Canadian Mining Journal January 2013

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RUGGED &READY A look at mining and exploration from coast, to coast, to coast Vast resources provide great opportunities

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January 2013

We’re not a bank.

We’re miners and geologists with money to invest.

We are Dundee Capital Markets and we offer you a full service investment dealer whose principal business includes investment banking, institiutional sales and trading, private client advisory, and investment management. We have the capital to assist the development of large - or small - scale resource ventures and the experience to spot good potential much earlier than others. We are looking for smart investments, big and small, in the global resource sector and have the resource industry expertise and the balance sheet to help your company when you need it most.

Others invest only when you’ve proven yourself; we invest so you can. If this sounds like a group you’d like to do business with, talk to me. My name is Ned Goodman.

nedgoodman@dundeecorporation.com — 416-365-5665

Dundee and Dundee Capital Markets are registered trademarks of Dundee Corporation.

CANADIAN Mining Journal

Departments 5 Editorial

Like many Canadians, Editor Russell Noble was caught off guard

by Ottawa’s approval of the sale of a piece of the oil sands to offshore investors and in this month’s editorial, he lets his feelings be known.

6 Investing

CMJ is proud to introduce and welcome Ned Goodman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dundee Corporation, who will be writing a regular column on “Investing.”

9 Law

Rubén Eduardo Luján and Patricia Prato Casado with Norton Rose, Caracus, Venezuela, talk about Latin America and what Canadian mining companies should know about working in that part of the world.

10 In My Mine(d)

This month Ray Paquette, President of Canadian Mining Company Inc., of Vancouver, talks about rare-earth minerals.

34 Company Profile

This month’s featured company is Sprung Structures of Calgary.

38 Unearthing Trends

CMJ is proud to welcome Ernst & Young as a regular contributor to the magazine. The company will provide a monthly column entitled “Unearthing Trends.”

CONTENTS

Newfoundland & Labrador 13 A Special Report featuring the

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following projects: 14 Voisey’s Bay 18 Ming Mine 15 Long 19 Pine Cove Harbour 20 Lower Cove 16 Carol Lake 21 Buchans Mine 17 Duck Pond 22 Little Deer

Yukon

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23 Mines and more are featured in this

Special Report that takes a look at mining activity throughout the Territory as well as exploration sites that hold promise for Yukon’s future in mining.

British Columbia

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30 AME BC President Gavin Dirom

gives his annual overview of exploration activities in the province and what’s in store for the industry in the coming year.

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31 AME BC Director of Communications ’

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RUGGED &READY A look at mining and exploration from coast, to coast, to coast Vast resources provide great opportunities

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January 2013

ABOUT THE COVER This month’s cover is typical of the scenery found on the coastal regions of Canada where mining and exploration companies are focusing their attention in their constant search for new and exciting mineral deposits.

Coming in February

“Mining on Ontario” will be the theme of next month’s issue.

Jonathan Buchanan presents the winners of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia’s annual photo contest.

For More Information

Please visit www.canadianminingjournal.com for regular updates on what's happening with Canadian mining companies and their personnel both here and abroad. A digital version of the magazine is also available at www.digital.canadianminingjournal.com

www.canadianminingjournal.com January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

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UNA is a majority Inuit owned company servicing the Canadian mining industry by Providing contract mining, training and site infrastructure development.

NUNA has been involved on virtually every mining project in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Nuna has a multi-million dollar

advance and provide proficient leaders in the future.

Nuna takes a proactive approach to work site safety. Nuna utilizes the expertise of on-site safety professionals to support Nuna¹s Project Managers and supervision teams in their pursuit of a ³No Incident² worksite.

• Kivalliq Services Ltd. • Lac de Gras Constructors, (LDGC) a partnership between Nuna Logistics Limited and Peter Keiwit Sons Co. Ltd. • Mahiihkanuk / Nuna Joint Venture ‹ working together in the Ontario area • NAAG / Nuna Joint Venture - North American Aboriginal Group Projects Inc.

equipment base, which is constantly growing due to its expansion in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and most recently, Mongolia.

The hiring and training of Inuit, Aboriginal, and local staff has been a focus of Nuna¹s resulting in the Company having, among owners and contractors, the highest percentage of local residents working on projects in which Nuna is involved. Our ongoing education programs and training opportunities allow the labour source not only to grow, but to

Our clients have confidence that the work program will be completed in the manner and time-frame discussed with them and have immediate and direct access to all members of our management team and site supervisors.

• NuBa Equipment Ltd. • Nuna Okanagan Indian Band Joint Venture • Pinehouse / Nuna Joint Venture working together in Saskatchewan • Westarc Drilling and Blasting Services Ltd. • NUNA Group of Companies • Nuna Logistics Limited • Nuna Contracting Ltd. • Nuna Drilling (FALC) Ltd. • Nuna Innovations Inc. • Nuna M&T Services Ltd. • Nuna Site Services Ltd. • Nuna Training Technologies Ltd. • Nuna Winter Road Services Ltd.

NUNA Joint Ventures and Partnerships include: • Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Joint Venture Ltd. • Det¹on Cho / Nuna Joint Venture • Denesoline / Nuna Joint Venture • Kanu LLC, working together in Mongolia

Editorial

CANADIAN Mining Journal January 2013 Vol. 134 — No. 1 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, Ontario M3B 2S9 Tel. (416) 442-5600 Fax (416) 510-5138 www.canadianminingjournal.com Editor Russell B. Noble 416 510-6742 rnoble@canadianminingjournal.com Field Editor Marilyn Scales 613 832-9087 mscales@canadianminingjournal.com Art Director Mark Ryan Production Manager Steve Hofmann

Print Production Manager Phyllis Wright

Circulation Manager Cindi Holder 416 442-5600, ext. 3544 cholder@bizinfogroup.ca

Are SOEs really SOBs?

By Russell Noble

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en years from now when Asian governments have strengthened their grip on Canada’s petroleum and other Publisher & Sales natural resources and are pumping “our” Robert Seagraves 416 510-6891 oil through the Northern Gateway piperseagraves@canadianminingjournal.com line to their awaiting ships at either the Sales Port of Kitimat, or Prince Rupert, or both, Western Canada, Western U.S.A. Prime Minister Harper will probably be Bonnie Rondeau back in Alberta somewhere thinking that 416-510-5245 brondeau@canadianminingjournal.com perhaps his decision in 2012 wasn’t very Toll Free Canada: good for Canada after all.

1-800-208-7742 ext 6891 or 5245 Toll Free USA: Like you, I have no crystal ball show1-800-387-0273 ext 6891 or 5245 ing what 10 years from now will look like Group Publisher exactly in terms of state-owned-entrepreDoug Donnelly President Vice-president neurs (SOEs) controlling our resources

Bruce Creighton Alex Papanou (or who knows what else by then?), but I have an uneasy feeling that it won’t be Established 1882 Canadian Mining Journal provides articles and information of practical use pretty because of the suspicions and the to those who work in the technical, administrative and supervisory aspects of exploration, mining and processing in the Canadian mineral exploration and facts that we already have about how mining industry. Canadian Mining Journal (ISSN 0008-4492) is published 10 times a year by SOEs conduct business.

Business Information Group L.P. BIG is located at 80 Valleybrook Dr., Toronto, I’m not, for example, necessarily sinON, M3B 2S9. Phone (416) 442-5600.

Legal deposit: National Library, Ottawa. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. gling out Chinese or Malaysian governThe contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and may be used only for your personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved and ments in particular (or maybe I am), but commercial use from what I’ve read and heard about their is prohibited. To make use of any of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyright. For further information please contact tenacious ways of doing business and in Russell Noble at 416-510-6742. particular, their seeming disregard for Subscriptions — Canada: $47.95 per year; $76.95 for two years. USA: US$60.95 whatever gets in their way (especially per year. Foreign: US$72.95 per year. Single copies: Canada $10; USA and foreign: US$10. Canadian subscribers must add GST and Provincial tax where necespeople), I can’t imagine they’ll change sary.GST registration # 809744071RT001.

From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies their business plans when they set up and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not shops here in Canada. wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374; Fax: 416-442-2191; E-mail: In fact, I think it will be business as privacy officer@businessinformationgroup.ca; Mail to: Privacy Officer, Business Information Group, 80 Valleybrook Dr., Toronto, ON, M3B 2S9. usual, Asian style, and that should be Publications Mail Agreement #40069240. PAP Registration No. 11000. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the everyone’s concern because, just by examPublication Assistance Program towards our mailing costs. Return undeliverple, have you ever looked deep into the able Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Canadian Mining Journal, 80 Valleybrook Dr., Toronto, ON, face of a Chinese coal miner? There’s not M3B 2S9. E-mail: bigcirculation@bizinfogroup.ca Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement PM40069240. Please forward a whole lot of happiness in those eyes.

Forms 29B and 67B to 80,Valleybrook, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9.

They’re filled with pain and fear, and that’s Canadian Mining Journal, USPS 752-250. US office of publication: 2221 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY 14304-5709. Periodicals Postage Paid at Niagara Falls, what I’m afraid Canada is in for too as NY. US postmaster: Send address changes to Canadian Mining Journal, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls NY 14304. more and more state-owned-entrepreWe acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada neurs move in and take control. Human Magazine Fund toward our editorial costs. rights are not high on the agenda of a country determined to surpass the United States as the number one economic power in the world.

