2 May 2022
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Putting the power in his own hands Clyde River’s Adamee Atsiqtaq on his way to becoming a certified electrician at the Mary River mine By Derek Neary Northern News Services Kangiqtugaapik/Clyde River
Adamee Atsiqtaq of Clyde River has moved out of the kitchen, where he previously worked for many years, and into an apprenticeship as an electrician at Baffinland’s Mary River mine. Photo courtesy of Adamee Atsiqtaq/Baffinland Iron Mines
Adamee Atsiqtaq has always had an interest in electrical equipment and has dabbled in power tool repair. Now, he’s an apprentice electrician at Baffinland Iron Mines’ Mary River project. He’s working on his second year of apprenticeship with a goal of becoming a certified electrician when he has four years under his tool belt. “I should have done this 20 years ago,” he said. He got started at the mine in March 2019 after attending a Baffinland presentation in Clyde River, where has resided since 1995, after moving from Iqaluit. He then took some entry-level training at the mine site. “The people I work with, they teach you good too,” he said. He’d spent many years of his life toiling in the kitchen, but he found it too confining. His desire to pursue a career as an electrician sparked a change in duties and responsibilities. Safety is paramount for mine workers, especially electricians, who are vulnerable to arc flashes. An arc flash is a dangerous burst of electrical current caused by the current leaving its intended path, such as when residue or debris interfere with it. Electricians wear special shoes to keep them grounded in case of shocks, noted Atsiqtaq, who also has carpentry skills. He works three weeks at site and then gets three weeks off. He boards a plane at each
end of those rotations, flying directly from Clyde River to the mine and back, a trip that takes an hour to 70 minutes, depending on wind direction, he said. “It’s better than collecting welfare cheques, I’ll tell you that,” he said of his 12-hour shifts. When he has some downtime at Mary River, he loves to watch the TV series Vikings. Even though he’s seen all the episodes several times, he still relishes plugging in his Vikings DVD collection and taking in the historical drama once again. The meals provided are good, according to Atsiqtaq, but even better is the country food kitchen, where employees share various fish and meat that they’ve brought in from their home communities. “So everybody’s happy,” he said. “I’m a chef by trade, so that’s no problem with me.” One major development that has affected Atsiqtaq and all of the other mine staff is the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s wreaked havoc,” he said of the forced 17-month delay in advancing his skills as an apprentice electrician. While he remained at home during that period, he continued reading as much as he could about the occupation. “I was Googling this and that,” he said. “I wanted to go to work so bad. We got through it though.” A father to two children in their 20s and a 12-year-old, Atsiqtaq encourages other Nunavummiut to consider a career in the mining industry. “It’s a good place to work, to start training for us Inuit,” he said of Mary River. “Our (high school) graduates, they should apply.”
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Ramping up again in the Kivalliq
May 2022 3
Meadowbank Complex is illuminated in the dusk. A gold mine for more than a decade, the site now processes gold extracted from the Amaruq mine, which is approximately 150 km north of Baker Lake. Mathieu Dupuis/Agnico Eagle Mines photo
Agnico Eagle overcomes Covid and resumes gold production with greater production in mind By Derek Neary Northern News Services Kivalliq
Agnico Eagle is hoping that the effects of Covid-19 will largely be a thing of the past, as the pandemic once again cut into gold production from its Kivalliq mines during the first quarter of 2021. The reduction of activities at the Meliadine and Amaruq mines late in 2021 and the early weeks of this year in response to a surge in the coronavirus reduced output of the precious metal. However, in an April 28 quarterly report, Agnico Eagle stated that it foresees Covid-19 challenges as “moderating” — “risks now appear to be more manageable.” The mining company also reiterated its overall production forecast of 3.2 million to 3.4 million ounces of gold across all of its international operations, including Nunavut, in 2022. Meliadine represented 80,704 ounces of gold in the first quarter of 2022, compared to 88,003 ounces during the same period last year, and, since it opened in 2019, the mine surpassed the millionth gold ounce poured on March 9.
At Amaruq, 59,765 ounces of gold were extracted between January and March. That was down from 79,965 ounces during the first quarter of 2021. However, Agnico Eagle noted that the Meadowbank Complex, where Amaruq gold is processed, is “well positioned to ramp up production through 2022.” Record daily mill throughput of ore was achieved at the site in March. The quarterly update also showed tens of millions of dollars invested in sustaining and development capital at each Meliadine and the Meadowbank Complex during the first quarter of this year. At the Hope Bay project in the Kitikmeot region, where Agnico Eagle has chosen to halt production for 2022 and to focus on exploration activities instead, drilling at the Doris deposit revealed extensions to the known mineralized zones. Results from the BTD Connector area included 23 grams of gold per tonne over five metres at 502 metres depth and 9.4 grams of gold per tonne over 14.9 metres at 491 metres depth. More drills were to be added over the coming weeks. “Exploration is expected to continue through 2023 while a larger production scenario is being evaluated,” Agnico Eagle stated of Hope Bay.
