoughtfulness, and creativity—from day one.
BAYSIDE GEOSCIENCE INC.
Back 05 (Arena 2)
Bayside Geoscience Inc. works diligently to help companies in the mineral and exploration industry discover the potential of their projects by matching the right talent to their specialized need, through effective communication, adaptable project management and competitive pricing while building rewarding careers for the professionals we employ.
BECKER VARIS
R1-04 (Arena 1)
Becker Varis is dedicated to the development and application of effective communications in Mining and tunneling. Its success is a result of industry leading advancements in communication, automation and global service capabilities.
BLUE HERON SOLUTIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
R3-04 (Arena 2)
Specializing in the mining industry, Blue Heron
Environmental is a company of professionals with extensive practical experience in assisting clients with the management of environmental, safety and regulatory risks
BMI GROUP/RED ROCK INDIAN BAND
R3-01, 02 (Arena 2)
Our combined portfolio represents a dynamic system in which elements affect and reinforce each other. Inherent to it are network potentials ranging from location stacking and multi-modal logistics to complementary economics and skill pool leveraging. Taking a networked approach enables us to create value with the communities we work in and the partnerships we generate to build greater regional gains.
BRANDT
OM-10 (Outdoor)
Brandt is deeply invested in the mining industry; offering a unique mix of products and services, delivered through an extensive network of 56 full-service branches, that no one competitor can match.
BRIGADE ELECTRONICS
R3-05 (Arena 2)
Brigade Electronics focuses on vehicle safety solutions, enhancing safety and preventing accidents for commercial vehicles globally through innovative technology and expertise.
CAHILL SERVICES OPERATING CANADA INC.
R6-04 (Arena 2)
Cahill Heating provides the best, cleanest, most fuel-efficient flameless heating technology on the market. Our patented technology features the highest temperature rises in the shortest time and can deliver heat up to 500 feet away for a hassle-free wintertime operation.
CANADIAN DEWATERING LP
OA-03 (Outdoor)
Canadian Dewatering offers innovative and cost-effective fluid management services. We are experts in contract dewatering and specialize in providing state-of-the-art equipment and professional service and rentals for a variety of industries.
CD NOVA
R3-02 (Arena 1)
MOXA manufactures robust, reliable, industrial-strength Network Infrastructure products, Computers, Edge Connectivity and Automation Solutions to facilitate safer and smarter workplaces in hazardous environments and uninhabitable terrains.
CEDC - THUNDER BAY COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
LOBBY 09B (Arena 1)
We look forward to welcoming you to CEN CAN 2024. We are honored to host such a distinguished gathering of professionals. Look out for the CEDC Blue Blazers or visit us at our welcome booth. Let’s connect and discuss how we can support your business in Northwestern Ontario.
CENOVUS ENERGY
R5-04 (Arena 2)
We’re a Canadian-based integrated energy company headquartered in Calgary. We’re committed
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
to maximizing value by sustainably developing our assets in a safe, innovative and cost-efficient manner, integrating environmental, social and governance considerations into our business plans. We operate in Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. Our operations include oil sands projects in northern Alberta, thermal and conventional crude oil and natural gas projects across Western Canada, crude oil production offshore Newfoundland and Labrador and natural gas and liquids production offshore China and Indonesia.
CENTRAL CANADA INDUSTRIES INC.
R6-01, 02 (Arena 1)
Central Canada Industries Inc. (CCI) is a major supplier of key items to the Mining, Construction, Industrial and Forestry industries. CCI specializes in the following categories: Hydraulic Hose, Couplings, and Fluid Connectors as well as Air, Oil, and Hydraulic Filtration. To complement these lines, CCI has a vast array of products including Batteries, Lubrication Equipment, Lifting & Rigging Equipment, and full-line Lubricants and Chemicals. CCI provides personal on-site services including customer SEACANs outfitted with Hose & Fitting inventory and assembly. In addition, CCI provides Filtration Surveys for equipment to ensure the customer has the products required when they need them. CCI has been providing these products and services for decades to our many customers throughout Northwestern Ontario and beyond.
CIMA+
Back 03 (Arena 1)
CIMA+ provides a variety of consulting engineering services, namely in the areas of buildings, infrastructure, transportation, energy and resources, project management, communication systems, and the environment. The search for excellence has been part of our DNA since our founding in 1990, and our teams draw on decades of experience acquired across Canada to deliver quality projects that meet our clients’ expectations. This commitment has allowed CIMA+ to rank among the largest private consulting engineering firms in the country.
CLEARWATER ENERGY SERVICES
R2-09 (Arena 1)
We provide Facility Construction and Maintenance & Turnaround services to the energy and industrial end markets including Oil & Gas, Agriculture, Mining, Petrochemical, Forestry, and Power. ClearWater is a building trades company, operating across Canada.
CMZ ENERGY
R2-15 (Arena 1)
We, CMZ Energy, are a Petroleum Contracting Company based in Ontario with a mission to deliver the right solution at the highest professional standard to our clients in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.
COASTAL STEEL CONSTRUCTION LTD.
R2-08 (Arena 2)
Coastal Steel is a leading steel supply, fabrication and erection company in Northwestern Ontario Located in Thunder Bay, ON, we have over 50 years experience providing exceptional service to the mining, forestry and construction sectors
CORELIFT INC.
Lobby 11 (Arena 1)
CoreLift™ is a novel Canadian equipment provider for modern core logging facilities (aka core shacks). Our product lines include the fully adjustable logging table that removes risks towards repetitive strain injuries, allows for physical diversity and improves productivity for core logging teams, a robust platform pallet lifter specifically made for loading and unloading core boxes, our innovative flat rolling roller tables with the lock & block system and our new fully adjustable sampling stations. We provide geology teams with all the necessary equipment to make their working environment modern, safe and productive.
CORPORATE TRAVELLER
R3-11 (Arena 2)
Corporate Traveller is a travel management company built for start-ups to medium-sized companies. Powered by the best talent around and our booking platform Melon, we make corporate travel simpler, faster and easier.
COUNTRY CORNERS RENT-ALL INC
OV-12 (Outdoor)
Country corners Argo, Ontario’s only Argo Sasquatch XTV dealer. Sales, leasing and rentals.
CSL ENVIRONMENTAL & GEOTECHNICAL LTD.
R2-10 (Arena 1)
CSL Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd. (CSL) is an independently owned multi-disciplinary engineering firm located in Northwestern Ontario. As part of CSL’s ongoing commitment to staying current in all aspects of geotechnical and environmental engineering we utilize the latest technology, data and software packages to provide the most accurate information to our clients.
CWB NATIONAL LEASING
Front 09 (Arena 2)
You’re in good hands with Canada’s largest and longest-standing equipment financing company. We’ve helped Canadian businesses by providing over $40 Billion in funding. We have helped over 500,000 business customers secure equipment with our full range of financing services. We sup -
Locations & Descriptions
Exhibitors
port our sales agents and a broker network across Canada from our head office in Winnipeg, Manitoba. CWB National Leasing is part of the Canadian Western Bank Financial Group of companies.
CYR DRILLING INTERNATIONAL
Back 06 (Arena 2)
Cyr Drilling International is a premier diamond and geotechnical drilling company with a proven track record of exceeding customer expectations.
DE-ON SUPPLY
R8-12 (Arena 2)
DSI is a leading distributor of Used Oil Furnaces / Boilers, and Recycling Centres that generate FREE HEAT from USED motor oils and petroleum based fluids commonly used in all types of internal combustion engines.
DIAMOND DRILLING INDUSTRIES INC.
R1-10 (Arena 2)
Diamond Drilling Industries Inc. is a drill bit manufacturer with an in-house design team. We have industry-leading product lines of steel body PDC bits and tricone bits for HDD, Water Well, Geothermal, Geotechnical and Mining industries. Our team can also work with customers to design and build customized drill bits for specialized applications. We have warehouse locations in Dallas, Texas, Duncan, Oklahoma, and Calgary, Alberta.
DIGITAL ENGINEERING, INC.