Canadian Business Press Indexed by Canadian Business Periodicals Index

Like most things in life, however, there are exceptions and I hope that I’m wrong with my thinking about what’s trending insofar as a foreign ownership is involved, but I still can’t help thinking that the recent oil sands’ sell off is a one-sided deal where Canada gets the wrong end of the stick. I am pretty certain that if Canadian companies tried to buy any natural resources (especially those containing rare earths) from an Asian country, they’d be sent packing.

Granted, Asian investors are paying a great deal of money that will immediately help our country in terms of localized employment, and taxes to Alberta and ultimately Ottawa, but for the rest of the country, there’s little benefit that I can see.

Again, it’s what I can’t see that bothers me the most. Even with Federal Industry Minister Christian Paradis’ assurance that SOEs involved with the recent oil sands takeovers in Alberta are under “significant” commitments regarding “governance, transparency and disclosure,” he didn’t spell out what they are?

Based on past experiences involving foreign, and even our own government(s), I’m willing to bet that we’ll never get a “transparent” picture of the whole issue until after the oil starts flowing through the Northern Gateway pipeline.

And, like Prime Minister Harper’s meetings with the Chinese before he told most of us that he was even going there last year, I suspect the thousands of protesters gearing up for a battle to stop the pipeline across the Rockies are wasting their time because it is probably already part of a “done deal.”

SOEs may appear to be here under a so-called “transparent” agreement but I still think they’re “stealers of business,” and the acronym for that is SOBs. CMJ January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

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NEW! Feature

Power in the “wrong” hands is still the world’s greatest threat

By Ned Goodman

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he concluding paragraphs of the book “Free to Choose” written by Milton and Anna Friedman in 1980 end with the following comment:

“The two ideas of human freedom and economic freedom working together came to their greatest fruition in the United States... they are part of the very fabric of our being, but we have been moving away from them.”

As part of the population of the free world, it is this writer’s view that we have been forgetting the basic truth that the greatest threat to human freedom is the concentration of power, whether in the wrong hands of government or anyone else. We have, unfortunately, been previously persuaded that it is safe to grant power, provided it is for good purpose.

Ayn Rand in her global classic, Atlas Shrugged, has shown to us a great disagreement as well as why we should reject that persuasive feeling that we get from the socialist intelligentsia.

Watching the recent US election cam6 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

paign is making it clearer that perhaps we who live with freedom should be waking up and beginning to recognize the dangers of being over-governed with rules of overregulation by government that can be perverted by bad means. The relevance on the freedom of people to control their own lives in accordance with their own values is the surest way to achieve the full potential of a great society. The current revival of Ayn Rand’s classic book, Atlas Shrugged, is part of the demand for the resurrection and the partnership of human and economic freedom.

Unfortunately, the outcome of this potential for our society is about the most bullish feeling that I can take away as I, as an investment counsel, observes and studies the global economic and financial scene that we live in the midst of currently.

But to continue with Milton and Anna, “Inflation is a disease, a dangerous and sometimes fatal disease, a disease if not checked in time can destroy a society”.

Many examples abound.

No government should be willing to accept responsibility for producing inflation. Nonetheless, when inflation occurs those elected or even non-elected governments always have someone to blame:

• Greedy businessmen • The rich • Tradewinds • Spendthrift consumers • Bad weather • Arab sheiks

Nevertheless, none of those have the printing press (the magic pen), that central bankers have exclusive use of when they merely “authorize a bookkeeper to make ledger entries that create those pieces of paper that we call money.”

The 1980 book written by Milton and Anna and which achieved their Nobel Prize in economics convinced me and a host of many others, that inflation is not a capitalist phenomenon. There are many socialist and communist economies that have experienced some of the most rapid rates of inflation. In our modern world, according to the Friedmans, “inflation is a printing press phenomenon, and today there are appointed central bankers who have been given the ultimate authority over government printing presses for paper money.” The Friedmans, in their book, ask the question, “Why do modern governments increase the quantity of money too rapidly? Why do they produce inflation when they do understand its potential for harm?” I add to this the question of why do governments work hard to deny their creation of inflation and then try to conceal their own responsibility for inflation? Simplistically, the answer is that the more normal environment for the achievement of stable prices is actually a deflationary event, and governments do not get elected when they produce deflationary economies, period. The voters and the public are happier with inflation than deflation.

The necessity of a democratically elected government and their politicians to finance their spending by continually increasing the quantity of money is actually often considered to be getting something for nothing, which, like all such things from never-never www.canadianminingjournal.com

Investing

Ned Goodman is President and Chief Executive Officer of Dundee Corporation

land must be provided by a “magic pen”.

Today, many of our politicians of the free world and elsewhere are using that “magic pen” with a vengeance.

The end result of higher government spending, the full employment policy and the US Federal Reserve’s obsession with interest rates has been a roller coaster ride along a rising path. A rising path of inflation which – from time to time – is brought under check. But each time it rises again and after a check, we get higher inflation. Of course, with that “magic money” created by the Fed, government spending has been rising as a fraction of income received along with government tax receipts which have also been rising, but not quite as fast as the spending. As a result, US deficits have been rising. This type of action is not unique to the United States, or only to recent history. Since time immemorial sovereigns – kings, emperors or elected parliamentarians of any sort – have used “magic money” to acquire things, to wage wars, build monuments, fly around in expensive airplanes, live high or any other act or thing that the “magic money” allows them to succumb to their temptation. Whoever in power, and whenever in time, we must note that printing of “magic money” has always been closely followed in time by an inflationary event. For most of the history of the United States as well as a good part of the rest of the world, slow but continuous inflation has always been accepted as natural because both wages and costs were increasing at the approximate same rate.

Today, history shows that since 1912 the US dollar has lost more than 95% of its value.

What cost a nickel in 1912, costs a dollar today. What cost $50 in 1912, cost $1000 today. It was in 1913 that the US Federal Reserve was created and it was in 1971 when President Nixon abolished the gold standard.

It took 58 years after the Federal Reserve creation for the dollar to lose 75% of its value.

But it only took 26 years after Nixon ending of the gold standard, for the US dollar to lose another 75 per cent. The scary part is that the next 75% decline appears today to be in the process of being established, and as investors, it is appropriate and necessary to be prepared. It is a fact that money does not lose value naturally it does not degrade itself; its degradation requires manipulation by central bankers.

The Economic Nobel Prize winning Friedmans have convincingly proven and have had their proof accepted by a host of competent economists. The printing of money is always an inflationary phenomenon. The ownership of hard assets such as real estate, farm land, gold, silver, energy and many other commodities, either directly or as a derivative, such as those entities that produce or create them, surfaces as an absolute necessity for investors at large.

The McKinsey Global Institute recently prepared a 210-page study entitled “Resource Revolution; meeting the World’s Energy, Materials, Food and Water Needs”. The major conclusion of their 210 pages of study was that – 3 billion more people of middle class are expected to become consumers in the global economy over the next 15 to 20 years and at least $1 trillion (US) and perhaps as much as $3 trillion more investment in the resource system is needed

each year over these years in order to meet the future demands of land, food, energy and materials. New sources of supply and extracting them is becoming increasingly challenging and expensive. We are living through a world that is not ready to accept 2 to 3 billion more middle class capitalists.

The McKinsey Report offered insights into how the demand for resources is evolving and how we are going to see it grow over the next 15 to 20 years. The report examines what policy makers and the private sector are required to do in order to overcome significant resource constraints as we go forward. Part of their conclusion is that “expanding capacity in order to add the necessary supply of materials will likely run into logistical and political difficulties, making the adding of supply even more costly. In short they are saying that demand is soaring at a time when finding new measurable participants in the global economy is in decline.

It is my belief that it is time to fertilize investment portfolios with those companies that produce the “stuff” that those consumers in emerging markets, who are clamouring for the developed world’s “good lifestyle” that is kept on conspicuous display will require. The world’s population, mostly in China and India, is growing by more than 75 million people per year.

To conclude with some investment advice, it is a well-known fact that the world’s Central Bankers are the only ones free to use “insider information” to execute their expected task. We should all be aware that the most prominent purchasers of gold bullion today are the Central Bankers – maybe they know something?

CMJ January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

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Law

A regional perspective for mining companies Rubén Eduardo Luján and Patricia Prato Casado are with Norton Rose, Caracas, Venezuela.

By Rubén Eduardo Luján and Patricia Prato Casado

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atin America has been one of the most popular “destinations” for exploration and mining activities in the world for some time now. According to Metals Economics Group, Latin America currently attracts 25% of the global spending on mining exploration, with six countries leading the way in the region – Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia and Argentina.

In particular, Canadian-based mining companies are increasingly attracted to locate their mining projects in Latin America. As of June 2012, mining companies listed with TSX and TSX-V with mining projects in Latin America accounted for 18% of the total listed mining companies, which makes Latin America the second region for location of their mining projects, solely surpassed by Canada.

The jurisdictions within Latin America vary widely in terms of the investment climate for mining projects. Some jurisdictions within the region, such as Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil, are typical investment destinations for Canada-based mining companies. Other jurisdictions, such as Peru and Colombia, have been steadily growing in recent years as hot destinations for them.