Karl Audet, underground mine supervisor, and Eric Goulet, a Jumbo operator review a work plan below the surface. Mathieu Dupuis/Agnico Eagle Mines photo
Roy Noah, a core shack helper, puts the geological cylinders in their rightful places. Mathieu Dupuis/Agnico Eagle Mines photo
Welder Abel Kalai, a member of Agnico Eagle’s maintenance team, plies his trade. Mathieu Dupuis/Agnico Eagle Mines photo
A long-haul truck dumps a load of ore. Tens of millions of dollars in sustaining and development capital were invested at each the Meliadine mine and the Meadowbank Complex during the first quarter of this year, according to Agnico Eagle. Mathieu Dupuis/Agnico Eagle Mines photo
Gabriel Demers, a programmer with SNC Lavalin, works in the process plant. Mathieu Dupuis/Agnico Eagle Mines photo
An aerial view of the camp facilities at the Amaruq mine. Mathieu Dupuis/Agnico Eagle Mines photo
Stuart Taparti, a service miner, maneuvers massive vehicles through the underground tunnels of Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine gold mine, 25 km north of Rankin Inlet. Since opening in 2019, Meliadine has produced more than one million ounces of gold. Mathieu Dupuis/Agnico Eagle Mines photo
A mining excavator dumps rocks in a haul truck. Between the Meliadine and Amaruq mines, Agnico Eagle produced more than 140,000 ounces of gold in the Kivalliq during the first quarter of 2022. Mathieu Dupuis/ Agnico Eagle Mines photo
4 May 2022
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Balancing conservation and mining in Clyde River Future territorial park’s boundaries can be tailored to exploit mineral riches, minister says By Derek Neary Northern News Services Kangiqtugaapik/Clyde River
Some residents in Clyde River have long desired a territorial park, but if there’s mineral potential nearby, the boundaries of a future park could be altered, Minister David Akeeagok said in the Nunavut Legislative Assembly in March. Citing the importance of mining to the territorial economy, Iqaluit MLA George Hickes inquired about efforts made to ensure that mineral riches could be exploited in areas in or around the park, even if interest is decades away. “I speak mainly as we do have limited GDP [gross domestic product] opportunities in this territory and mining is one of our key industries for creating wealth within our own territory. I just don’t want to handcuff us for opportunities of future development,” Hickes said. Akeeagok, who oversees Economic Development and Mines, assured his legislative colleagues that there would be no such problem. “If there are any mineral rich areas that we all of a sudden and the community wants to change it to a mine, our territorial parks are flexible enough to make those determinations,” he said. “Through our IIBA (Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement) processes
there are stages where this can be explored, and if and when there are minerals that are attractive, our territorial parks legislation allows for it to be changed or made smaller, and that would be through our master plan work… we are able to adjust the territorial parks.” Hickes noted that the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement was “intelligently” negotiated to target mineral-rich areas of the territory. He asked what sort of research or studies have been done relating to mineral potential in the area of a future Clyde River territorial park. Akeeagok replied that tabletop studies are relied upon, along with “local folks” who are part of the planning committee. He added that the process is not as rigorous as it is for national parks. The proposed 13,808-km park would stretch from the coast of Baffin Bay to the Barnes ice cap, ranging from 30 km to 220 km to the north of Clyde River. Alan Cormack, the community’s mayor, said the door is open to mining in the area, providing that the terms and conditions are favourable to residents. “We’ll see mining for sure, only if the locals are involved in the mining, they’ll be allowed to mine,” said Cormack, adding that all regulatory permits must be acquired and obeyed. “With Inuit beneficiaries as partners, they’ll be allowed to get minerals.” The park was established administratively
A nearby territorial park could be part of Clyde River’s future, but questions have arisen over how the conservation area could co-exist with mining interests, should any develop. Alan Cormack, the community’s mayor, says mining could proceed as long as Inuit beneficiaries are partners and employees. Photo courtesy of Timkal/ Wikimedia Commons in May 2019 when Agguttinni’s Draft Master Plan was approved, according to a statement from the Nunavut Department of Environment. “As for official establishment, the process is ongoing and may take some time, but we are working towards this goal,” the statement reads. There is already precedent set in the North
for having a mine within a park. The Mackenzie Environmental Impact and Review Board granted permission in 2011 for the Prairie Creek lead-zinc-silver mine, in the Northwest Territories, to proceed. Prairie Creek sits within Nahanni National Park Reserve, a UNESCO world heritage site. Despite the approval, Prairie Creek still hasn’t gone into production.