R5-15 (Arena 1)
Digital Engineering is a process management technologies firm that creates industrial hardware and software solutions specializing in automation, control systems, IT/OT and Energy.
DMC MINING
R6-03 (Arena 2)
DMC has well-established roots in the mining industry, characterized by numerous successful project completions and industry-first achievements. With nearly 45 years of experience providing mine contracting services to esteemed clients globally, DMC is well-equipped to execute your project safely and to the highest industry standards. From cutting-edge shaft sinking projects to comprehensive underground development programs, our team of highly skilled professionals is prepared to guide you through the next steps.
DP DIAMOND BLADES, DP EXPLORATION CONCEPTS
R5-06 (Arena 2)
dp diamond blades is a supplier of premium diamond blades based on the mohs scale for mining exploration. We provide full service core cutting, machine printed metal tags, rock polishing and core management. Our extensive team experience ensures the optimum, most effective diamond blades and services are utilized for each client’s exceptional results and value.
DRAGAN TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Lobby 09 (Arena 1)
DTI has over 20 years experience catering to the Mining industry with machine upgrades and new safety products. ISO 9001 certified. For more information please visit our website.
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
DRIVING FORCE
R3-06 (Arena 2)
As a one-stop transportation solutions provider we use our size, the leverage of our national network and our fine-tuned service and skills to make life easier for our partners. Ask us about our vehicle lineup, equipment options, and fleet management tools today!
DUKE’S WIRE MESH & METAL
R8-06 (Arena 2)
Duke’s Wire Mesh & Metal offers high-quality wire mesh and metal products, including welded wire mesh, woven wire mesh, expanded metal, and self-drilling anchor systems.
DUMAS
R2-13 (Arena 1)
Dumas is a leading full-service underground mine contractor providing services to clients throughout the Americas.
DYNAPRO PUMPS
Back 08 (Arena 2)
It’s our goal to provide the most reliable pumping system. At Dynapro, our mission is to accelerate the transformation to sustainable industries by reducing the consumption of energy, water, and materials in Pumping Systems.
E.S. FOX LIMITED
R1-06 (Arena 1)
E.S. Fox Limited is recognized as a preeminent Canadian multi-trade constructor and fabricator in the Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, and Energy markets.
ECS ELECTRICAL CABLE SUPPLY LTD.
R2-07 (Arena 2)
ECS, Electrical Cable Supply is an electrical wire and cable distributor, providing trusted products with solutions for demanding mining applications where dependability, reliability and performance are essential.
EECOL ELECTRIC CORP.
R2-06 (Arena 2)
Providing our customers with a wide variety of products to help them with all their electrical needs is a top priority for us. Our large inventories allow us to meet customer demand, enabling our customers to reduce inventory, minimize their operating costs and maximize the level of service offered. And with that, getting the right products into our customers’ hands quickly when they need them.
ENVIRONMENTAL 360 SOLUTIONS
R3-10 (Arena 1)
Environmental 360 Solutions Inc. is an environmental management company providing solutions to municipalities and Industrial, Commercial and Institutional customers. With operations across eleven Canadian cities in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, E360S is dedicated to becoming one of North America’s leading and most trusted environmental management companies.
EPIROC
R1-12, 13, 14 (Arena 1) & OA-10
EQUINOX GOLD - GREENSTONE MINE
R1-10 (Arena 1)
Greenstone Mine will be one of the largest openpit mines in Canada, with production estimated at more than 400,000 ounces of gold annually for the first five years. Greenstone Mine will also be a longlife mine, with an initial mine life of nearly 15 years from the existing more than five million ounces of gold reserves, and multiple opportunities to both extend the mine life and increase production by expanding the open pit and developing both underground and near-mine deposits.
EQUIPMENT NORTH INC.
Front 04, 05 (Arena 1)
Equipment North develops, rents, sells and commissions mobile material handling solutions for underground mines. With full-service branches in Sudbury and Timmins, Equipment North is a short drive from upwards of 30 operating underground mines as well as the region’s host of smelters, refineries and mills. From conception through production and aftermarket service, our technical team works along with industry experts to ensure that our products exceed the demands and expectations of the people who use them.
EQUIPMENT WORLD INC.
R2-06, 07 & R3-06, 07 (Arena 1)
Equipment World has been providing great service and value to the mining industry in Northern Ontario since 1973. We procure, sell, rent and service material handling equipment for the mining industry. We have full-service facilities in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay to give our customers the opportunity to see various products and discuss specific requirements at a local level. These three locations also have complete service departments with mobile mechanics to keep your equipment performing at its peak efficiency. However, we are much more than equipment. We can also supply and install lockers, workstations, cabinets and shelving, pallet racking, mine dry baskets, toilet partitions, operable panels and many more construction specialties. We’ve got the north covered!
EXPEDITION HELICOPTERS
R5-11, 12 (Arena 1)
Expedition is a safety driven Helicopter company dedicated to providing reliable and efficient service to customers across Canada and the United States.
EXSICS EXPLORATION LTD.
Front 03 (Arena 2)
Established in 1980, Exsics Exploration is a leading mining exploration company, providing comprehensive services including Geophysics, Prospecting, Chainsaw, Mulching Operations, Geo Chemistry Programs, and Contract Geologists. Exsics is committed to becoming a ‘One Stop Shop’ for all your mining exploration needs.
FASTCOVER FABRIC STRUCTURES LTD.
R3-03 (Arena 2)
Meeting the needs of Customers in Mining, oil & gas, construction and agricultural sectors with High
Epiroc is a leading productivity partner for the mining, infrastructure and natural resources industries. With cutting-edge technology, Epiroc develops and produces innovative drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment, and provides worldclass service and consumables.
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Quality engineered fabric structures for over 36 years. Factory direct sales and installation services ensure Customer Satisfaction. www.fastcoverbuildings.com
FIRST MINING GOLD CORP.
R5-07 (Arena 1)
First Mining is a Canadian gold developer focused on the development and permitting of the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario. Springpole is one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Canada. The results of a positive Pre-Feasibility Study for the Springpole Gold Project were announced by First Mining in January 2021, and permitting activities are on-going with submission of an Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) for the project targeted for 2022. The Company also holds a large equity position in Treasury Metals Inc. who are advancing the Goliath Gold Complex toward construction. First Mining’s portfolio of gold projects in eastern Canada also includes the Pickle Crow (being advanced in partnership with Auteco Minerals Ltd.), Hope Brook (being advanced in partnership with Big Ridge Gold Corp.), Cameron, Duparquet, Duquesne, and Pitt gold projects. First Mining was established in 2015 by Mr. Keith Neumeyer, founding President and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp.
FISHER WAVY INC.
R6-17 (Arena 1)
Fisher Wavy’s mining solutions offer a diverse range of construction materials and technologies to improve efficiencies in the construction, development and extraction phases of both surface and underground mines. From on-site backfill production to shotcrete delivery systems, grouting solu-
tions, bagged roadway aggregates and stemming material, our experienced technical team can assist with all your mining needs.
FLO COMPONENTS LTD.
R8-04 (Arena 2)
FLO specializes in Automatic Greasing Systems, Garage Bulk Fluid Handling systems and AFEX Vehicle Fire Suppression Systems, and is a leading supplier (using Lincoln, SKF & Graco components) to OEM’s and heavy equipment users.
FLUX MECHANICAL INC.
OV-09 (Outdoor)
Specializing in outfitting shipping containers and utility vehicles with high quality lubrication equipment. Our durable solutions ensure seamless operations for your in-field needs.
FOREST HELICOPTERS
R2-09 (Arena 2)
Forest Helicopters has been pivotal in exploration mining for over 20 years. Our expertise within this sector has led to the discovery of valued mineral deposits in the most inaccessible regions of Canada. Our reputation for precision drill moving is preceded by our commitment to an unparalleled standard of safety.
FORGED DRILLING COMPANY
R1-03 (Arena 2)
Forged Drilling is a leading provider of drilling services with a focus on process safety. Forged is delivering repeatable, scalable, and predictable results to our client base. We help busy project managers execute projects on time and budget by providing reliable drilling rigs crewed with competent professionals.