Canadian-based mining companies should monitor and assess the effects of the ever-evolving legal and investment environment in the region on their existing or envisioned mining projects.

Key issues for Canadian companies One of the issues companies typically face when investing in the region is the need for prior consultation with native or indigenous communities. This is a par

ticularly hot topic for mining investments in certain Latin American jurisdictions.

In Peru, greater-than-ever social protests over environmental concerns led the Peruvian government to issue new legislation explicitly regulating a non-binding prior consultation process with those communities in respect of legislative or administrative measures that might affect them. Other jurisdictions, such as Mexico, have been discussing for some time now the enactment of similar legislation or even adopting the Peruvian model as the framework for the Mexican legislation.

Companies might also be affected by the collateral damage that illegal mining can bring upon the responsible mining sector. In some jurisdictions this is an isolated or immaterial issue, but in others it is a very delicate one. The consequences of illegal mining, particularly on the environment and habitat, have led some communities to accuse legitimate mining projects as being the reason for the negative effects. This has unfortunately occurred in Peru and Colombia. To deal with this issue, the Peruvian government has recently enacted detailed legislation to control and punish illegal mining. In fact, Peruvian legislation explicitly and directly deems illegal mining a crime under the Criminal Code.

A practical concern that has recently arisen in some Latin American jurisdictions is the timely granting of mining titles. This has originated from the greater investment in the region. In Colombia, this became a major issue based on the massive increase in the number of requests for mining titles—and the limited and

dispersed resources of competent mining regulators to cope with the demand in a timely manner. This helped push the Colombian government to adjust the organization of the mining authorities, most notably by creating the National Mining Agency in late 2011 as the new and more effective authority for the granting of mining titles.

A final issue, which shouldn’t be overlooked by Canadian mining investors, is the need for investment protection planning before they get involved in Latin America—particularly against a risk of expropriation, nationalization or confiscation. There are some jurisdictions where this sort of planning might not seem relevant at first sight, because the government and legislation currently favorable to mining investors. But there are certain Latin American jurisdictions that were not expropriating ones a couple of decades ago, and now are. Canadian-based mining companies who are currently facing these situations are in a far better position to defend their investments, or to claim fair indemnification for their projects, with proper and prior investment protection planning.

The benefits still far outweigh the risks With sound strategy and planning however, these issues can be overcome by Canadian companies and the great benefits of mining in Latin America can be enjoyed. The region continues to enjoy great interest from mining companies and investors, due to its tremendous opportunities and potential still to be tapped. CMJ January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

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In My Mine(d)

Let’s talk about B.C.’s rare minerals

By Ray Paquette

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ry asking your neighbour if they’ve ever heard of nobium, zeolite or indium and they may stare at you blankly, yet these rare minerals are responsible for some of the greatest recent advancements in clean technology and BC miners are set to play a leading role in their production.

Niobium, Nb, (aka columbium), sits in the 41st spot on the Periodic Table. It is a key element in green technology and used in fuel cells, electric hybrid vehicles and permanent magnets. It is often found with the so-called “rare-earth elements,”

10 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

and together, this group of rare metals have been crucial to developing modern technologies like the super-alloys used in space, flat-screen televisions, laptops, and iPhones.

Having received plenty of media exposure because China controls about 90% of the total world production, British Columbia is now vying for a position in the rare-metal market. Of the 12 primary raremetal bearing deposits staked in the province, BC Ministry officials believe that nobium has the greatest potential.

Both Taseko Mines and Commerce

Resources were identified as the two most advanced rare-metal projects in BC, both having committed hefty resources to their projects.

Zeolite is another rarely heard of mineral now taking the stage in BC. Recently nicknamed “Nature’s Detoxifier,” it’s been discovered that zeolite is basically a molecular sieve capable of locking in heavy metals, chemicals and free radicals, and it’s high ion exchange capacity also means that it can adsorb plant nutrients and improve fertilizer efficiency.

In the wake of the 2011 Tsunami disaster in Japan, it was zeolite that engineers at the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) began dropping near a water outlet from the Fukushima Daiichi plant to adsorb cesium-137 and reduce the spread of radioactive materials into the Pacific.

Since the global majority of zeolite is produced in China for the concrete industry, the Japanese have turned to the BC-based Canadian Mining Company Inc., one of the few Canadian zeolite producers, to supply zeolite for decontaminating their soils.

As awareness of zeolite’s green potential grows, Canadian Mining has also been fielding a broad range of supply inquiries from across Canada.

In the Fraser Valley, for example, Environment Canada scientists are using zeolite to treat ‘rural smog,’ an airborne mixture of ammonia with nitrogen and sulfur oxide that contributes to local rates of asthma and other respiratory problems.

Municipalities have also started using it to reduce the ammonium concentration and odour in municipal wastewater.

In the Alberta oil sands, zeolite is being recognized as one of the most efficient and inexpensive tools for reducing carbon emissions. Natural zeolite catawww.canadianminingjournal.com

In My Mine(d)

Cradle to cradle Ray Paquette is CEO of Canadian Mining Company Inc., Vancouver.

lysts can crack oil sands bitumen at temperatures much below typical thermal cracking conditions and may be used in industrial membranes that capture carbon dioxide emissions using high temperature gas separation at oil sands upgrading facilities.

For BC’s agricultural producers, especially the organic fruit growers with whom Canadian Mining is working closely, mixing zeolite with fertilizer allows for a slow release of nutrients to the root zone of new seedlings, improves plant performance, while reducing root rot and the need to apply pesticides.

The third rare mineral that your neighbour is unlikely to have heard of is indium. Indium is a key ingredient in thin-film solar technology - very thin, lightweight and flexible solar cells that have vast potential due to their ability to be placed on a variety of surfaces or be incorporated into fabrics.

Indium, along with gallium and selenium, are part of a group of metals known as the ‘Hitchhiker Metals’ because they are only available as a by-product of the mining and refining of major metals like copper, aluminum and zinc. The hitchhiker metals are widely used in much of our modern technology from LED light bulbs, to computers solar panels and smart phones.

According to the USGS, Canada is one of the top six producers of indium in the world and BC’s Teck Cominco is a key contributor as one of the largest single source producers of indium in the world.

Needless to say, British Columbia has been one of the world’s major mining regions since the mid-1800s and this tradition continues as BC plays a significant role in the hunt for and production of rare minerals that support the green technology of our future.

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January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

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&

Newfoundland & Labrador Tour |

NEWFOUNDLAND

LABRADOR “The Rock’s Rocks”

By Russell Noble

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ate last year I drove more than 2000 km throughout Newfoundland with Philip Saunders, Mineral Exploration Consultant, Department of Natural Resources, Newfoundland and Labrador, to visit a number of mining and exploration sites around the province.

Despite being caught in the midst of Hurricane Leslie’s high winds and torrential rains during her visit to the island too, we traversed the countryside to take a closer look at a few of the projects that are making Newfoundland and Labrador one of the more exciting mining and exploration regions in Canada.

Weather aside, and being “washed out” in a couple of instances, we spent a week on the road visiting various sites and meeting with the people responsible for helping make this part of Canada the talk of the industry.

From the island of Newfoundland, to mainland Labrador, the minerals sector continues to grow and diversify with new mines and processing facilities, plus expansions or upgrades at existing operations.

The variety of commodities being extracted, from iron ore to gold, reflects the diversity of the Province’s geology and mineral resources. The quality of projects in advanced stages of exploration and development further illustrates the potential for significant new and long-term growth.

Continued on Page 14

Mining and Exploration Opportunities Are Everywhere

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

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| Vale — Voisey’s Bay & Long Harbour

From

00 km

F

rom the rugged and windswept shores of Labrador’s Voisey’s Bay to the relative calm of Newfoundland’s Long Harbour, Vale has chosen two very distinct sites on Canada’s east coast to build one of the largest nickel operations in the world.

At a combined cost in excess of $5 billion, the two operations have been one of Vale’s primary mining development and expenditures in Canada. At Voisey’s Bay where it all started in 1993 when prospectors discovered the high-grade nickelcopper-cobalt deposit, operations began in 2005 at the 6,000 tonne-per-day integrated open pit mine and concentrator. In 2009, following the successful completion of a $200 million dollar hydrometallurgical technology research and development program, Vale began construction of a processing plant at Long Harbour, Newfoundland - some 1200 km south of Voisey’s Bay. Construction at Long Harbour, which is scheduled to be completed in 2013, has

12

Voisey’s Bay

peaked with about 5000 people supporting the construction effort.

Over the next year construction crews will begin leaving the site and a growing number of operations personnel will replace them to oversee the commissioning and start-up of new processing plant.

As can be imagined, the logistics behind the scene of making these two projects happen are far too detailed to describe in this short amount of space but hopefully, the adjacent photos will give you some idea as to the scale of the Voisey’s Bay and Long Harbour projects.

Both are enormous and almost beyond belief, but aside from their sizes, the one thing that makes them most newsworthy is that they’re both located in Canada and they were built almost entirely by Canadians. CMJ

Continued From Page 13 With billions of tonnes of production and reserves, the Labrador Trough iron district is the backbone of the Province’s mining sector. The region boasts continuous production of pellets and concentrates since the 1950s. Coupled with increased iron ore demand, this has led to new capital investments in infrastructure, expansion at existing operations, two mine start-ups since 2011, and new investment from China and India.