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May 2022 5
Diamond analysis pushes forward These are the sorts of orange-yellow and fancy yellow diamonds that are fuelling North Arrow Minerals’ quest to determine whether there’s a quantity of them that would be economical to mine. Burgundy Diamond Mines put up $5.6 million to fund the bulk sample in return for an option for a 40 per cent interest in the Naujaat project. Photo courtesy of North Arrow Minerals
Workers stand amid a sea of ore sample bags. In total, 2,500 bags were filled last year. Processing of the samples was 70 per cent complete as of late April. Photo courtesy of North Arrow Minerals
North Arrow Minerals learning key details from Naujaat project By Derek Neary Northern News Services Naujaat
Initial diamond recoveries from a $5.6-million, 2,000-tonne bulk sample from North Arrow Minerals’ Naujaat property, nine kilometres northeast of the community of Naujaat, turned up 268 diamonds with an average size of 0.21 carats. The largest stones were 3.31, 3.07 and 2.76 carats, North Arrow announced on April 26. Of the recovered stones, 17.9 per cent classified as fancy colour diamonds. Processing of the bulk sample was 70 per cent complete as of the late April update from the company. The Saskatchewan Research Council’s diamond laboratory is using X-ray transmission optical sorting technology to recover
diamonds larger that two millimetres. The bulk sample is designed to confirm that a unique population of fancy yellow to orange-yellow diamonds extend into coarser diamond sizes at North Arrow Mineral’s Q1-4 deposit. “These initial diamond results from the 2021 bulk sample confirm the presence of an important, potentially high value, fancy orange and yellow diamond population in the Q1-4 kimberlite and add significant confidence to past results,” said Ken Armstrong, North Arrow’s president and CEO. “The significant proportion of fancy colour diamonds in the sample is positive and will provide important information needed to complete ongoing modelling of the size distributions of fancy diamonds in the Q1-4 deposit and will be used in an updated average diamond price estimate in due course.”
A backhoe digs in a pit at the Q1-4 deposit at North Arrow Minerals’ Naujaat property. The work was done in 2021 to collect a 2,000-tonne bulk sample to undergo diamond analysis. Photo courtesy of North Arrow Minerals
Bulk sample ore bags were taken to Naujaat’s beach for shipment by sea to Montreal and then they were transported by trucks to Saskatoon, where processing was still underway as of late April. Initial recoveries returned 117.98 carats of diamonds from 1,316 dry tonnes of kimberlite. Photo courtesy of North Arrow Minerals
John Kadjuk, foreground left, and Jeff Siusangnark were among the local workers involved in North Arrow Minerals’ bulk sample last year. Getting on her all-terrain vehicle in the background is worker Lee Ann Tungilik. Photo courtesy of North Arrow Minerals
6 May 2022
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A Blue Star Gold camp, approximately 220 km southeast of Kugluktuk. The exploration company is focused on its Hood River and Ulu properties. Photo courtesy of Blue Star Gold Corp.
Following up at Ulu and Hood River properties By Derek Neary Northern News Services Kitikmeot
Blue Star Gold Corp. is preparing for a summer drilling campaign of up to 8,000 metres at its Ulu and Hood River projects, approximately 125 kilometres west of Bathurst Inlet. The objective is to follow up on results from 2021 exploration and to assess other high-priority targets at the the Gnu, NFN, Central-C and the Flood-Axis zones. Airborne magnetics coverage, geochemical surveys, detailed mapping and prospecting will also be done. Mobilization is scheduled to begin this month, with drilling
taking place between June and September. “Previous operators were focused on the Flood zone deposit as a feeder source to existing mine plans or development plans. The Blue Star team is the first group to look at the area as a high potential exploration project since the early days in the 1990s when BHP held the project,” stated Darren Lindsay, Blue Star’s vice-president of exploration. “At that time, only limited exploration was undertaken to evaluate regional targets as work was focused on the known deposit or was directed at low-cost prospecting work, which resulted in identifying more gold showings.” Blue Star’s landholdings in Nunavut stretch across close to 267 square km.
Core samples from Blue Star Gold Corp’s 2021 exploration work at its Ulu and Hood River projects in the Kitikmeot region. The company is on the hunt for gold. Photo courtesy of Blue Star Gold Corp
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May 2022 7
A drill is seen from an aerial perspective. Blue Star Gold Corp. will be boring down up to 8,000 metres in total during this summer’s planned drilling campaign. Photo courtesy of Blue Star Gold Corp
Core samples are rinsed prior to logging them. In the Gnu zone, a new gold vein system was discovered in 2021 that returned roughly 21 grams per tonne of gold over approximately eight metres. Photo courtesy of Blue Star Gold Corp
Prospecting activities are on the agenda again this summer at Blue Star Gold’s Kitikmeot sites. Photo courtesy of Blue Star Gold Corp
8 May 2022
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Mining has power to fuel Kivalliq infrastructure projects: Tattuinee
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‘We want to be careful and we want to do it right,’ says KIA president By Stewart Burnett Northern News Services Kivalliq
Mining in the Kivalliq is the region’s main economic driver, but also a centre point of criticism with concerns for the land and wildlife. For Kono Tattuinee, president of the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA), there’s a balance to maintain in respecting both sides of the equation. “We have to be careful and we have to do it right,” he said. “Our young people do want jobs just like anywhere else in Canada, but at the same time, wildlife is very important to our culture, so we will act carefully on that.” The Kivalliq is home to two active gold mines, both run by Agnico Eagle: Meliadine, near Rankin Inlet, and Meadowbank, near Baker Lake.