FOUNTAIN TIRE
Back 01 (Arena 1)
Fountain Tire is your one stop shop for commercial vehicle tires including OTR tires, industrial tires, agriculture and specialty tires and commercial truck tires. If it’s got a wheel, chances are we’ve got a tire for it. We’re committed to providing you with quality commercial tire brands and maintenance services that help keep your business moving and your operating costs low.
FUEL ACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
R1-05 (Arena 2)
GARDAWORLD
OA-04 (Outdoor)
As a global leader in security services, GardaWorld has a team of highly skilled and experienced professionals to protect our clients’ businesses, employees and assets.
GFL ENVIRONMENTAL INC.
R3-01 (Arena 1)
GFL Environmental is the only major diversified environmental services company in North America offering services in solid waste management, liquid waste management, and infrastructure development. With strategically located operations across Canada and the United States, GFL is uniquely equipped to undertake practically any environmental challenge, with unparalleled commitment to safety and customer service.
GILLIS CUSTOM CONTAINERS
R4-10 (Arena 1)
Oil storage units, skid systems, Tarp systems, offices, monthly rentals. We have it all. Come see us for a quote!!
Products and Services
Locations & Descriptions
GLENCORE CANADA CORPORATION - KIDD OPERATIONS
R5-13 (Arena 1)
Located in Timmins, Ontario, we operate the Kidd Concentrator and the Kidd Mine, the world’s deepest base-metal mine below sea level, mining at 9600 feet with shaft bottom at 9889 feet.
GREEN TECHNOLOGY METALS
R4-03 (Arena 1)
Green Technology Metals (ASX: GT1) is a North American focussed lithium exploration and development business. The Company’s 100% owned Ontario Lithium Projects comprise high-grade, hard rock spodumene assets Seymour, Root and Wisa and a deep project development pipeline that includes the lithium exploration claims at Allison and Solstice.
GRIDLINK
Front 08 (Arena 2)
GRIDLINK specializes in the design and construction of vital electric utility infrastructure for power providers across Northern Ontario and beyond. Job Opportunities
HEPBURN ENGINEERING INC.
R4-04 (Arena 1)
Hepburn Engineering Inc., based in Toronto, Canada, is a recognized leader in the design and supply of Mining, Marine and Industrial Equipment to clients around the world.
HOOD EQUIPMENT CANADA INC.
R6-16 (Arena 1)
Hood Equipment Canada has been proudly serving Central Canada for over 30 years. With an extensive inventory ranging from custom built slashers, top of the line delimbers and articulated rock trucks, our sales and leasing teams have the equipment you need. Whether you’re in the forestry, construction or mining industry we’ve got you covered with all the top names, including Hyundai, Terex and Hood.
HY-LOK CANADA
Back 01 (Arena 2)
Hy-Lok is an industry leader in the fabrication and sale of quality fluid system components. We proudly support our clients across innumerable industries around the world. Hy-Lok Canada is a reputable manufacturer and supplier of fluid control systems that meet the high-quality standards required for applications in the mining industry.
HYDROTECH MINING
R4-07 (Arena 2)
HydroTech Mining is a company that collaborates on its partners’ success by developing innovative mining water management solutions. Since 2015, HydroTech Mining has been providing innovative, quality products and ongoing services to support our customers during all phases of the project. We are passionate professionals with nearly 30 years of experience serving North America and even South America!
IFR WORKWEAR
R7-08 (Arena 2)
We are the trusted leaders in the design, manufac-
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
turing, sales and service of quality flame and arc resistant workwear. We offer a wide range of protective workwear options to ensure the safety and comfort of our customers, including flame-resistant coveralls, bib pants, work shirts, cargo & duck pants, fleece jackets and hoods, vests, and hi-vis workwear. Additionally, we provide FR winterwear such as insulated parkas and bib pants, insulated vests and various FR headwear to meet the needs of various industries like oil and gas, petrochemical, mining, electrical, construction, and railroad. IFR was acquired by Portwest, the fastest-growing FR Workwear company globally, in June 2023.
IMDEX LIMITED
R6-05, 06 (Arena 1)
IMDEX is a leading global mining technology company that enables drilling contractors and resource companies to safely find, define and mine orebodies with precision and at speed.
IMPALA CANADA
R4-14 (Arena 1)
Impala Canada is a palladium mining company. The land on which we operate is the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg and the Métis. Our Lac des Iles mine, located 90 minutes from Thunder Bay, has been in operation for nearly 30 years, employing over 800 people and is committed to supporting the wellbeing of our workforce as well as the communities they come from. Stop by and learn about how palladium is an important and necessary metal that contributes to a cleaner, greener and healthier world – and how you can be part of the Impala Canada family.
INTERCITY INDUSTRIAL
R2-12 (Arena 1)
Intercity Industrial has grown to be the leading provider of industrial supplies in Northwestern Ontario, satisfying a geographic region from Eastern Ontario to the Manitoba border. We began more than 53 years ago, supplying products primarily to the pulp and paper industry. Changes in local economic climate led us to diversify, thus we added alternate supplies and services such as welding supplies/gases, machine shop supplies, and fasteners. The primary goal was to produce a reduced transactional cost structure for customers. Today, we work collaboratively with small, medium and large companies to effectively streamline their entire industrial supply chain.
INTERNATIONAL LITHIUM CORP.
R5-10, 11 (Arena 2)
International Lithium Corp. is advancing the Raleigh Lake lithium and rubidium project located immediately south of Highway 17, west of Ignace, Ontario. The project has excellent infrastructure with the Trans Canada highway, CP Rail, 230kV power junctions and natural gas lines essentially passing through the property. International Lithium Corp. owns 100% of the mineral rights with no royalties or encumbrances attached to the project. The lithium mineralization at Raleigh is hosted in the mineral spodumene and the rubidium in microcline (a reddish feldspar mineral). International Lithium Corp.
is currently conducting a preliminary economic assessment of the project (based on the mineral resources announced on March 1, 2023) which considers producing a spodumene concentrate and a yet to be determined rubidium product. Based on publicly available information, the rubidium deposit could have even greater value than the lithium deposit.
IRACORE
Lobby 02 (Arena 1)
We design and manufacture custom wear materials to solve abrasion and corrosion issues globally in a wide range of markets, including oil sands, mining, rail transportation, oil and gas, and others.
ITEC 2000 EQUIPMENT
R1-02, 03 (Arena 1)
Itec 2000 Equipment is a supplier of heavy equipment in Northern Ontario. With locations in Timmins and Thunder Bay, we offer the full lineup of Linkbelt, Morooka, Avant, and Doosan equipment. Focusing on mine safety , we also offer onsite manufacturing of industry leading Manuli ISO D rated hydraulic hose assemblies at each location.
ITM INSTRUMENTS
R8-08 (Arena 2)
ITM is one of the country’s leading distributors of test, measurement, control and calibration instrumentation; providing Canadian industry with quality products, applications expertise, as well as unparalleled calibration and repair capabilities. ITM is proud to be a 100% Canadian-owned company. With locations across Canada, including Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia; we’ve got you covered from coast to coast!
JCV MECHANICAL
R4-09 (Arena 2)
Compressed Air Solution Provider. We take pride in precision - and we have served the Manitoba market with high quality custom air system design solutions, machine work and industrial equipment repair since 2001. We are proud to be the Gardner Denver Distributor for Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Our goal is to understand your business needs and to exceed your expectations – with high quality workmanship, and professional service. No job is “out of scope” – too big or too small – for our team to handle with precision perfection!
KASI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
R6-05 (Arena 2)
KASI is your reliable source for field heat treating and specialty mechanical equipment, serving the steel fabrication, mining, energy, oil & gas, and repair industries, backed by extensive field experience.
KASPER TRANSPORTATION SERVICE
R4-05 (Arena 2)
The Journey is just as important as the destination. Kasper Transportation is a leading provider of transportation services in Northern Ontario. We specialize in school boards, government agencies, and corporate transportation, as well as providing transportation for a variety of people, including children, teens, adults, and the elderly.