Labrador Iron Mines and Tata Steel Minerals, the newest producers, join established district mining giants Rio Tinto IOC and Cliffs Natural Resources.

Alderon Iron may soon follow, with the 14 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

2012 announcement of a major investment in their Kami project by Chinese steel giant, Hebei Iron and Steel Group.

Other emerging projects throughout the district include those of Century Iron, Champion Minerals, New Millennium, Altius Resources, Cap-Ex Ventures, Golden Dory Resources and Ridgemont Resources.

Elsewhere, Vale’s Long Harbour hydromet nickel refinery is scheduled for completion in 2013. This facility will process ore from Vale’s massive Voisey’s Bay nickelcopper-cobalt mine in eastern Labrador.

In Newfoundland, Rambler Mining & Metals declared commercial production at its Ming copper-gold mine in 2012,

processing ore at the upgraded Nugget Pond mill. Other metal mines include Teck’s Duck Pond Operation (copperzinc-gold-silver) and Anaconda Mining’s Pine Cove gold mine.

Industrial minerals are also produced in the province. For example, Atlantic Minerals ships limestone and dolomite to world markets from its Lower Cove quarry on the west coast of the island.

Exploration is also proceeding strongly on several other fronts. Advanced gold projects, including Marathon Gold’s Valentine Lake and Castillian Resources’ Hope Brook, have yielded positive new resource estimates in 2012. www.canadianminingjournal.com

Voisey’s Bay & Long Harbour | Ore from Vale’s massive Voisey’s Bay open pit mine is shipped almost 1200 km to the Long Harbour operation for further processing and exporting to customers around the world.

To

Long Harbour

New gold prospects have also been discovered on Metals Creek Resources’ Jackson’s Arm property, and Puddle Pond Resources’ Heritage project.

On the base metals side, Buchans Minerals and Paragon Resources have signed agreements with Minco plc and Canadian Zinc respectively, to finance further exploration on their Buchans and Lemarchant zinc-lead-copper projects.

Joint venture partners Thundermin Resources and Cornerstone Capital have also increased the resource estimate at their Little Deer copper project.

Back in Labrador, uranium exploration has resumed at Aurora Energy’s

Michelin Project. Aurora, a member of the Paladin Energy group of companies, is expanding the resource estimates at the Michelin and Rainbow deposits.

Elsewhere, Search Minerals is drilling rare earth prospects in the Port Hope Simpson area, and has released an updated resource estimate on the Foxtrot Project.

Petmin has also announced an initial resource estimate on North Atlantic Iron’s Grand River Ironsands project.

And finally in Newfoundland again, there is renewed interest in certain specialty metals, including fluorspar, tungsten, molybdenum and antimony, due to strong prices for these commodities.

The most advanced development is a 50/50 joint venture between Canada Fluorspar and Arkema of France, to reactivate the former St. Lawrence fluorspar mine.

In all, Newfoundland and Labrador combine to offer new and exciting opportunities for mining and exploration. It’s because of its vast resources, its infrastructure, and its sound government with an understanding of mining and its needs, that this part of the country is such a valuable asset to Canada and the rest of the world.

When you turn the page, you’ll see more of what I’m talking about.

CMJ January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

15

| Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) ­­— Carol Lake A dramatic blasting photo shows the initial step in getting iron ore to market while other photos show the variety and sizes of equipment required to haul the ore out of the mine.

CAROL LAKE “Explosive” is one of the best ways to describe the activities around Rio Tinto’s IOC Carol Lake operation in Labrador as the project continues to make noise around the world with its record production of iron ore.

Not only is Carol Lake the largest iron ore mine in the famed “Labrador Trough,” (source of more than 2 billion tonnes of iron ore since the 1950s) but it’s also Canada’s largest iron ore mine, currently producing about 17 million tonnes of concentrate annually.

With help from about 2500 people in Labrador, Newfoundland and Quebec, Carol Lake alone has produced in excess of 1.3 billion tonnes of iron ore, which accounts for approximately half of Canada’s total iron ore output of pellets and concentrates.

The name “Iron Lady” comes to mind when talking about Carol Lake and so it

16 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

should because IOC intends to continue the work on its staged expansion at the site to bring the operation’s annual concentrate and pellet-feed production to 26 million tonnes annually.

Phases 1 and 2 will be completed in Q1 2013 bringing production to 22 million tonnes. Market conditions are being closely watched and will ultimately determine the timetable for Phase 3 and beyond.

Producing and processing that amount of ore is one thing, but getting it to market is another and the company has that aspect of the mining process under control too thanks to its 418 km railway line that links the mine to its port facilities at Sept-Îles.

From there, customers across Canada and around the world will receive a truly Made in Canada product, but more importantly to the miners in Labrador, it is a “Made in Carol Lake” product that makes them proudest.

CMJ

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Teck Operations — Duck Pond | Aerial view of the Duck Pond operation.

DUCK POND

T

eck’s Duck Pond mine, located 28 km south of Millertown and 100 km south­west of Grand Falls-Windsor, is a tight -knit operation with a ‘family feel” and a strong culture of safety. The dayand-night shifts know every member of the crews on the other side of the clock.

Employees aren’t just colleagues they are also friends and neighbours.

That close connection makes everyone feel that safety is a personal responsibility. It’s a values-based approach to safety that is also at the core of Teck’s Courageous Safety Leadership (CSL) Program. The CSL philosophy empowers every employee to be a safety leader and to play an active role in their own safety and the safety of those around them.

That theme of safety leadership is echoed in the safety video that every visi­ tor to the mine must see which features real-life employees working in and around

the mine. The messages they give are sincere and heartfelt as they talk about the mine and the safety of its workers and visitors. It’s a personal connection that contributes to making Duck Pond a truly extraordinary site to work at.

With more than 270 people work­ing in two shifts, the Duck Pond operation is Newfoundland and Labrador’s only producing copper-zinc-silver and gold mine and has been in com­mercial production since April 2007.

The mine is an underground operation, utilizing 15% grade ramp access and under­ ground mining methods. Uncrushed ore is trucked to a surface stockpile then fed through a crusher to a coarse ore bin. The mill processes 1800 tpd using a SAG mill, ball mill and flotation circuit to produce separate copper and zinc concentrates.

Concentrates are trucked 400 km to a storage and shipping facility at the Port of St. George’s in western Newfoundland.

The operation has an on-going explora­ tion program and is scheduled to bring its Boundary Deposit open-pit phase into production this year.

CMJ

A close lose look at processing (above) and a male and female team working side-by-side in one of the mine’s many facilties.

A picturesque view of the Duck Pond operation with a massive polishing pond in the foreground.

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

17

| Rambler Metals and Mining — Ming Mine A series of photos shows workers at Rambler’s underground Ming Mine and concentrate shipped from a nearby port.

MING MINE

S

ite location with an infrastructure is only second to the resources themselves when it comes to a successful mine and few projects are better equipped in both categories than Rambler Metals and Mining and its Ming Mine.

Located with a provincial highway at its front gate, the Ming Copper-Gold Mine is on the Baie Verte Peninsula on the north east shore of Newfoundland. It’s in an area that has a history and culture of gold, base metals and industrial minerals mining going back to the early 1800s.

The Ming Mine initially opened in 1972 and just 10 years later, it closed again over a property boundary dispute after mining 2.1 million tons of ore at an average grade of 3.5% copper and 2.4 g/t gold.

Over the years, the mine was allowed to flood and with the exception of some brief activity in the mid 1990s, it remained shuttered until Rambler Metals and Mining came along in 2001 and started investing in the mine’s road to recovery.

18 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

Like many abandoned mines, Rambler knew that the Ming Mine still contained valuable resources and through an extensive assessment and evaluation program, the company moved for­ ward with refurbishing the Ming operation. More than a decade later, “Rambler” and “Ming” are names synonymous with “Copper and Gold Mining” in Newfoundland.

What’s also keeping Rambler Metals and Mining in the head­ lines is the company’s declaration of commercial production November 1, 2012. Rambler has the ability to switch from copper to gold pro­duction depending on the ore’s profitability and changing mar­kets where the commissioning of a newly constructed copper concentrator in May 2011 made this possible.

Most recently, Rambler’s first shipment of 8,873 wet metric tonnes of copper concentrate has been loaded and shipped; a high grade copper ore blended at an average run of mine grade of 3.25% copper with 1 g/t gold.

CMJ

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Anaconda Mining — Pine Cove |

A PINE COVE

naconda Mining’s Pine Cove mine is located on the Baie Verte Peninsula in north-central Newfoundland and characteristic of many mines in the province; it is well serviced by the Trans-Canada Highway, provincial highways and power from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.

With about 40 people on site and several quarters of increasing production, Anaconda plans to produce nearly 16,000 ounces of gold this year from its existing Pine Cove open pit and through continuing exploration of its 785 hectare land package, it will focus on discovering new deposits in the immediate area next to the mine.

Mineralization consists of shear hosted gold associated with pyrite, as well as visible gold with minor base-metal sulphides in quartz veins. It’s the geometry of the mineralization that makes Pine Cove such a favourable site for an open-pit mine.

The existing pit operation excavates between 6,000 and 7,000 tpd of material (waste and ore) with a life-of-mine strip ratio of 4.3 : 1 and ore grade of 2.07 gpt. The on-site mill is crush, ball mill and flotation circuit that produces a gold-pyrite concentrate, cyanide leach, filtration and Merrill Crowe gold recovery circuit with an average throughput of 900 to 1,000 tpd and overall recovery of 83%.