In addition, ValOre is currently exploring the feasibility of mining uranium near Baker Lake. “Mining in Nunavut is different than any other jurisdictions in Canada, and that is a good thing,” said Tattuinee. The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement lays out a strong process for mining approval and regulation in the territory, he said, and regional Inuit associations have a mandate to advance sustainable economic development on their lands, as well as protecting them for future generations. “Without a doubt, the greatest challenge our region faces is that we have very large infrastructure deficit,” Tattuinee said. He pointed to three areas lacking in the Kivalliq: healthcare, housing and energy. “The lack of critical infrastructure is really affecting our people, our land and it also affects the cost of doing business in our ter-
Mining ventures – safely performed – have the power to fund necessary infrastructure upgrades in the Kivalliq, says Kono Tattuinee, president of the Kivalliq Inuit Association. Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo ritory,” he said. That’s why the KIA is pushing hard to establish the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link, a national infrastructure project that would connect Manitoba with the Kivalliq region, supplying clean energy and high-speed internet to the North. That project would allow communities to transition away from burning diesel as well as increase their technological capacity with fibre internet. Besides that mega-project, the KIA is con-
tinuing to pursue cultural centres in Kivalliq communities with mining funds. Last July, Chesterfield Inlet opened its long-awaited Leonard Putulik Cultural Centre. “The excitement was in the air and everybody was happy,” said former KIA president David Ningeongan at the time. Tattuinee said the KIA is in the design stage for cultural centres in Naujaat and Whale Cove next. “There is secured funding for it already,” he said.
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May 2022 9
Exploration across the territory By Derek Neary Northern News Services Nunavut
Nunavut has three operating mines – Meliadine, Amaruq and Mary River – and one mine currently sitting idle – Doris North at Hope Bay. The territory’s next mine looks to be Sabinas Gold and Silver’s Goose deposit in the Kitikmeot, which is on pace to begin production in early 2025. After that, there are numerous properties where minerals and metals are being sought or have been discovered and need to be proven to be expansive and economical enough to mine. Here’s an overview of Nunavut’s exploration projects. Project: Back River Owner: Sabina Gold and Silver Resource: Gold Location: 364 km southwest of Cambridge Bay Status: With project financing achieved to construct the Goose gold mine at the Back River gold district, Sabina announced on April 28 that it has selected FLSmidth to supply $39 million in key equipment for processing of the precious metal. The equipment is scheduled to be delivered in mid-2023, ahead of the projected mine start-up during the first quarter of 2025. Sabina aims to process up to 4,000 tonnes of ore per day. The Goose project has a mineral reserve estimate of 3.5 million ounces of gold. Project: Naujaat Owner: North Arrow Minerals Resource: Diamonds Location: Nine km northeast of Naujaat Status: Early results from of a 2,000-tonne bulk sample from the Naujaat Diamond Project uncovered 268 diamonds weighing a combined 117.98 carats from 1,316 dry tonnes of kimberlite. Peter Ravenscroft, CEO and managing director of Burgundy Diamond Mines Limited – North Arrow’s partner on the project, said on April 26, “We are very pleased with the results so far of this bulk sampling program, extremely well managed by our partners at North Arrow. Initial indications are very promising, and we look forward to completion of the processing and the subsequent analysis of all results when available.” Burgundy Diamond Mines put up $5.6 million in financing to execute the bulk sample. Project: Hood River, Ulu Gold Owner: Blue Star Gold Corp. Resource: Gold Location: 125 km west of Bathurst Inlet Status: Blue Star Gold is planning another ambitious summer of exploratory drilling at Ulu and Hood River. “It is a large landholding, but our first priority is the Ulu project, which hosts our high-grade Flood zone gold deposit with potential extensions to the deposit,” CEO Grant Ewing stated on March 21. “Nunavut is a vast territory, richly endowed with various mineral deposits, and has a strong history of successful mineral exploration and development. Numerous exploration projects and several large-scale mines exist there. It’s a politically stable and generally mining-friendly jurisdiction with a defined project approval process. Blue Star has developed strong relationships with the various regulatory bodies and local communities which paves the way for successful exploration and development. Our projects are located in one of the last remaining under-explored mineral exploration frontiers. It’s rife with possibility.” Based on past work, the 9.5-square-km Ulu property boasts 605,000 ounces of measured and indicated gold and 226,000 ounces of inferred gold. Project: Seal/Storm Owner: Aston Bay Holdings Resource: Copper, zinc, silver Location: 120 km south of Resolute Bay Status: The high-grade Storm copper project shows potential for direct shipping of product with a grade of 53.9 per cent copper, based on ore sorter test work completed by American West Metals Ltd., Aston Bay’s exploration partner. This would create a project that offers a “low footprint, environmentally friendly processing and simple, low-cost development,” Aston Bay stated on April 11. “We are extremely delighted with the results of this test work,” stated Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay. “This demonstrates that a simple, low impact, low-cost process produces a valuable and marketable copper product from Storm.” A diamond drill program is expected to get underway in June. American West Metals has the option to earn an 80 per cent interest in the Storm and Seal projects. Storm encompasses a staggering 3000-sq-km area, including the Seal zinc and silver project. continued on page 10