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
KBM RESOURCES
Front 05 (Arena 2)
KBM was incorporated in 1974. KBM operates a head office located in Thunder Bay, ON with a secondary office operating in Prince Albert, SK. KBM has cultivated strong working relationships with clients across Canada based on a commitment to deliver a high-level of service, uncompromised accuracy and excellent value. KBM has four main divisions to service an extensive client base: KBM Aviation, KBM Geomatics, KBM Field Services, and KBM Outdoors (retail store). KBM is a resourceful organization that is able to adapt quickly to changing environments and is committed to satisfying the needs of all clients.
KENWORTH ONTARIO - THUNDER BAY
R1-15 (Arena 1) OV-08 (Outdoor)
Since 2002, Kenworth Ontario has grown to 4 dealerships and 1 TRP store in Ontario. We are an authorized dealer for Cummins, Caterpillar and TRP Parts. Kenworth has been a trusted name in the mining, oil & gas, construction, logging and longhaul industries since 1923. From the rugged C500 to the new EV’s we have a truck for all your needs. Our bilingual sales team, as well as our great parts & service teams, can be reached in Ottawa, Kingston, Peterborough (GTA), Thunder Bay and Belleville.
KINROSS GOLD
R4-01 (Arena 1)
Kinross’ strong operating results are driven by solid and consistent performance from a diverse portfolio of mines.
KOMATSU CANADA
R3-13 (Arena 1) & OM-01 (Outdoor)
Komatsu will help you find ways to lower your costs, speed production and help mitigate environmental and safety concerns, with a robust portfolio of underground hard rock mining equipment and advanced technologies.
KOVATERA
R2-11 (Arena 2)
Kovatera engineers and manufactures the safest underground hard rock mining personnel carriers and utility vehicles. They are purpose-built from the ground-up to withstand the rigors of the underground mining industry. Kovatera products offer the highest safety level with the lowest operating costs.
LAKEHEAD IRONWORKS
R4-11 (Arena 1)
We are a 36,000 s/f fabrication facility: Custom Fabrication, Bucket and Dump Box Building and Rebuilding; Steel Erection; Steel Sales; Hardox Steel & WearParts; Mobile Align Boring and we’ll Design-Build for all your projects.
LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY
R4-06 (Arena 2)
At Lakehead, we offer you over 57 fields of study to explore. Whether you are interested in choosing a traditional or unconventional path, a Lakehead education is your stepping stone to a bright future. Explore the comprehensive array of program op -
tions to discover what programs best fit your goals and interests.
LAKESIDE PROCESS CONTROLS LTD.
R1-17 (Arena 1)
Lakeside is a market leader in providing Process Automation Solutions for Central Canada. As a member of the Emerson Impact Partner Network, Lakeside is a long-term channel partner with the global leader in automation technology.
LEVERT
R4-06 (Arena 1)
Levert is one of the largest independent recruitment agencies in Canada. They offer personnel solutions for employers and employment opportunities for individuals in heavy industries such as mining, oil & gas, and the marine sector.
LEVITT SAFETY LTD.
R2-02 (Arena 1)
We are Levitt-Safety, Canada’s leading equipment and service supplier. We offer a complete range of products, services, training and rental options. We partner with leading manufacturers and distribute quality products nationwide.
LH NORTH LTD.
Lobby 01 (Arena 1)
LH Crane & Rigging / LH North is the region’s largest crane-rentals firm and a leading heavy-civil general contractor specializing in highly technical mining, industrial and infrastructure projects across Northwestern Ontario.
LTL CONTRACTING LTD.
R2-14 (Arena 1)
LTL Contracting serves clients all over Northern Ontario through our core fields of work: Surface Mining and Tailings, Civil Construction, General Contracting and Environmental Services. Focusing on efficiency and effectiveness, our team consistently ensures productive project outcomes.
LTL DIRECTIONAL DRILLING LTD.
Front 06 (Arena 2)
LTL Directional Drilling is the leading provider for trenchless technologies in Northwestern Ontario and across the province. Working across all sectors — utilities, railway, private, and public — we offer a wide variety of directional drilling services using high-quality equipment and highly trained professionals.
Whether moving liquids, dewatering pits or underground work areas, moving solid-laden water, disposing of residue or shotcrete activities, our team of experts has what it takes to make your job easier.
Liquid Transportation
Dewatering of Pits and Underground Areas
Solid-Laden Water Removal
Residue and Shotcrete Activities Management
Pumping Equipments Repair and Leasing Services
Locations & Descriptions
M&L SUPPLY AND FIRESTAR SERVICES INC.
Back 07 (Arena 2)
M&L Supply – Established in 1993, M&L Supply is a full service provider of fire & life safety equipment, along with service technicians to repair and maintain all that we sell to Emergency Services. Firestar Services Inc. offers training, consulting and certification for Emergency Services in various disciplines locally on site. Excelled driven delivering high quality since 2006.
MACLEAN ENGINEERING
OA-09 (Outdoor)
MacLean Engineering is showcasing the FR3 Fork Lift, the latest addition to our Mine-Mate Utility Vehicle Series. Engineered and purpose-designed for the rough terrain and steep grades found in underground mines. Stop by our booth to speak with product specialists!
MAHON ELECTRIC COMPANY LTD.
R1-02 (Arena 2)
Since 1905 Mahon Electric has grown to a leading service and sales provider for all makes and models of electric motors , pumps, fans , generators, welders and hand tools to name a few. We cover most industrial, commercial, municipal and residential applications.
MANROC DEVELOPMENTS INC.
R4-08, 09 (Arena 1)
Manroc Developments Inc. is a full-service mining contractor with a specialty in raise development and Alimak Stoping. Manroc’s head office is located in Northwestern Ontario, servicing the mining industry globally.
MASTRANGELO FUELS
R1-01 (Arena 1)
We are a locally owned and operated business focusing on meeting the needs of all our mining, construction, and forestry customers’ including fuel delivery, lubricants, bulk DEF, tank sales & rentals, and many other products.
MATHESON VALVES
R2-10 (Arena 2)
Matheson Valves has been a trusted supplier of industrial valves and automation systems since 1981. We provide reliable flow control solutions built on decades of experience in the field. Our team is highly knowledgeable and experienced in the industry and can provide advice and solutions tailored to the needs of your application.
MATRIX CAMPS, LOGISTICS AND AVIATION MANAGEMENT
R8-07 (Arena 2)
Exhibitors
We offer Site Support Services and Remote Site Logistics such as temporary and permanent camp setups with staffing, fundamental camp systems and equipment, camp maintenance, on-site mechanics, expediting, hauling, aviation management, and more: always specific to our clients’ programs. With 25+ years of experience, our objective is spending time with our clients to truly understand their needs, optimize their operation, and add value to their programs.
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
MCCANN EQUIPMENT
R4-08 (Arena 2)
McCann Equipment Ltd., carries an extensive inventory of Torque Tools and Torque related equipment such as hydraulic, pneumatic, hand & electric torque wrenches. We also operate an ISO-17025 Accredited calibration facility.
MMD MINERAL SIZING (CANADA) INC.
R1-07 (Arena 1)
A Privately owned group established in 1978 by Alan Potts ably assisted by a small nucleus of committed individuals, MMD is now a worldwide organization with sales and servicing on six continents. MMD are designers and manufacturers of material processing equipment used in many types of surface and underground mining operations the world over. In particular the company has extended the technology of mineral reduction by the development of low profile, high capacity, compact sizing machines.
MOFFATT SUPPLY
Front 02 (Arena 1)
Moffatt Supply’s nine branches supply customers in the hard rock mining, coal, potash, tar sand, power plant, construction, logging and railroad industries.
MONTREAL TRACTOR
R7-05 (Arena 2)
Founded in 1982, Montreal Tractor was built to provide customers with quality new, used or rebuilt parts and components. This philosophy is still the cornerstone of our success along with top level service and a deep understanding of the mining industry (underground or aboveground mining operations). We excel at supplying rebuilt and exchange components for CATERPILLAR Articulated Trucks (AD45, AD55 and AD60) as well as CATERPILLAR Articulated Loaders (R1300, R1600, R1700, R2900 and R3000).