With production well established and its mill performing as planned, Anaconda is looking to increase its exploration efforts on its large prospective land package.

The Baie Verte Peninsula hosts more than 125 documented gold showings and deposits with excellent potential to delineate and process additional gold resources.

Anaconda Mining plans to be a leader when it comes to finding and producing gold in Newfoundland.

CMJ

Anaconda’s General Manager Allan Cramm keeps a close eye all activities, from the pit to the mill, at the Pine Cove mine.

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

19

| Atlantic Minerals — Lower Cove A series of conveyors move processed limestone to a shiploader and a Panamaxclass vessel waiting 200 feet below.

LOWER COVE

W

hen it comes to rugged beauty, few sites can match that of Atlantic Minerals’ Lower Cove operation on Newfoundland’s Port au Port peninsula on the southwest shore of the island.

Located 200 feet above the Cabot Straight facing south to the Atlantic Ocean, the Lower Cover quarry occupies 2,900 acres of land, (plus an additional 13,000 acres of Licensed Claims on the Port au Port peninsula) containing a billion tonnes of reserves, including Proven Reserves of over 100 million metric tonnes of chemical-grade, high-calcium limestone, and 70 million metric tonnes of chemical grade dolomite.

In addition to these massive amount of reserves, the Lower Cover operation also features a network of processing equipment that takes the quarried materials from the drilling and blasting stages through crushing, sizing and finishing, to stockpiling and finally to ship-loading conveyors to the company’s marine loading facility adjacent to the site.

With a variety of products destined to world markets, Atlantic Mineral’s Lower Cover site is ideally situated for loading up to 3000 tonnes per hour into Panamax-class vessels. The company has the capacity to produce and ship ~3.5 mt/year of finished product.

A linear stacker enables Atlantic Minerals to also stockpile more than 1 million metric tonnes of material while waiting for shipment to as far away as South America or just across the Cabot Straight to customers in Prince Edward Island. What and wherever the demand, Atlantic Minerals has the resources.

CMJ 20 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Buchans Minerals — Lundberg |

BUCHANS MINE

B

uchans Minerals isn’t operating as a mine at the moment but there’s probably not a site anywhere in the province with more character than the historic Buchans property, located in south western Newfoundland about 200 km by road from Corner Brook.

Almost every miner in Newfoundland has some connection with, or memory of, the mine and although it has been closed since 1984, it had an outstanding 58-year run during which time it produced 16.2 million tonnes of ore from five ore bodies, averaging 14.51% zinc, 1.33% copper, 7.56% lead, and 1.26 g/t silver and 1.37 g/t gold. It was one of the highest grade base metal mining camps in Canadian history.

Today, the mine site is a far cry from the glory days when thousands of miners put it, and the Town of Buchans, on the map. About 750 people still live there and if Minco and Buchans Minerals’ plans

Historic Buchans Mine in the town of the same name shows signs of the glory days with a head frame still standing.

work out, it could once again be a thriving community filled with miners going after the remaining minerals in the Lundberg Deposit at the Buchans site.

With a NI 43-101 in hand, Buchans Minerals has an open-pit mining plan with a mine life expectancy of 10 years. The average yearly production is estimated to be 27.1 million pounds of zinc 16.3 million pounds of lead, 5.5 million pounds of copper and some 479,000 ounces of silver.

In addition to these inferred resources, the Buchans’ site offers a strong infrastructure through the town’s water resources and a 70 km paved road connecting with the TransCanada Highway. CMJ

A new water tower for the Town of Buchans is now located at the mine site while the inset photo shows core from 1936.

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

21

| Thundermin Resources & Cornerstone Resources — Little Deer Adit at Little Deer

LITTLE DEER

Diamond drilling at Little Deer

W

hen you talk about a stratgeic location, few sites can match that of the Little Deer copper project co-owned

by Thundermin Resources Inc. and Cornerstone Resources Inc. It’s a 100%owned project under a 50-50 joint venture agreement between the two companies.

The Little Deer property, which comprises 276 mineral claims held in four mineral licences covering approximately 65 km2, is located in north-central Newfoundland approximately 10 km north of the Town of Springdale.

Like many sites in Newfoundland, it’s well serviced by provincial highways connecting with the Trans Canada Highway just 16 km away, but more than that, the Little Deer property also features the pastproducing Little Deer and Whalesback copper deposits which consist predominantly of stringer, disseminated and locally massive chalcopyrite mineralization.

Little Deer is located approximately 800 m southwest of Whalesback and the two deposits are connected underground at the 240 m level by a drift approximately 1,000 m long. Little Deer has been outlined by diamond drilling over a strike length of approximately 1,050 m and to a vertical depth of about 1,000 m while Whalesback has been outlined over a strike length of approximately 500 m and to a vertical depth of about 600 m. Both deposits remain open along strike and at depth and the potential exists to expand the known mineral resources through additional drilling.

Starting in 2007, Thundermin and Cornerstone have punched 96 surface diamond drill holes for a total of 54,998 m.

22 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

A map shows the amount of drilling that has taken place at the Little Deer and Whalesback copper deposit sites.

Assay results (including those from historical drilling at Little Deer and Whalesback) form the basis for a NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate.

The combined Indicated Resources at Little Deer and Whalesback currently stand at 2,708,000 tonnes grading 2.16% copper (129.1 million pounds of copper) and Inferred Resources stand at 4,191,000 tonnes grading 2.07% copper (191.3 million pounds of copper).

A positive Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) was completed on the Little Deer copper deposit, on a stand-alone basis, which demonstrates the potential technical and economic viability of establishing a new, profitable copper mine at current copper prices. The PEA envisions an underground mine with ramp and shaft

access predominantly using the long hole stoping method of mining. The production rate is planned to be 1,800 tonnes/day over a 9.5 year mine life. The ores would be processed using a very simple conventional milling and flotation process with over 97% recovery of copper to produce a clean 28% copper concentrate. Initial pre-production capital was estimated at $110 million with a pay-back period of 3.5 years.

During 2013, Thundermin and Cornerstone plan to commence upgrading the Inferred Resources outlined to date in both the Little Deer and Whalesback deposits to Indicated Resources in order that a pre-feasibility study can be undertaken which will further determine the economic viability of developing a new copper mine at the Little Deer project.

CMJ

Aerial view of historic work at the Whalesback site. www.canadianminingjournal.com

Yukon Tour |

YUKON To Explore & More Photo by Russell Noble

An in-depth look at those responsible for the future

By Correspondent Brian O’Hara

Yukon mining is moving forward on a very firm foundation, with three operating mines (Minto, Bellekeno and Wolverine), employing about 750 employees.

In addition, two other companies, Golden Predator Corp and Victoria Gold, have advanced open-pit gold projects which could go into production in a few years.

Prior to October 2007, with the start up of Capstone Resources’ Minto Mine, there were no hard rock mines in operation in the Territory.

Mining is the cornerstone of Yukon’s economy, says Currie

Dixon, Minister of Environment and Economic Development.

According to Natural Resources Canada statistics, there was $306 million spent in Yukon on exploration and deposit appraisal expenditures in 2011, which is the highest annual expenditure on record.

Yukon is much more dependent on exploration by junior companies, who spent $264.8 million, or about 86% of the 2011 total. The state of junior equity markets is a significant factor for expected reduction of exploration and development expenditures to an estimated $150 million for 2012.

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

23

| Yukon Tour

YUKON’S MINING M

into Mine (Capstone Mining Corp.) is operating an open pit copper-gold mine, with a current capacity of 3,600 tpd. It has gone through five phases of increased production and has increased resources since its production start up in late 2007. It had an exploration budget of $4.8 million for 2012, to develop resources and reserves in nine discovery zones.

These zones occur over a strike length of 3.5 kilometres at the existing Minto mine, which has mined out the Minto Main pit in mid 2011, and now, is processing the ore stockpiles. Minto released a Pre-Feasibility study June 18, 2012 for its Phase VI expansion, which outlined the incorporation of new mineral reserves and a new life-of-mine plan (LOMP) that includes the additional underground mineral reserves from the Copper Keel and Wildfire zones; optimized pit designs; processing plant capacity improvements; and updated costs and economic analysis.

The open pit proven and probable reserves have a total of 9.1 million tonnes, grading 1.39 per cent Cu, 0.52 g/t Au and 4.48 g/t Ag. The Phase VI expansion 24 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

would increase the mine life to 2022, with a capital cost of $103 million.

Minto Mine is spending $7 million to upgrade its main camp facility to enhance retention and recruitment of staff. The first phase expected to be completed next summer and will include a 90-room, three-storey facility which will have recreation facilities. Minto will be using an underground contractor for underground development and in the second half of 2013, Minto Mine will takeover the underground mining with its own staff.

Bellekeno Mine (Alexco Resources Corp.) is producing high-grade silver (800 g/t Ag) at a rate of about 250 tpd (mill capacity is 400tpd) in Keno Hill District, near Mayo.

Established in 2005, the Bellekeno Mine is Canada’s only primary silver producer. It produced 2 million ounces of silver in 2011, with an estimate of 2.2 million ounces of silver production for 2012. About 50% of mining is done using cut and fill with the balance being done using longhole stoping.