Employees of Nunami-Stantec prepare to take a water sample from Qaminiruluk (Y-Lake), near the Chidliak project camp during a field visit to the site in mid-April. Photo courtesy of De Beers Canada
10 May 2022
continued from page 9 Project: Committee Bay Owner: Fury Gold Mines Resource: Gold Location: 130 km southwest of Kugaaruk Status: Drill results from Committee Bay’s Raven prospect, announced in mid-February, included intercepts of 9.18 grams of gold per tonne over 1.5 metres and 7.3 grams of gold per tonne over one metre. Rock grab results showed up to 32.9 grams of gold per tonne from a newly-identified gold mineralized outcrop, 150 metres to the south of the Raven structure. “We are very pleased to announce recent
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drill results from the Raven prospect, as they confirm that the mineralization is open and has room to grow. We have also identified high grades in new areas on surface, which warrant follow up, in addition to continued exploration along the identified shear zones seen at Raven,” said Fury Metals CEO Tim Clark. “Committee Bay is a tremendous exploration opportunity for Fury, the results of this program including our recent expansion hole at Three Bluffs are the best we have seen in the past five years, and we feel there is considerable potential for world-class high-grade gold discoveries; 2022 plans at Committee Bay are currently being reviewed.”
Project: Nunavut Uranium Project Owner: Forum Energy Metals Corp. Resource: Uranium Location: 50 km west of Baker Lake Status: Forum announced its intentions in March to advance its Nunavut Uranium Project in the Thelon Basin after a lengthy period of inactivity. To that end, the company hired a geologist, logistics manager, and a permitting and engagement specialist as consultants. Plans for this year include reviewing the 135 drill holes drilled by former property operator Cameco from 2008 to 2012; conducting airborne and ground geophysical
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surveys; mobilizing drills, camp and supplies to Baker Lake during the summer barge season in anticipation of a 10,000-metre drill program in 2023. There’s an estimated recoverable 114 million pounds of U308 on the 950-square-km North Thelon property, equating to a mine life of 17 years, according to Forum Uranium. The project would support 400 to 600 jobs in the production phase. Project: Angilak Owner: ValOre Metals Corp. Resource: Uranium continued on page 11
A 2021 site visit to North Arrow Minerals’ Naujaat project included, from left, Mike MacMorran, Paul Angutetuar, Jimmy Immingark, Patterk Netser, Kevin Tegumiar and Dino Mablik. Photo courtesy of North Arrow Minerals
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When prospectors and geologists take a break and gaze at the surroundings, the landscapes can be alluring, like this scene at Aston Bay Holdings’ Storm property, which is home to high-grade copper. Photo courtesy of Aston Bay Holdings. continued from page 10 Location: 350 km west of Rankin Inlet Status: ValOre held consultations in the Kivalliq in mid-March as it gears up to move forward with the Angilak project, with uranium prices gradually rising. The company planned to drill 30 holes in April and another 30 in September at Angilak, which encompasses 664 square kilometres. Since taking ownership of the property in 2007, ValOre has invested close to $55 million in various exploration activities. Project: Mountain Lake Owner: IsoEnergy Ltd. Resource: Uranium Location: 95 km west of Kugluktuk Status: Consolidated Uranium has optioned the property from IsoEnergy Ltd. with the ability to earn 100 per cent interest. The project is located in the Hornby Bay Basin and contains an indicated 8.2 million pounds of uranium with a U3O8 grade of 2,300 parts per million. Project: Chidliak Owner: De Beers Resource: Diamonds Location: 120 km northeast of Iqaluit Status: The project has an inferred resource of more than 22 million carats from two kimberlites, but there are 41 kimberlites that have tested positive for the presence of diamonds. Since 2019, the site has been in care and maintenance. In the summer of 2022, De Beers Group plans to continue baseline environmental studies and undertake a camp/equipment maintenance program at the camp and to continue consultations with local communities and other stakeholders throughout the year. The concept study for the project is complete and is undergoing internal review by De Beers. Projects: Turner Lake, McGregor Lake, Gela Lake, McAvoy Lake, Speers Lake Owner: Bathurst Metals Resources: Gold, silver, copper, nickel, platinum, palladium Location: Kitikmeot region Status: Bathurst Metals has acquired five properties in the Kitikmeot that offer prospects for a wide range of metals. The company’s most recent update came last November when it announced high-grade gold assay results from a summer sampling program at the TED gold showing, which is part of the Turner Lake Project. Six of the 18 grab samples returned values greater than 20 grams of gold per tonne. One sample exceeded the assay limit of 100 grams of gold per tonne, according to the company, which noted that the area has not been drill tested. Project: Sundog Gold Owner: New Break Resources Resource: Gold