MORGAN FUELS
R6-15 (Arena 1)
Morgan Fuels is an Imperial Oil reseller servicing Northwestern Ontario since 1935 supplying bulk fuels, aviation fuel, drummed fuel, commercial lubricants and greases as well as propane.
MULTICRETE CONTRACTING INC.
R3-07, 08 (Arena 2)
Multicrete Contracting is your mining, civil, and heavy concrete construction partner. We offer concrete restoration, sealing & waterproofing, shotcrete & grouting, project management/engineering services. At Multicrete Contracting, we prioritize customer satisfaction above all else. We strive to exceed expectations through our attention to detail, transparent communication, and commitment to delivering outstanding results on every project. Trust us to provide you with tailored Multicrete Contracting is part of the Multicrete Group of Companies.
NEWMONT MUSSELWHITE
Front 03 (Arena 1)
Musselwhite is a remote, fly-in fly-out, underground mining operation located in Northwestern Ontario on the south shore of Opapimiskan Lake in Canada. It is on the traditional territory of North Cari-
bou Lake First Nation. The 180 square kilometre property is situated approximately 130 km north of the town of Pickle Lake and 500 km northwest of Thunder Bay. Newmont is the world’s leading gold company and a producer of copper, silver, zinc and lead, with operations in North and South America, Australia and Africa. We are proud to operate the Éléonore mine in Quebec, the Musselwhite and Porcupine Mines in Ontario and be actively developing projects in B.C. and the Yukon. Newmont is widely recognized for its principled environmental, social and governance practices.
NEXGOLD MINING CORP.
R1-04 (Arena 2)
NexGold Mining Corp. is a growth-oriented, gold-focused company with assets in Canada. NexGold is focused on near term projects, including the advancement of its Goliath Gold Complex in Northwestern Ontario, which completed a NI-43101 Technical Report and Prefeasibility Study in 2023.
NORCAT (THUNDER BAY OFFICE)
Back 02 (Arena 2)
NORCAT is a leading, non-profit organization that provides instructor-lead, e-Learning and equipment simulation training for the mining industry to reduce injuries, save lives, and enhance productivity in the workplace.
NORDMIN ENGINEERING LTD.
R6-04 (Arena 1)
Nordmin offers full service Engineering and Geoscience solutions providing comprehensive EPCM solutions to Mining, Energy, and Industrial clients worldwide.
NORPRO SECURITY
R1-06 (Arena 2)
Norpro offers quality specialized Security, Safety and Hygiene Services across Northern Ontario. Norpro Security Ltd. specializes in safeguarding the mining, industrial and institutional sectors; offering stand-alone and integrated services to clients ranging from one-time security to a complete package that utilizes all our services. Norpro Health & Safety offers Quantitative Respirator Fit Testing (at our location or onsite/mobile available), Occupational Hygiene Exposure Assessments, Program Gap Analysis, Management System Auditing, Program Development and a variety of Health and Safety Training options.
NORTH FRINGE INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
R6-09 (Arena 2)
North Fringe Industrial Technologies has nearly two decades of experience in the manufacturing, deployment, repair, rental, and nationwide distribution of innovative pumping and industrial dewatering solutions.
NORTHERN WILDFLOWERS
R4-04 (Arena 2)
Northern Wildflowers, based in Greater Sudbury, offers over 60 varieties of native wildflower seeds and customized mixes. Our natural, biodegradable seed coatings boost germination and ease broadcasting, ideal for municipal, construction, utilities, mining, and conservation sectors.
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
NORTHSTAR AIR
R3-11 (Arena 1)
North Star Air is a successful regional airline providing passenger, charter, cargo and fuel air transportation services in Northern Ontario, Northern Manitoba and Nunavut for over 25 years. With our fleet of aircraft strategically placed across our six bases, we transport oversized, large and small cargo along with personnel and work crews efficiently and on time.
NORTHSTREAM SAFETY AND REHAB
R8-09 (Arena 2)
At NorthStream Safety & Rehab, let us help you build and maintain a safe workforce through occupational health training and testing programs designed specifically for your company. At NorthStream Safety & Rehab, we value a proactive approach to Health & Safety, with a variety of occupational health testing, return-to-work coordination, and staffing solutions, we are with you every step of the way.
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO PROSPECTORS ASSOCIATION
OC-12 (Outdoor)
Curling Rink Parking Lot - Under the BIG Tent
Get the latest drilling results on gold, precious and critical minerals exploration projects. Meet the future world’s top mine finders and developers in the big tent.
NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION
R2-05 (Arena 2), OC-12 (Outdoor)
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization implementing Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel inside a deep geological repository in a manner that protects people and the environment for generations to come.
NUNA GROUP OF COMPANIES
Front 07 (Arena 2)
Nuna is an Indigenous, heavy civil construction, earthworks, contract mining and remediation company. We’re proudly majority Inuit owned and ready to tackle the toughest projects with an agility, precision and methodology that only we can offer.
ONTARIO MINISTRY OF LABOUR, IMMIGRATION, TRAINING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
R5-07 (Arena 2)
Representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development will provide information on how to leverage the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) to attract, hire and retain skilled workers in the mining industry.
ONTARIO MINISTRY OF MINES
R7-04 (Arena 2)
Ministry of Mines, oversees and advocates for a healthy, competitive and sustainable provincial minerals industry, while promoting prosperous and vibrant Northern Ontario communities.
ORBIT GARANT DRILLING SERVICES
R6-11 (Arena 1)
Orbit Garant provides services to major, intermediate and junior mining companies, through each stage of mining exploration, development and production. The Company also provides geotechnical
drilling services to mining or mineral exploration companies, engineering and environmental consultant firms, and government agencies.
PANASONIC CANADA INC.
R1-08 (Arena 2)
Panasonic TOUGHBOOK rugged laptops and handheld computers are part of a complete solution combining hardware, software and services for those that work in harsh conditions day in and day out. Designed to help solve real-business problems, our TOUGHBOOK devices are easy to use, deploy quickly and put data directly into the hands of front-line workers, so they can stay connected and operate safely and productively.
PARK DEROCHIE INC.
R4-15 (Arena 1)
Since 1956, Park Derochie leads the way as one of North America’s top Industrial Contractors with a ‘Best in Class’ approach specializing in Coatings, Fireproofing, Insulation, Scaffolding, Blast Cleaning, Metalizing, and Spray Foam.
PCL CONSTRUCTORS NORTHERN ONTARIO INC.
R3-09 (Arena 2)
PCL offers comprehensive construction services for mining, forestry, and energy projects, including civil, foundations, interior renovations, process buildings and process equipment, mine infrastructure, below collar construction, and support and administrative buildings. With established relationships in all trades and expertise in remote and Indigenous communities, PCL can support various contract delivery methods across Northern Ontario.
PETER LUCAS PROJECT MANAGEMENT INC.
R1-09 (Arena 2)
Peter Lucas understands the unique challenges that come with finding the right professional resources to support your projects. Our team helps de-risk your resourcing needs by providing you with a skilled, trusted partner. Peter Lucas employees have helped deliver on some of the largest projects across Canada. With a focus on industrial sectors, we find the right person for the job, every time.
PLASTRUCT POLYZONE INC.
R6-01,02 (Arena 2)
We custom design, fabricate, machine and install high quality, production-boosting liners to handle some of the toughest materials on the planet, from coal, fly ash and gypsum to cement, aggregate and other sticky, non-flowing bulk materials. We also offer custom fabrication & design and CNC machining capabilities.
PLATINUM DIAMOND DRILLING INC.
R8-05 (Arena 2)
Platinum Diamond Drilling is a Manitoba based mineral exploration company that works throughout Canada. We offer heli-portable diamond drilling, skid-mounted programs, self-propelled track mounted rigs and core sample drilling.