Alexco had an exploration budget for 2012 of about $12 million for an estimated

22,500 metres of surface drilling and 5,000 metres of underground drilling. Longer term, Alexco has a goal of producing 5 million ounces per year by developing other mines.

Alexco’s two advanced projects, are both former historic producers; Onek and Lucky Queen, both of which could be producing in 2013.

Lucky Queen has indicated resources of 124,000 tonnes grading 1,227 g/t of silver, 0.2 g/t of gold, 2.6% lead and 1.7% zinc, with inferred resources of 150,000 tonnes grading 571 g/t of silver, 0.2g/t of gold, 1.4% lead and 0.9% zinc.

The Onek development project has indicated resources of 585,000 tonnes grading 194 g/t of silver, 0.7 g/t of gold, 1.2% of lead and 13.7% zinc with inferred resources of 203 g/t of silver, 0.4 g/t of gold, 1.1% lead and 11.5% zinc.

The Alexco Environmental Group is focused on remediation with a mining focus, mine water treatment and consulting services for project permitting. Some historic mines are still releasing water with high metal content which must be perpetuwww.canadianminingjournal.com

Photo by Russell Noble

FOUNDATION ally treated for high metal content, although there is almost no acid water content.

The Elsa Tailings is both a silver resource and an environmental cleanup challenge, with an initial resource estimate of 2.49 million tonnes grading 119 g/t of silver.

The cleanup cost of the Elsa tailings is the largest part of the cleanup cost, estimated at about 50% of the total $60 million cleanup cost for the district, which is covered by the federal government.

Remediation would involve picking up tailings, removing it and dry stacking. However, these tailings could be processed to extract the silver prior to final storage.

Alexco has a 233 km2 property position with a full exploration pipeline in various stages of development. It also has two important exploration discoveries, Flame & Moth, and the Bermingham.

Other exploration projects are the Silver King, Husky, Onek SW, Elsa, Ruby, HC, K700 and McQueston.

Wolverine Mine (Yukon Zinc Corp.) is a zinc-silver-copper-lead-gold underground mine, with on-site milling capa

bilities of 1,700 tpd to produce zinc, copper and lead concentrates. It’s located 282 km northeast of Whitehorse. The current mine life is about 9.5 years based on a 5.2 million tonnes reserves.

Jinduicheng Molybdenum Group Co. Ltd. and Northwest Nonferrous International Investment Company Ltd, two Chinese companies, purchased shares of Yukon Zinc (formerly Expatriate Resources) in July of 2008 Yukon Zinc completed major site construction at Wolverine throughout 2009 and 2010. Mill commissioning commenced in late 2010, and production in 2012 is increasing to design capacity.

Yukon Zinc completed its tailings dam raise last summer, thereby bringing the facility to ultimate height for life of mine.

In addition, it has implemented measures to further ensure underground safety.

Professor Rimas Pakalnis from UBC Mining Engineering, a specialist in underground geotechnical designs, did a comprehensive study for the mine ground conditions and a result, the ground support is now ensured by using 3.7-metre

rock bolts on 1-metre spacing, with shotcrete and wire mesh.

Drift and fill is the mining method at Wolverine. This method was selected as a result of the flat lying layout of the deposit, varying horizontal thickness of the deposit, and the selectivity needed to achieve suitable waste dilution.

Mining is done on a contract basis by Procon. Wolverine uses a fleet of Sandvik for underground equipment.

Wolverine is producing a copper concentrate, a zinc concentrate and a lead concentrate. It’s using the research services of Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy for the metal recovery. The copper and lead concentrate is bagged while the zinc concentrate is sent in bulk concentrate.

Wolverine is also testing a water treatment plant using INOTEC (University of Utah) and Lorax Environmental (Vancouver) using a patented new technology called an “electro-biochemical reactor” for the removal of metal contaminants, and notably selenium, in the tailings supernatant.

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

25

| Yukon Tour Photo by Russell Noble

YUKON’S FUTURE T wo mine developers, William Sherriff, Chairman and CEO of Golden Predator Corp and John McConnell, President and CEO of Victoria Gold are working to bring Yukon’s next gold mines into production.

Golden Predator’s mandate is to be the next gold mine in the Yukon and is focused on cash flow through production and royalties. First into production will be their

www.yukonzinc.com 26 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

181 km2 Brewery Creek project located outside of Dawson City. Brewery Creek is a former open pit heap leach mine that was operated from 1996 until 2002, under Viceroy. It produced 278,000 ounces until low gold prices forced a closure of the mine leaving unmined ounces and an unfinished mining plan ready for a restart.

The Brewery Creek project was a successful sub arctic heap leach operation

which was reclaimed to high standards with some infrastructure left for a future operator. To further this, Golden Predator recently announced it secured a $35 million line of credit to fund its acquisition of 100% of the project and to help fund the mine development and capital costs. With funding in place the Company is focused on construction in 2013, and initial production in 2014, subject to license amendments. Initial production from Brewery Creek is projected to be at a production rate of 7,000 tpd mined on a seasonal basis meaning initial production of 30,000 to 40,000 ounces per annum.

The project has both a Quartz Mining License and Water License, both subject to amendment and in 2012 the Company updated its Socio Economic Accord with the Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation. Engineering studies are in progress as a first step to finish the original mine plan and mine ore from a series of open pits. Processing will use a traditional heap leaching process.

In 2012, Golden Predator drilled 32,000 meters with the goal of expanding and upgrading current oxide resources, www.canadianminingjournal.com

and completing metallurgical testing and geotechnical evaluation. 2011 discoveries including the Classic, Sleeman and Schooner Zones along with the 2012 Lone Star Zone adding further upside for the project’s long term potential.

Brewery Creek hosts a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate of 13.9 million tonnes in the Indicated category grading 0.70 g/t of gold (or 313,000 ounces) and 7.3 million tonnes in the Inferred category grading 0.47 g/t of gold (or

111,000 ounces). In addition, there are sulphide resources of 6.4 million tonnes in the Indicated category grading 1.29 g/t of gold and sulphide resources of 5.6 million tonnes in the Inferred category grading 1.29 g/t of gold. An updated resource estimate is planned for Q1, 2013.

The small scale start up is just a beginning for the new Brewery Creek and a way to generate cash flow to expand production without significant equity financings. Equally important to the Golden Predator business model for internal cash flow is a Nevada-based royalty portfolio. Golden Predator Corp. controls a royalty package of 32 North America properties including several deeded royalties totaling over 100,000 acres in Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon and Mexico including Midway Gold Corp.’s Pan and Gold Rock deposits and portions of Barrick’s Bald Mountain project.

These properties are predominantly leased out to mineral production, development and exploration companies to provide royalty revenue to Golden Predator Corp.

In 2012, the royalty packages generated $799,762 in revenue with the bulk of the current revenue due annually each January.

Subsequent royalty revenue is anticipated to experience acceleration as early as 2014 as several of these projects begin to advance.

Golden Predator Corp.’s royalty portfolio remains unique in the mineral develop-

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

27

| Yukon Tour Photo by Russell Noble

ment industry which allow it further internal revenue to expand Brewery Creek’s production and potential.

Victoria Gold’s project has a long history dating back to 1895, when placer gold mining was done in Dublin Gulch of the Eagle project near Mayo, Yukon. From 1916, until 1977, there was exploration work for gold and tungsten until discovery of the Eagle Gold deposit was made in 1977.

In March 2011, Victoria announced a new NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate containing 222 million tonnes of Indicated resource grading 0.68 g/t of

gold (4.8 million ounces) and 77 million tonnes of Inferred Resources grading 0.59 g/t(1.5 million ounces).

An NI 43-101 Feasibility Study was announced Feb 2012, which demonstrated a Probable Reserve of 91.6 million tonnes, grading 0.78 g/t of gold (2.3 million ounces). The initial capital cost of $383 million would produce 192,000 ounces gold per year over life of mine at an estimated operating cost of $USD 614 per ounce.

The project would have IRR of 24% at $USD 1,325 per ounce gold.

Victoria Gold has completed this year,

www.simsgroup.ca 1-877-564-9011

INDUSTRIAL MINING CIVIL POWER 28 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

drilling of 17,878 m, in 59 holes as of July 30, 2012.

McConnell points out the largest shareholder, Kinross Gold with 16% of Victoria shares, has provided access to operating data from Fort Knox, a very large low grade heap leach operation in Alaska that would have similar operating conditions.

Rothschild, a leading global financial advisor acting for Victoria, have determined that of the total $430 million funding required to build Eagle Gold , conventional project finance could be obtained for about $225 million with a possibility of obtaining more.

An additional $40 million financing for mobile equipment could be available. With approximately $60 million in working capital and and receivables, the remaining $105 million will have to be provided by royalty financing, forward gold sales, alternative debt or a joint venture partner.

McConnell hopes to have financing in place shortly, with permits in place in the spring of 2013. Victoria Gold has made an unusual decision for a junior mine developer by hiring its own environmental team with specialized experience working with a well-known consulting firm. This is expected to result in a smoother and faster permitting process. Construction is expected to take about 18 months, with full production possible starting in 2015.

With a firm foundation in mining and exploration, Yukon’s mining industry is poised to grow.