Location: 235 km west of Arviat Status: New Break is a new player in the Kivalliq region, reaching agreement with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) in October to explore 94 square km of Inuit-owned lands. The project is known as Sundog. The Kivalliq Inuit Association will manage surface rights while NTI will administer mineral rights. Terms of the deal stipulate that if New Break formally files a discovery of one million estimated ounces of gold, then NTI will get a $1 million bonus payment, or $5 million for five million ounces. A Sundog feasibility study would be worth $3 million to NTI, while commercial production would result in a payment of $5 million to Nunavut Tunngavik. New Break’s other Kivalliq exploration properties consist of Sy, Noomut/Esker and Angikuni Lake, which cover 220 square km in total. Project: Meadowbank Owner: Western Atlas Resources Resource: Gold Location: Adjacent to Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank mine Status: Although the Meadowbank property garnered interest for its gold potential, Western Atlas Resources announced in April that it found nickel and polymetallic mineralization near the surface. One hole intersected 0.14 per cent nickel, 0.01 per cent cobalt, 0.28 per cent chromium, 9.11 per cent iron and 0.8 per cent sulfur over 95 metres from a depth of 18.73 metres. In September, the company served notice that it had amended its permits to allow it to drill up to 20,000 metres per year and enlarge the camp to a maximum of 40 people. Meadowbank covers 580 square km. Project: Mel Owner: North Arrow Minerals Resource: Diamonds Location: 140 km south of Hall Beach Status: The last update regarding the Mel property came in February when North Arrow announced a data-sharing agreement with StrategX Elements Corp, which acquired the non-diamond mineral rights in the area. However, North Arrow retains a per cent royalty on non-diamond production. The Mel property encompasses 560 square kilometres. Project: CSI Owner: North Arrow Minerals Resource: Diamonds Location: West of the Jericho and Muskox kimberlites Status: CSI is a newly-staked project where North Arrow undertook a modest till sampling program in June. The property covers an area that “could potentially host a bedrock source for regionally anomalous kimberlite indicator mineral samples reported by earlier workers,” according to North Arrow. continued on page 12
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12 May 2022
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continued from page 11 Project: Baffin Gold Owner: ValOre Metals Corp. Resource: Gold Location: 230 km southwest of Clyde River Status: Baffin Gold has turned its attention to a platinum group metals property in Brazil. A summer exploration program at Baffin Gold in 2018 gathered airborne data, 431 till samples and 31 rock geochemical samples. The survey work gave ValOre continuous airborne geophysical data covering 120 km of the prospective Foxe Fold Belt. The entire property sprawls over one million acres. Fieldwork in 2017 returned numerous high-grade gold assays. Project: South Kitikmeot Gold Owner: Silver Range Resources Resource: Gold Location: 276 to 432 km south of Kugluktuk Status: Silver Range revealed in August that it optioned the South Kitikmeot Gold Project to Australian company Viridis Mining. The property covers “known gold occurrences along a 200 km long package of metasedimentary rocks which host the Lupin Mine (3.4 million ounces gold production to date) and the Back River Project (5.3 million ounces gold measured and indicated resources) currently being advanced to production by Sabina Gold and Silver Ltd.,” Silver Range stated. Project: Hard Cash and Nigel Owner: Silver Range Resources Resource: Gold Location: 700 km east of Yellowknife Status: Hard Cash and Nigel are located at the western end of the Ennadai-Rankin greenstone belt, which extends from Rankin Inlet to southwestern Nunavut. Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. has built the Meliadine high-grade gold mine at the eastern end of the belt. Project: Tree River Owner: Silver Range Resources Resource: Gold Location: 155 km southeast of Kugluktuk Status: University of Albera researchers brought back three alluvial, kimberlitic diamonds from two small, separate samples in 2020, according to Silver Range Resources in October of that year. Subsequent sampling from the property showed 36.3 grams of gold per tonne from a one-metre by one-metre panel. The company expressed its intentions to systematically test the gold and diamond potential in the area. continued on page 13
Employees with Blue Star Gold conduct field mapping in 2021. The company has a wide range of field activities, including a drill campaign, planned for this summer at its Kitikmeot properties. Photo courtesy of Blue Star Gold Corp.