PORT OF THUNDER BAY
R1-07 (Arena 2)
The furthest inland port in Canada and largest export port on the Seaway, the Port of Thunder Bay specializes in general cargo, heavy lift, and dimensional cargo movements. Known as Western
Canada’s most efficient grain port, Thunder Bay serves Prairie grain farmers as a marine gateway to markets in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America. Thunder Bay elevators export 8 million tons of grain annually, providing backhaul opportunities for inbound general and project cargo shipments. Port of Thunder Bay has substantial capacity for cargo growth in both the bulk and general cargo sectors. Thunder Bay is a reliable intermodal hub entrusted with valuable cargoes from a wide range of industries. Directly access CN, CP, and the TransCanada Highway.
PREMIER CANADIAN MINT
R6-07 (Arena 1)
PCM has produced minted products, coins and coin blanks around the world to Central Banks, Governments , Diplomats, Dignitaries and now to individual clients. Our minted products are of the highest quality, reflective of our sophisticated clients whose demands for uniqueness and perfection is paramount.
PROVIX
R1-08, 09 (Arena 1)
PROVIX is Canada’s leading supplier of equipment and vehicle safety camera systems and lighting to the Mining industry. PROVIX enhances vision through the deployment of technologically advanced camera systems and third generation LED lighting. Custom Camera systems and equipment lighting that can include remote viewing capability, wireless recording, thermal vision, programmed and triggered event monitoring, infrared night vision and safer, more productive operations in any mine, pit or quarry.
RASCKL INDUSTRIAL SERVICES/MALLECK PRECISION
MACHINING
R5-09 (Arena 2)
Specializing in repairing of rotational equipment including emergency services, in house reverse engineering, retro fitting, and prototyping. We Service all brands of gearboxes and are an Authorized Rossi Service Center.
RENOWN ELECTRIC MOTORS & REPAIR
Front 02 (Arena 2)
Renown Electric offers comprehensive electric motor and generator repair, rebuild, rewind, and replacement services tailored for the mining and mineral processing industry. With over 40 years of experience and state-of-the-art facilities, we ensure the reliability and longevity of electric motors crucial for driving equipment in mining operations. In the dynamic landscape of electric motor and generator solutions, Renown Electric Motors & Repairs stands tall as a company that empowers businesses to achieve their goals.
REP SECURITY/REP GIWAYDIN
R1-16 (Arena 1)
REP Giwaydin Inc is a female and Indigenous owned company based out of Thunder Bay, ON. With over 40 years experience, as well as nearly 80 professional staff, we are able to offer security services to all Northwestern Ontario, in any type of industry. Let us REPresent you!
Locations & Descriptions
Exhibitors
RIVER BIRCH GLOBAL WATER INC.
R8-11 (Arena 2)
River Birch Global Water Inc. is an OEM industry leader in modular, scalable water and wastewater treatment solutions. With over 2000 installations across six continents, we are truly a global option.
ROTH NORTH AMERICA
R4-03 (Arena 2)
Roth is a multinational manufacturer of energy, storage, and heating systems founded in 1947 in Germany and now has offices around the world. Roth North America has been delivering products to the United States and Canada since 1995. Your question is just a phone call or email away – from sales to marketing to technical support and design, we have an exceptionally talented group of people ready to help you with whatever it is you may need.
SAFETY NET SECURITY
R2-04 (Arena 2)
Safety Net Security and Domcor Health, Safety & Security are a 100% Canadian owned and operated company. Starting in 1992 in Vancouver, we have expanded across Canada & have 12 operating offices, offering Security services, Confined Space Rescue, First Aid Training, Traffic Control, Shutdown services, Emergency First Response and more! We pride ourselves on our highly trained staff to provide excellent service while implementing cost savings measures for all our customers.
SAMSON CONTROLS INC.
R5-05 (Arena 2)
SAMSON excels in valve technology for critical industries, emphasizing smart systems for process improvement, safety, and reliability, with a century of innovation and a strong global and Canadian presence.
SANDALE
R8-10 (Arena 2)
Sandale is the Nation’s leader in HDPE piping supply and fusion equipment. Sandale has the capability of assisting with HDPE system design, fusion training or services, and project estimating and supply.
SANDVIK MINING AND ROCK SOLUTIONS
R2-01 (Arena 1)
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions is a business area within the Sandvik Group and a global leading supplier of equipment and tools, parts, service, digital solutions and sustainability-driving technologies for the mining and construction industries. Application areas include rock drilling, rock cutting, loading and hauling, tunneling and quarrying.
SANTASALO
R5-08 (Arena 2)
DB Santasalo is founded on delivering proven gear systems for critical industrial processes worldwide. With teams of design, application and service engineers based across the global - we can engineer, manufacture and support industrial gearboxes for a variety of industries.
SECURE STORE THUNDER BAY
OC-07 (Outdoor)
Secure Store is Northern Ontario’s largest provider of office trailer and storage container rentals. We
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
have over 20 years of experience providing rentals to the mining, forestry, utilities, and construction industries in Northern Ontario.
SECURO VISION
R2-08 (Arena 1)
Securo Vision is the benchmark in Canada for eye injuries prevention and eye protection solutions tailored to each type of job. Over forty years of experience make us leaders in the eye protection field and industry experts. We supply all lines of business by offering distinctive, competitive products that meet CSA standards.
SEI INDUSTRIES LTD.
Lobby 03 (Arena 1)
SEI Industries specializes in designing and manufacturing complete fuel storage and distribution systems for remote locations. Products include fuel bladders, fuel pumps and environmental containment berms.
SERVCOCANADA
R7-09 (Arena 2)
ServcoCanada has over 20 years’ experience as a full-service industrial constructor. We offer multiple trade disciplines to large-scale clients across Canada.
SEVEN GENERATIONS EDUCATION INSTITUTE
R8-02, 03 (Arena 2) OC-11 (Outdoor)
Seven Generations Education Institute (SGEI) is an Indigenous led educational organization that provides high school, post-secondary, training for employment and cultural programming to all Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the Treaty Three area and beyond.
SFC ENERGY
R3-04 (Arena 1)
SFC Energy is a leading provider of hydrogen and methanol fuel cells, specifically tailored for the mining sector, offering stationary and mobile hybrid power solutions. With a focus on Clean Energy and Clean Power Management for the mining industry, SFC Energy stands as a sustainably profitable fuel cell producer. Headquartered in Brunnthal/Munich, the company operates production facilities in Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, India, Canada, and the US. Our specialized product and solution offerings cater to the mining sector’s unique needs, including: - Off-grid Power Solutions - SCADA & Telemetry - Measurement & Instrumentation.
SGS CANADA INC.
R4-02 (Arena 1)
SGS is the global leader in inspection, verification, certification and testing services and has been active in Canada for over 75 years. Our flowsheet development, geometallurgy, pilot plant testing, chemical analysis and laboratory outsourcing staff have earned the respect of the global minerals industry and we are the world’s leading provider of bankable metallurgical services. We offer an extensive range of services that covers exploration, plant design and engineering, production, industrial applications and decommissioning and closure. As your strategic partner, we provide testing, technology, trade services and consulting to help deliver more growth and lean efficiencies, improve your speed to market and reduce risk.
SIGFUSSON NORTHERN LTD.
R3-05 (Arena 1)
Whether it’s northern road construction, another civil construction project, or something else entirely new, working with Sigfusson Northern gives you the same benefits every time. Your project is in good hands.. From large multi-million-dollar projects to small commercial developments, we’ve built capability and capacity for a wide range of projects to serve you over our decades in business.
SLING-CHOKER MFG. (THUNDER BAY) LTD.
R3-14, 15 (Arena 1)
Rigging is our thing - with experience to be proud of. But we’re experts in more areas than you think. For over 40 years, we’ve developed product lines that specifically serve your niche industry - becoming a go-to distributor for all aspects of your projects and applications. From slurry pumps, safety gear, process flow products, warehouse outfitting, and more, we can get what you need to make your project a success.
SMART MODULAR CANADA
R3-03 (Arena 1)
We are Smart Modular Canada; Canadian modular home builders, Ontario built prefabricated homes, commercial modular buildings, trailer park development and tiny (modular) house builders. However you describe the building we do in Manitoba and Ontario, the modular construction method is a great alternative to on-site new home construction.