CMJ www.canadianminingjournal.com

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January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal | 29 11/30/12 8:53:31 AM

| B.C. Report

Seizing the opportunity in

BRITISH COLUMBIA

By Gavin C. Dirom,

President & Chief Executive Officer, AME BC

W

hile overall activity in the B.C. mineral exploration and development sector may be down as compared with last year’s record-breaking pace and expenditures of $463 million, there are numerous advanced exploration projects in B.C., particularly copper, gold and coal projects, that are forging ahead.

Even with challenging global economic conditions facing the junior exploration sector, B.C. continues to attract significant investment with projects such as New Gold’s Blackwater, Pretium Resources’ Brucejack and Seabridge Gold’s KSM leading the way.

As an example of a successful development in 2012, New Gold opened its New Afton underground copper-gold-silver mine located near Kamloops, B.C. Over the next 10 years, there is potential for as many as 30 more mining projects to be developed in B.C., representing up to $30 billion in capital investment.

30 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

According to a recent Mining Industry Human Resources Council report, even under baseline economic conditions, the B.C. mineral exploration and development industry is forecast to need almost 4,000 highly skilled and technically trained workers between 2012 and 2022 due to a large number of pending retirements. It’s clear that mineral exploration and development are the foundational economic drivers, spurring responsible regional development, creating family sustaining jobs, enhancing infrastructure and increasing government revenue to offset B.C.’s health care and education costs.

But as British Columbians competing in a global economy with other mineral-rich jurisdictions, we must not rest on our laurels. Members of AME BC are active in over 100 countries around the world and many exploration or mining companies that have their head offices located here are not currently exploring in the province.

In fact, 60 per cent of all the Canadian exploration companies are based in B.C. and these companies are responsible for the largest share of exploration spending in Canada, the United States, South America, Central America, Europe and Africa.

The B.C.-based industry is truly inter-

national in scope and with expertise in technical, legal, accounting and financial matters, British Columbia is renowned as the global centre for mineral exploration and development. No matter the jurisdiction, to attract and sustain high levels of investment, an “open for business” culture must be nurtured, strategic investments made and public policies implemented in a consistent and transparent manner that enable responsible mineral exploration and development.

AME BC is thankful to the federal government for selecting the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University to lead the establishment of the new Canadian International Institute for Extractive Industries and Development in Vancouver, British Columbia.

As strategic partners, AME BC will provide additional funding and in-kind resources to the UBC-SFU led coalition to establish and operate a new institute for extractive industries and development that will be funded by a $25-million grant from the Canadian International Development Agency.

Building on the respective strengths at UBC and SFU and in partnership with Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, the new institute will offer developing countries best practice knowledge in extractive technology, public policy and regulations, and health and education outreach in order to

www.canadianminingjournal.com

2

B.C. THROUGH A LENS

By Jonathan Buchanan

British Columbia is marketed globally as “Super, Natural British Columbia” and over the past nine years, the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME BC) has held an annual photo contest to demonstrate that mineral exploration and the province’s stunning scenery are not mutually exclusive.

This year, entrants focused their lenses on some of the major projects and areas with mineral potential in the province. Credit is extended to the government of BC’s regional geologists for information on the projects; their comprehensive review of 2012 activities, Exploration and Mining in British Columbia, will be released at Mineral Exploration Roundup in Vancouver later this month.

In the meantime, here are the winners from the ninth annual (AME BC) photo contest: 1) FIRST PLACE, OVERALL Grizzly bear grazing near Porcupine Glacier, Northwestern BC. Photo credit: James Newby, Knight Piésold.

Porcupine Glacier is in the Golden Triangle, an area in northwestern British Columbia that features over 935 mineral occurrences and 67 documented properties in the resource category. Bears are a common sight during exploration in BC; to prepare yourself the video Staying Safe in Bear Country is highly recommended.

2) FIRST PLACE, ANIMALS, MINERALS, HARMONY Two bull moose wade through Kadah Lake, Toodoggone region, north-central BC. Photo credit: Brian Kornichuk.

This photo was taken near the JD epithermal gold-silver deposit and

empower industry, governments and nongovernmental organizations to reduce poverty while protecting the environment.

Having this new institute based in Vancouver reflects the fact that British Columbia is the global centre of excellence in mineral exploration and development. Along with being the headquarters of many major international mining companies, there are 1,000 junior exploration and intermediate mining companies that are exploring, discovering and developing mineral resources around the globe. On top of that, there are approximately 2,400 international service consultants and supplier companies supporting the sector in

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copper-gold porphyry property in the Toodoggone region of north-central British Columbia. Tower Resources’s 2012 drilling program resulted in goldsilver mineralized intervals of up to 31.5 metres wide.

3) FIRST PLACE, HEALTH AND SAFETY Jesse Collison conducting site reconnaissance of proposed tailings facility valley at the Aley project. Photo credit: Josie Speed Visibility in the field is an important aspect of mineral exploration health and safety; the cruiser vest is an important part of a mineral explorer’s personal protective equipment. Taseko Mines Limited has released a resource estimate defining the Aley project as the largest undeveloped niobium-bearing carbonatite deposit in the world.

4) FIRST PLACE, PEOPLE AT WORK Taking survey notes at Schaft Creek. Photo credit: Stephen Zopf.

The Schaft Creek porphyry deposit owned by Copper Fox Metals has a measured and indicated resource of 7.1 billion pounds copper, 7.4 million ounces gold, 455 million pounds molybdenum and 66.7 million ounces silver.

5) FIRST PLACE, EXPLORATION SCENERY (BACKGROUND PHOTO) Smoke from the Entiako Lake Fire looming over drilling on the Blackwater project.

Photo credit: Lani Horwarth. Up to 18 drills were used at New Gold’s Blackwater project in 2012; drilling included 160,000 metres of drilling in the main grid and 10,000 metres at the Capoose prospect. A preliminary economic assessment proposed a 60,000 tonne-per-day operation producing an average of 507,000 ounces gold and 2,039,000 ounces silver for an initial 15 years.

Jonathan Buchanan is Director, Communications & Public Affairs, for the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia. AME BC welcomes submissions for its 10th annual photo contest; please contact Jonathan Buchanan for details: jbuchanan@amebc.ca.

technical, legal and financial affairs.

With global expertise in sustainability, environmental stewardship and corporate social responsibility, the new UBC-SFU led institute will build upon the strengths of BC’s global centre of excellence in mineral exploration and development and will create an enduring legacy for the industry and Canada as a whole.

AME BC is the predominant voice of mineral exploration and development in British Columbia. Established in 1912, AME BC represents almost 5,000 members including geoscientists, prospectors, engineers, students, exploration and mining companies and suppliers who are

engaged in mineral exploration and development in BC and throughout the world.

AME BC annually hosts guests from around the world during the annual Mineral Exploration Roundup conference that takes place every January. Now in its 30th year, Roundup attracts thousands of delegates that share technical and financial information about the industry and learn about leading practices in environmental stewardship, aboriginal and community engagement.

Mineral Exploration Roundup 2013, with the theme “Digging Deeper: Resources for Life” will be held from January 28-31, 2013 at the Westin Bayshore Vancouver. CMJ

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

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Background photo by Lani Horwarth

1

| B.C. Junior Picturesque view of the region where the Justin property is located.

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32 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

Au

ANOTHER

OPPORTUNITY J

By CMJ Western Correspondent Tanya Laing Gahr

ordan Trimble isn’t being glib when he describes Aben Resource’s Justin Property in southeastern Yukon as “a golden opportunity.” In fact, Trimble, Manager of Corporate Development and Communications for the company, is in agreement with numerous renowned geologists who also believe they’ve got their finger on the pulse of a major system.

The Justin property has been generating interest since 1964 when it was first explored for copper and tungsten as a follow-up to the establishment of the Cantung Mine, located approximately 30 kilometres away in the Northwest Territory’s Nahanni region.

The first few sniffs yielded interesting results, but then the property lay dormant until the mid-1990s, when Viceroy www.canadianminingjournal.com

Exploration Ltd, under the leadership Ron Netolitzky, began evaluating the Justin for gold potential. (Netolitzky is currently the chair and a director of Aben). Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (EPL:TSX-V) acquired the property from noted Yukon prospector Bernie Kreft in 2000, and along with exploration consultants from TerraLogic Exploration Inc., continued to assess mineral potential with various systematic exploration programs over the years that included prospecting, geological mapping, geophysical and geochemical surveys.

The efforts paid off in 2010 when grab samples returned anomalous gold values in an area of the property now dubbed the POW Zone. Aben had been working closely with EPL in 2010 to secure a precious metal property in the Yukon, and in early 2011, Eagle Plains sold the property to Aben for share consideration and retained royalties.

Later that year, Aben funded an aggressive diamond drilling program, testing various areas of the property. The final two holes of that program intersected significant gold mineralization at the POW Zone.

The mineral potential found at the POW Zone made the Justin property more than attractive—it soon established itself as Aben’s flagship project.

Like real estate, location is an important consideration in exploration. The Justin’s proximity to existing, serviced roads increase the viability of the project.

The property is in the explorationfriendly Yukon, where a number of recent discoveries have taken place along the Tintina Gold Belt that runs through a large portion of the territory.

Nearby projects such as Northern Tiger’s 3 Ace have had encouraging results as well that have helped to spotlight the region. So, expectations for the Justin have definitely been heightened,and early drill samples indicate that the excitement is well founded.