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continued from page 12 Project: Atlantis Owner: Silver Range Resources Resource: Gold Location: 55 km northwest of Agnico Eagle’s Amaruq deposit Status: “Silver Range considers the Atlantis Project to be highly prospective to host economic gold mineralization given the proximity of the project to the Meadowbank mine complex and the fact that the target is underlain by the same rock types hosting the Amaruq Deposit,” the company stated in a 2019 news release regarding the 78,500-acre Atlantis project. Project: Yandle, Noomut, Quartzite Owner: Silver Range Resources Resource: Gold Location: 151 km northwest of Arviat, 149 km northwest of Arviat, 143 km north of Arviat, respectively Status: Silver Range Resources disseminated news in November 2017 of the existence of a gold trend over three kilometres at Yandle. Grab samples gathered along the trend returned up to 15.1 grams of gold per tonne. Past grab samples at Noomut have shown values of up to 89 grams of gold per tonne while Quartzite grab samples have graded up to 27.3 grams of gold per tonne. The properties lie in the Ennadai-Rankin greenstone belt. Projects: Grumpy, Happy Thought Owner: Silver Range Resources Resource: Gold Location: 182 km and 262 km southeast of Kugluktuk, respectively Status: These two properties host nine documented gold showings. Up to 20 grams of gold per tonne over one metre were found in historical trench samples from the Grumpy site while Happy Thought historical samples have returned up to 13.44 grams of gold per tonne. Project: Yava Owner: Blue Moon Metals Resource: Zinc, lead, copper, silver, gold Location: 450 km northeast of Yellowknife Status: The 14,216-acre Yava project lies 32 km from Glencore’s Hackett River deposit. Historical resource estimates at Yava indicate 1.3 million tons of resource containing 4.96 per cent zinc, 1.03 per cent copper, 1.60 percent lead, 3.42 ounces per ton of silver, and 0.008 ounces per tons gold to a depth of 91.5 metres. Blue Moon stated that next steps for the project include exploring the five shallow holes the company has drilled. Project: Qaiqtuq Owner: Solstice Gold Resource: Gold Location: 26 km from Rankin Inlet Status: Solstice carried out mapping and sampling at the Qaiqtuq project – formerly known as Kahuna – during the summer of 2020. Aiming to identify drill targets, the work was done within a 40-square-km area containing gold-bearing boulders on
the 866-square-km property. Qaiqtuq is only seven kilometres from Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine gold mine. Project: Kuulu Owner: Meliadine Gold Ltd. Resource: Gold Location: 40 km northwest of Rankin Inlet Status: International Consolidated Uranium Inc. became a shareholder of Meliadine Gold Ltd. in January 2021. Work on the Kuulu property encountered delays due to an inability to renew the land-use agreement.
“Both groups recognize the potential of the project but also that the path forward requires a patient and focused approach which the team at MGL is well-equipped to undertake,” Glen Dickson, president and CEO of Meliadine Gold stated in January 2020. There have been no updates since. Project: Muskox/Contwoyto/Hood Owner: Benchmark Metals Resource: Gold/diamonds Location: 14 km southwest of the former Jericho diamond mine
Status: Benchmark Metals continues to focus on its properties in British Columbia. The Muskox Project encompasses an enormous 600-square-km. De Beers discovered the Muskox kimberlite in 1996 and the property has been explored by several companies. Project: Coppermine Owner: Kaizen Discovery Resource: Copper, silver Location: 80 km south of Kugluktuk Status: Kaizen Discovery has turned its attention to a property in Peru. There’s
May 2022 13
been no reported activity at Coppermine since public acknowledgment in 2016 that some of the company’s 3,500-square-kilometre property was identified in the draft Nunavut Land Use Plan as being under limitations or prohibitions relating to exploration and mining. The company’s website identifies the property as a possible sale option or joint venture opportunity. Project: Pistol Bay Owner: Nordgold S.E. Resource: Gold Location: 35 km northwest
of Whale Cove Status: Inferred open pit resources at Pistol Bay stand at 1.58 million ounces of gold at a grade of 2.2 grams of gold per tonne from the previous estimate of 739,000 ounces at 2.95 g/t. Pistol Bay is a vast property encompassing 860 square km. Project: Arcadia Bay Owner: Transition Metals Corp./Nunavut Resources Corp. Resource: Gold Location: 153 km southeast of Kugluktuk continued on page 14
14 May 2022
NUNAVUT MINING
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A mining pick has long been a standard tool of the trade, but the more technological GPS device has become a highly valuable tool in the field as well. Photo courtesy of Solstice Gold