SMS EQUIPMENT
OA-05, 06 (Outdoor)
SMS Equipment serves the Mining, Construction, and Forestry industries by supplying quality parts, rentals, service and accessory solutions for all your mobile equipment needs. SMS Equipment holds a unique position in the industry as a one-stop supplier of a broad range of equipment. We offer world-renowned brand names that meet your standards of reliability and productivity.
SOFT DB
Back 04 (Arena 2)
Soft dB is the largest Acoustics & Vibration firm in Canada, supporting a multitude of clients in the Mining, Industrial, Environmental and Construction sectors, for over 25 years. With the dynamic synergy of Consulting, Real-time Remote Monitoring, and Noise Control, in addition to our worldclass R&D team, you can expect to receive precise solutions, tailored to your noise and vibration challenges, ensuring you will never “hear” about them again.
ST. JOHN AMBULANCE
Lobby 05 (Arena 1)
The Thunder Bay & Northwestern ON Branch is proud to offer Standard First Aid courses, Mental Health, and Mental Health in the Workplace courses, & numerous speciality courses such as Opioid & Naloxone training, MFR and Mine Safety etc. We offer industry specific courses in many areas and will train your chosen employee/s to be St. John Ambulance Instructors to service your specific workplace. We also offer numerous online training course options such as WMHIS, Working
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
in Confined Spaces and Transportation of Dangerous Goods plus many others.We sell CSA approved First Aid Kits, products, and Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s). We are your one stop shop for all your health & safety needs. St. John Ambulance has been ensuring the health, safety, and quality of life for Northwestern Ontarians for just over 98 years.
STEAMLINE INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTORS
Lobby 06 (Arena 1)
STRONGCO
OV-11, 12 (Outdoor)
Strongco is a Canada wide heavy equipment provider in the construction, material handling and Crane products. Visit our display which will feature Excavators, Rock Trucks, Various attachments along with our fully electric equipment.
SUMAC
R6-06 (Arena 2)
Sumac Geomatics offers solutions for Mining, Forestry and Engineering sectors including the Teledyne Optech CMS V500 Cavity Monitoring System and the TrueView® 410 LiDAR-Camera fusion for UAVs. Our technical services division provides aerial surveys (manned and unmanned) and mapping for tailings management, waste rock/stockpile management, construction management, environmental monitoring and mineral exploration.
SUMMIT CAMPS AND CATERING
R6-10 (Arena 1)
Summit Camps is a wholly owned subsidiary company of Royal Camp Services Ltd, headquartered in Edmonton, AB. This places us in the unique situation of having a responsive and flexible, smaller company dynamic with the robust capacity of a larger company. Our clients let us know they appreciate this – they can talk directly to senior management, enabling responsive and flexible decision making when they need it.
SUREWERX™
Lobby 07 (Arena 1)
At SureWerx, our mission is to manufacture the most innovative and rigorously tested products for our customers’ safety and productivity. Our end-to-end product portfolio includes 16 leading brands with a full offering of PPE, safety, and tool and equipment solutions. No one works harder than we do to serve and protect professionals and our communities worldwide — that’s the SureWerx promise.
SYNERGY CONTROLS CORPORATION
Lobby 10 (Arena 1)
SYNERGY Controls Corporation, founded in 1992, has been Ontario and Manitoba’s premier provider of instrumentation and control products to the industrial, water and wastewater market. Instrumentation and control solutions provide improved system productivity, reliability, safety, optimization and stability to all processes. Our team of engineers and technologists make the complex simple when it comes to sizing and selection with first cut industry and process control knowledge.
SYNTERRA SECURITY SOLUTIONS
R3-08 (Arena 1)
Synterra is a First Nation owned company which was formed in 2011. We are your best choice for Security Solutions at remote exploration and mining locations. Synterra is able to provide your company with highly-trained security and safety personnel to ensure your site is well-protected and that the safety and care of your valuable workforce is provided for in the event of an emergency.
TBT ENGINEERING LIMITED
R5-03 (Arena 2)
TBT Engineering Limited is a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm specializing in Material Engineering, Earth and Environmental, Building Sciences, and Infrastructure projects across Northern Ontario.
TEAM INC.
Solutions Specific to Your Industry. In our decades of operation, our team has acquired a wealth of industry specific maintenance and repair technical and operational knowledge. Our advanced integrated solutions are based on in-the-field experi-
ence where we consult and deliver asset integrity management services and data-driven insights. Very little ramp-up time is required to understand your industry-specific challenges and to find real, viable and proven solutions to produce meaningful results.
TECHNOSUB
R2-04,05 (Arena 1)
Developing and supplying high quality timely pumping solutions tailored to the specific needs of the Mining industry.
TESTMARK LABORATORIES
Front 01 (Arena 1)
Testmark Laboratories has been providing licensed and accredited (ISO 17025) environmental laboratory testing to public and private sector clients for over 25 years. With five labs across Ontario (Thunder Bay, Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Garson and Mississauga), and a full offering of testing capabilities including organic, inorganic, microbiology, metals and toxicology, we are one of the primary providers of lab testing services for Ontario’s mining sector.
Locations & Descriptions
Exhibitors
THE BUCKET SHOP GROUP
R5-05, 06 (Arena 1)
The Bucket Shop can add significant value to your business. We provide wear solutions for all mining bucket applications that extend lifecycles of 3 to 4 times! It is our mission to help clients improve productivity and reduce operating costs by providing new innovative options. Our TBS-branded solutions include: 5 Piece cast lip system accompanied with our specialty alloy laden heel castings Cast heel shrouds Mechanical 2-piece and 4-piece buckets with optional disposable front ends
THE SUPPLY POST
R6-07 (Arena 2)
The Supply Post is a family owned Canada-wide print and online heavy equipment publication. Along with print advertising, the Supply Post offers a range of digital marketing services from online listings, to website design, & more!
THERMON CANADA INC.
R3-10 (Arena 2)
Thermon Canada Inc. is a world leader in the development and production of advanced heating and filtration solutions for industrial and hazardous area applications. The diversity of our six brands – Cata-Dyne, Ruffneck, Caloritech, Norsemen, DriQuick and 3L Filters represents the broadest based industry expertise and the range of our technologies enables their application in virtually any environment. We also sell or rent temporary power distribution and lighting equipment produced by our Thermon Power Solutions Inc. (“TPS”) division for General purpose and Hazardous locations.
THUNDER BAY BROOM & CHEMICALS
Lobby 12 (Arena 1)
Based in Thunder Bay, we service clients across a broad spectrum to distribute the highest quality, technologically driven & environmentally conscious chemical and janitorial paper lines.
TIME LIMITED
R6-14 (Arena 1)
For over 50 years, TIME (Temiskaming Industrial Mining Equipment) has provided mining, exploration and other heavy industries with a single-source solution. We are known for manufacturing quality products, our efficient supply network and having experienced, knowledgeable staff that provides exceptional customer care.
TIMMINS MECHANICAL SOLUTIONS
R4-01, 02 (Arena 2)
Timmins Mechanical Solutions is Northern Ontario mining industry’s one stop, reliable source for mobile heavy equipment rebuilds, sales, repairs, and replacement parts.
TISDALE BUS LINES LTD.
Front 04 (Arena 2)
Tisdale Bus Lines operates a fleet of luxury highway coaches and purpose built on-site buses. Providing safe, reliable personnel transport solutions to mine constructors and operators in Ontario.
TOROMONT CAT
OM-02, 03 (Outdoor)
Toromont CAT is dedicated to supplying and servicing new and used equipment, delivering a supe-
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
rior customer experience and exceptional product support to the markets we serve.
TRANS-WEST PROCESS SOLUTIONS
R5-03 (Arena 1) & OA-07 (Outdoors)
Trans-West has been a key provider of process equipment to the industry for over 50 years. TransWest has established relationships with major manufacturers to provide engineered solutions and equipment to meet the unique requirements of each industry and process. We excel in providing customers with integrated solutions that are optimally specified to meet their individual needs.
TRIA PRODUCTS LTD.