An aggressive diamond drill program in 2012 focused on follow-up and expansion work to last year’s drilling, geophysical/geochemical surveys and detailed geological mapping. Results from the first hole returned significant results— gold values of 1.49 grams per tonne over 46.4 m, including an interval grading 3.88 grams per tonne over 9.2 m were

reported recently by Aben.

“The two drill holes last season at the POW Zone and the first hole this season have all intercepted significant gold intervals in this rapidly expanding zone,” said Aben President Jim Pettit. “The notable consistency of the skarn-hosted gold mineralization seen amongst these initial three drill holes at the POW Zone

suggests strong continuity of the mineralized zone. Surface samples in eastern POW Zone located 400-plus metres away from initial discovery area have returned multi-gram gold numbers.”

“We’re looking for a system,” said Pettit, “and the Justin’s got scale potential . . . We might be looking at a new gold system. CMJ

January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

33

| Company Profile – Sprung Instant Structures, Inc.

GREAT-GRANDPA WOULD BE PROUD Fourth-generation business has been protecting customers for more than 125 years

By Russell Noble

Y

ou can bet that when Philip Dorland Sprung threw an old piece of canvas over the back of his chuck wagon more than 125 years ago to keep his supplies dry, he never imagined that someday his method of protecting his valuables would turn into a business.

In fact, all that Sprung was interested in doing when covering his wagon back in the late 1800s was protecting his supplies from getting wet and damaged.

Mother Nature was a harsh enemy and surviving her many moods was one of Sprung’s greater challenges.

As time went on and more and more settlers headed west, they too, quickly learned of the need for protection from the elements and that’s when Philip Sprung saw an opportunity to not only sell wagon covers, but also canvas for teepees, and eventually material for clothing and even mattresses and bedding.

By 1887, the demand for Sprung’s canvas products had grown sufficiently enough to warrant the launch of Sprung Structures and today, more than 125 years later, the name Sprung is still synonymous with “protection and innovation.”

The Sprung Group of Companies is still a family-run operation, now under a fourth generation of management, and that, according to President Philip Donald Sprung, is the way his great grandfather, Philip Dorland Sprung, would have liked it.

“By keeping the business in the family has enabled us to maintain a hands-on, high-level of quality control because, not only is the Sprung name on the front of our buildings, there’s also a deep sense of “pride” associated with it because it’s on our products 34 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

Sprung Structure’s head office near Calgary and a look back at the products that got the company started.

too,” said Sprung.

In keeping with his great grandfather’s use of stretched canvas, Sprung Instant Structures Ltd continues with the concept of providing innovative building solutions but today, however, its stressed membrane panels use modern architectural materials that far superior to canvas in terms of strength and versatility.

In fact, the engineered tension-membranes used by Sprung have a tensile strength that enables them to be stretched up to 1,500 psf over a clear span of as much as 200 feet. And, just as the cover materials have changed over the years, so too have the structural components that support the protective membranes.

The use of bent branches and later, wooden slats and long narrow beams are long gone from the pioneering days of the 1880s and now, Sprung Instant Structures uses only its own patented aluminum frames as the skeletal spine for its structures.

Because the aluminum is lightweight and easily transportable, the structures have gained in popularity, especially with the mining community because they are fitted and bolted together rather than welded, and can be re-used and easily moved around sites as the mine expands. www.canadianminingjournal.com

Jim Avery, a vice-president with Sprung, says that in addition to portability, one of the key reasons for the popularity of the structures with the mining community is the temperature control thanks to the insulated sandwich design between the ribs of the aluminum frame.

“Structural beams are typically about twelve inches in depth and when fiberglass is sandwiched between the exterior architectural membrane and an interior membrane with a reflective foil backing, insulating values of up to R-30 are easily achieved,” says Avery.

Although the structures may appear to be held together by only a flexible membrane, Avery says the key to the strength of the buildings is in the aluminum framework and that damage to one or more arches or fabric panels will not reduce the stability or loadcarrying capacity of the structure.

“Sprung is the inventor of the stressed membrane structure which was designed and engineered as a result of input from mining and oil and gas companies who challenged Phil Sprung to invent a tent that wouldn’t blow down, that could meet harsh environmental conditions, as well be erected quickly in remote regions of Canada, said Avery.

A Sprung structure provides shelter in a harsh setting to enable crews to conduct routine maintenance on heavy equipment.

“This technology was patented in the late 1970s and was quickly embraced by a wide-range of clients needing an immediate costeffective building solution. Since that time, Sprung has shipped over 12,000 structures to more than 92 countries worldwide.”

Because mining companies require structures in remote locations that can be built and erected under rigid construction timelines, with various foundation requirement options, the relocatable design makes them a very good solution for the ever-changing needs at mine sites.

As already mentioned, the structures adapt quickly to mining needs as they arise and Avery says the applications range from haul truck maintenance facilities to on-site warehousing and bulk storage shelters. In addition, the optional fiberglass insulation package mentioned earlier provides a building solution that can be erected quickly for personnel needing on-site offices, core sampling solutions as well as safety meeting and dining facilities.

Many of Sprung’s mining structures have been disassembled and reconfigured at mine sites when needs change. Additionally, on shorter-term applications, Sprung structures can be leased from 1 month to 5 years with an option to purchase “The mining industry is extremely important to Sprung and we’re proud of our reputation and relationship within the mining community. Our customers appreciate that when they order our product, it will be shipped and erected on time and they have complete confidence in our engineering. We are responding quickly to both domestic and international projects,” says Avery CMJ January 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal |

35

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37

NEW! Unearthing Trends

Turning risks into results in 2013 Bruce Sprague is a partner at Ernst & Young and the firm’s National Mining and Metals Practice Leader. He is based in Vancouver.

By Bruce Sprague

R

isk is an inherent part of doing business in the global mining and metals industry. But in an industry that’s ever-evolving it’s hard to predict what’s coming around the corner. Understanding your company’s risk profile and risk appetite are the first steps to turning risks into results. Ernst & Young’s annual Business risks facing mining and metals report offers a snapshot of the top-10 risks facing the industry this year.

Resource nationalism Governments around the world continue to impose new taxes, royalties and levies on extracting their resources. These increases have hard consequences for companies looking to do business abroad — or with ongoing projects in foreign jurisdictions.

Investing in transparent relationships with host governments and focusing on generating direct and sustainable benefits for host communities are two steps companies can take to respond to this risk.

Skills shortage New projects and aging demographics are putting pressure on mining and metals companies to attract and retain talent.

Mitigating the effects of today’s war for talent begins by accessing non-traditional and underrepresented labour pools and resourcing from other sectors with similar skills and experience.

Infrastructure access Establishing whether or not the necessary transportation, utilities and supporting infrastructure is in place is crucial, especially with governments no longer acting as the vehicle through which new infrastructure projects are funded. Responding to this risk requires companies to improve mine planning and to look for stakeholders to co-develop a solution with shared benefits.

38 | Canadian Mining Journal • January 2013

Cost inflation Cost inflation — driven by labour, energy, supplier constraints and taxes — is a risk that keeps growing and continues to threaten profit margins and projects themselves. Industry consolidation, automation technology, owner-operated mines and investment in energy assets are some steps to lessen the impact of rising costs.

Capital project execution High delivery cost inflation and heightened macroeconomic uncertainty, not to mention the significant pipeline of new projects underway, has been putting pressure on prices over the last year.

Prioritizing the investment pipeline and enhancing project controls will be critical to success.

Maintaining a social license to operate Maintaining a social license is more than a compliance exercise, it’s a business imperative. A strong reputation can provide a competitive advantage through better access to capital and improved government relations. Companies incorporating risks to their license into their enterprise risk management framework stand to gain the most.

Price and currency volatility With equity prices becoming increasingly sensitive to macroeconomic news and commodity prices not fully improving share prices, companies are facing differing asset valuation expectations that are putting transactions on hold around the world. Addressing this volatility includes pursuing hedging strategies and diversifying portfolios.

Capital management and access Cost inflation and a volatile investment backdrop are challenging the returns on

major organic growth programs. This, coupled with undervaluation by the markets amidst increasing pressure for greater return of capital to shareholders, is driving companies to revisit capital allocation strategies. Building options and flexibility into capital agendas through opportunistic refinancing and strategic divestments and reallocation of capital are two ways companies are responding.

Sharing the benefits This risk joins our list this year as the sector faces increased pressure from stakeholders — including government, workers, local communities and suppliers — looking for greater share in perceived profits. Assessing claims in the context of mine valuation, obtaining trade-offs that limit the impact on valuation and increasing transparency in reporting who benefits from a mine or facility are each steps to mitigate this risk.

Fraud and corruption Increased political risk in a number of key mining and metals investment destinations, as well as increased regulation and enforcement activities pose ongoing challenges to reputation, social license to operate and the bottom line. Responding to this risk requires compliance monitoring and third party liability.

What next?

Being caught unprepared when it comes to risk can mean far-reaching implications on cost, future supply and share price.

Mitigating these challenges and seizing opportunities requires extensive due diligence, including conducting regular risk assessments, planning for all scenarios and implementing monitoring and control processes. But above all, success in the year ahead means keeping an open mind about where risks can come from.

CMJ www.canadianminingjournal.com

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