continued from page 13 Status: The 26.5-squarekm property, located in close proximity to the Coronation Gulf and the proposed Grays Bay road and port project, has a number of gold showings. However, Arcadia Bay didn’t even get a mention in Transition Metals’s 2019 year in review and shareholder update as other projects are at the forefront. Project: Izok Corridor Owner: MMG Resources Resource: Zinc, lead, copper, silver, gold Location: 260 km southeast of Kugluktuk Status: Izok remains in care and maintenance status. The last work done at the property was in 2014. Izok has a mineral resource of 15 million tonnes of 2.3 per cent copper and 13 per cent zinc. The High Lake deposit, to the north of Izok, contains 2.5 per cent copper and 3.8 per cent zinc over 14 million tonnes. Project: Hackett River Owner: Glencore Resource: Silver, gold, copper, zinc, lead Location: 355 km southeast of Kugluktuk Status: Glencore has yet to submit a draft environmental impact statement for Hackett River. No drilling has been announced since 2013. Hackett River has 25 million tonnes of indicated resource containing 4.2 per cent zinc and 130 grams of silver per tonne. It also has 57 million tonnes of inferred resource with 3.0 per cent zinc and 100 grams of silver per tonne. Project: Haig Inlet Iron Owner: Hemlo Explorers Resource: Iron Location: 22 km south of Sanikiluaq Status: Hemlo Explorers’ 230-square-km property contains an indicated 230 million tonnes of 35.17 per cent iron and an inferred 289 million tonnes of 35.47 per cent iron, according to a mineral resource estimate. The company’s focus has been on its Ontario properties, however. Project: Kiggavik Owner: Areva Resource: Uranium Location: 80 km west of Baker Lake Status: Areva suffered a major setback in July 2016 when the minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs reinforced the Nunavut Impact Review Board’s decision to reject the Kiggavik project due to the lack of a date to begin mining. Areva expressed its disappointment after spending tens of millions of dollars and eight years advancing the project.
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May 2022 15
‘This place is a gift,’ says mine trainer Trevor Attungala has moved up the ranks at Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank Complex By Derek Neary Northern News Services Qamanittuaq/Baker Lake
Baker Lake’s Trevor Attungala has trained upwards of a thousand Agnico Eagle miners in the Kivalliq to operate heavy equipment, to work safely and to properly use and store energy-based equipment. Attungala’s knowledge of heavy equipment spans a broad range: graders, loaders, bulldozers, snowblowers, telehandlers, skid-steers, forklifts and container handlers among them. He became familiar with some of those vehicles, including tractor trailers and dump trucks, while working in his home community prior to signing on with Agnico Eagle in 2009. He figures he was around age 17 when he first climbed into a wheel loader. Then he was introduced to other pieces of heavy equipment at the Meadowbank Complex worksite years later. “I thought it was a good opportunity at the time,” he recalls of his transition to the mining company. “I was working for a contractor named Arctic Fuel in Baker Lake, hauling stuff and moving stuff for the mine when they started the road back in 2007-2008. One of the (Agnico Eagle) supervisors noticed me and offered me a job. “I’ve done a lot of things here — I was a heavy equipment operator, a team leader, a supervisor, now a trainer.” With a wealth of experience in many facets of heavy equipment and safety, Attungala eventually moved into a training role in the energy and infrastructure department in 2017. The heavy equipment instruction he provides is done oneon-one. However, courses such as confined space safety, fall protection and lockout/tagout are offered to multiple employees in a classroom. Prior to the pandemic, Attungala would commonly have 12 to 15 people gathered for such training, but Covid-19 public health restrictions, some of which are still observed at the mines, have reduced that number to seven in that same training room for the sake of social distancing. “We still take all the precautions necessary to ensure everybody’s safety here,” he said. The pandemic caused significant upheaval for Kivalliq mine employees as they were sent home twice with pay for lengthy periods in an effort to prevent viral transmission to the outlying communities. “During the time when the pandemic first hit, yes, it was kind of scary there. Some of us were kind of hesitant to go to work,” Attungala recalled. “To be honest, it was a little bit of a relief to be sent home. The virus was too unknown back then.” When he resumed work in March after the second pandemic break, he returned to the two weeks at site/two weeks at home rotation. It’s a lifestyle he has come to embrace. “I can’t imagine myself going back to a Monday to Friday job, to be honest,” he laughed, adding that he really enjoys spending half the month back at home. “It’s great. I get to spend more time with the baby, I get to spend time with the family … it’s essentially a holiday every two weeks.” It also gives him a chance to work on his truck, his snowmobile or his boat. Although most of his time at the mine is devoted to working 12-hour shifts or sleeping afterwards, he also enjoys watching TV to relax. There’s also options to utilize the on-site fitness centre, as well as a lounge with pool tables, air hockey and pinball. “There’s quite a few things people can do,” he said. “This place is a gift for a lot of us locals. Without it, a lot of us wouldn’t be working. It’s good to see people that I grew up with and learn new things … this place gives opportunities to a lot of people.”
Trevor Attungala has trained upwards of a thousand Kivalliq mining employees in the use of energy-based equipment, various safety courses and how to operate mining vehicles.
Baker Lake’s Trevor Attungala is a trainer in Agnico Eagle’s energy and infrastructure department at the Meadowbank Complex, a 110-km drive from Baker Lake.