Lobby 08 (Arena 1)
Leading Manufacturers of Stationary & Portable Concrete Batching Plants. Tria Products Ltd. Portable & Stationary Concrete Plants are manufactured with high grade materials and a quality finish. We provide on-site training and support for any purchased portable or stationary concrete batch plant.
TULLOCH ENGINEERING
R4-07 (Arena 1)
TULLOCH is a progressive consulting firm providing integrated planning, surveying, engineering, and environmental services for over 30 years. Today, TULLOCH Engineering has technical expertise in the areas of civil, structural, geomatics, municipal, geotechnical, environmental, and transportation engineering, as well as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and mapping services to clients across Canada with permanent full-service offices in Canmore, Calgary, Elliot Lake, Espanola, Hamilton, Huntsville, Ottawa, Parry Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Stoney Creek, Sudbury, Thessalon, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Toronto and Vancouver.
TURNKEY COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
R5-10 (Arena 1)
Turn-Key Construction is Northwestern Ontario’s largest telecommunications constructor specializing in Fibre cable placement and splicing along with all other types of telecommunications construction. Outside plant, mining, industrial, educational and medical sectors.
UBC MILLWRIGHTS –
MILLWRIGHT REGIONAL COUNCIL CANADA
R5-04 (Arena 1)
UBC Millwrights can Install and maintain all your equipment in the Mining and Forestry Industry. With access to nearly 10,000 safe, skilled, and highly trained Millwrights and Welders available across Canada. UBC millwrights can be found behind the scenes, partnering with leading contractors and manufacturers to keep industry moving and economies healthy. Make the UBC Millwrights your 1st choice for all your mechanical needs, we will have a Millwright near you!
VALLEY BLADES LTD.
R4-13 (Arena 1)
Providing Highwear Solutions SINCE 1962. Valley Blades Ltd. Designs, manufactures and distributes blades, cutting edges, ground engagement tools(G.E.T.), wear parts and accessories for construction, mining and snow removal equipment. Our Waterloo plant currently occupies over 65,000
square feet of manufacturing and warehousing with millions of pounds of inventory. Our Edmonton location expansion is set to be completed and open by October, 2023 which will house a state of the art 42,500 square foot manufacturing line providing our customer with the high quality, fast lead times and competitive prices that they have come to expect from VBL.
VDW SOLUTIONS INC. AIRLOAD VAC SOLIDS
Back 03 (Arena 2)
VDW Solutions is the distributor for SolidsVac air loading & solids handling pumps in Canada and parts of the U.S. Since 1990 SolidsVac has been behind the design, manufacture, rental, and use of vacuum loading solids pumps. Pumps and spares are stocked in Canada with full support for our products. CRN & ABSA Certified.
VIACORE
R7-07 (Arena 2)
Partnered with premium suppliers to bring you the latest products, innovations and expertise. Whether you need belting, components, advice or immediate service solutions we’re here to help.
VILLENEUVE ENGINEERING SERVICES
R2-11 (Arena 1)
Here at Villeneuve Engineering Services, we provide building information modeling (BIM) using Autodesk products such as Revit, Inventor and plant 3D. We interact closely with our clients throughout the duration of our projects to ensure that their design intentions are met. At Villeneuve Engineering Services our main focus is servicing the industrial mining and commercial sectors.
VOYAGO
R7-10 (Arena 2)
We are the mobility company providing multi-model mobility service across the Globe. We value the role public transportation plays in contributing to a vibrant community. We are proud to move you safely, no matter what.
WAJAX
R5-08, 09 (Arena 1)
Founded in 1858, Wajax (TSX: WJX) is one of Canada’s longest-standing and most diversified industrial products and services providers. The Corporation operates an integrated distribution system providing sales, parts and services to a broad range of customers in diverse sectors of the Canadian economy, including: construction, forestry, mining, industrial and commercial, oil sands, transportation, metal processing, government and utilities, and oil and gas.
WASAYA AIRWAYS LP
R2-02 (Arena 2)
Wasaya Airways has been the leading provider of air transportation services in Northwestern Ontario since 1989. Wasaya Airways provides Passenger Service, Charters and Cargo & Fuel Delivery seven days a week.
WEBEQUIE FIRST NATION
R7-03 (Arena 2)
Webequie is a growing Ojibway community located on the northern peninsula of Eastwood Island
SEPTEMBER 11-12
Fort William Gardens, Thunder Bay, ON September | Wed 11, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Thu 12, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
on Winisk, 540 kilometers north of the city of Thunder Bay, or 450 kilometers north of the town of Sioux Lookout. Access is only by air or a seasonal winter road. There is no year-round road access. The nearest year-round road access is the town of Pickle Lake, 250 km to the southwest, or the town of Nakina, 320 km to the southeast.
WESDOME GOLD MINES LTD.
R2-01 (Arena 2)
Wesdome is a Canadian focused gold producer with two high grade underground assets, the Eagle River mine in Ontario and the recently commissioned Kiena mine in Quebec. The Company’s primary goal is to responsibly leverage this operating platform and high-quality brownfield and greenfield exploration pipeline to build Canada’s next intermediate gold producer.
WHITE CAP SUPPLY CANADA INC.
R3-12 (Arena 1)
White Cap Canada combines the best of Brafasco, National Concrete Accessories and Brock White Construction Materials into One Team, dedicated to superior customer service from coast to coast. We offer the same great people, products and services you’ve come to trust over more than 50 years with a fresh new look and cohesive customer experience.
WINDIGO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP.
R6-08 (Arena 1)
Windigo Community Development Corporation (WCDC) in northwestern Ontario is 100% First Nation owned and was established in the late 1990s. WCDC is an investment company that either has complete or majority ownership in companies providing a wide range of products and services and establishes strategic partnerships to grow into new markets. Today WCDC employs more that a hundred (100) employees, has strong financial statements and is well positioned to increase their business in both existing and new markets.
WISK AIR HELICOPTERS
Front 01 (Arena 2)
Wisk Air Helicopters has 35 years’ experience in a variety of fields, from firefighting and helicopter powerline support, to helicopter mining jobs and medivac operations. Our pilots and helicopters have worked extensively in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, BC and all Provinces across Canada. Wisk Air Helicopters also holds NAFTA, USA Specialty Operations privileges, allowing us to work in the United States under the NAFTA privileges.
WOODLAND HERITAGE NORTHWEST
Back 02 (Arena 1)
Woodland Heritage Northwest respectfully acknowledges that their office is located on the traditional lands of Indigenous peoples. Located in Thunder Bay, these lands were the traditional territories of the ancestors of Fort William First Nation, signatories of the Superior Robinson Treaty, Treaty #60, of 1850. Woodland Heritage Northwest acknowledges the extensive and complex history that First Nations and Métis of northwestern Ontario hold, both along the north shores of Lake Superior as well as on the lands of
all of Ontario. Woodland Heritage Northwest is committed to building, fostering and encouraging a respectful relationship with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples based upon principles of mutual trust, respect, reciprocity and collaboration in the spirit of reconciliation.
WORKFORCE INC.
R1-11 (Arena 1)
Workforce is Canada’s solution to strategic human resource consultation and supply. Our client integrated model best anticipates and mitigates labour demands to ensure that only quality, trained individuals are sourced, screened and deployed to get the job done. We focus on providing skilled trades, labour and professionals to support the production and development of mining, oil and energy sectors of Canada’s resurging economy.
WSN CONSTRUCTION
R5-14 (Arena 1)
WSN is an industrial contractor offering construction, maintenance, operations and automation
services to the mining, steel, forestry, waste management and power generation sectors.
ZIMMER AIR SERVICES INC.
Lobby 04 (Arena 1)
Zimmer Air Services Inc. Is Ontario’s leading aerial application company. We provide aerial dust suppression, long lining, and charter services to the mining sector in Ontario and beyond.
WESTFORT PRODUCTIONS
R2-03 (Arena 1)
Westfort Productions is a marketing agency based out of Thunder Bay that crafts authentic, engaging video content and marketing experiences that elevates brands to the next level. We listen, we collaborate, and we create. We craft compelling, audience-centred stories and exceptional video content that excites, captivates and inspires people.
