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SKEENA RESOURCES
PROPERTY LOCATION & ACQUISITION DATE
Mine Projects:
Eskay Creek Project: Located at end of the Eskay Mine Road, about 125 km south of Iskut. An Option Agreement was signed with Barrick Gold in 2017 and we completed acquisition of the project in 2020.
Contacts
GENERAL INQUIRIES
Jodi Payne Community Relations Manager
604 687 8725 engage.eskay @skeenaresources.com
LEADERSHIP
Randy Reichert President and Chief Executive Officer
604 684 8725 info@skeenaresources.com
ENVIRONMENT
Nigel Fisher Environment and Regulatory Affairs Director nfisher @skeenaresources.com
EMPLOYMENT
Freda Campbell Community Relations Director fcampbell @skeenaresources.com
Snip Project: Located by Bronson Camp and airstrip. An option agreement was signed with Barrick Gold in 2016 and we completed acquisition of the property in 2017. In 2021, Skeena entered an Option Agreement with Hochschild Mining PLC for the Snip Project. Hochschild is now the operator and has an opportunity to acquire 60% of the project by meeting the obligations of the Option Agreement over the two-year agreement term.
Mineral Tenures:
• KSP, Kingpin & Sofia: In March 2022, Skeena acquired QuestEx Gold and Copper which included the KSP and Kingpin properties near the Eskay Creek Project and the Sofia Property near the eastern border of Tahltan Territory.
• Eskay North: Located North of Eskay Creek, Skeena acquired the Eskay North mineral tenures in October 2022.
• Eldorado, Gin & Bonanza: Skeena acquired the Eldorado, Gin & Bonanza mineral tenures in October 2022 from Coast Copper Corp.
COMPANY OVERVIEW & UPDATE
Any successes or challenges you’d like to share?
Skeena is proud of the continued success of its Tahltan Mentorship Program. The Company’s Tahltan Mentorship Program was created in 2020 to support the development of Tahltan students and recent graduates to become industry and community leaders. In addition to supporting the development of the participants’ technical and professional skills, the program also aims to facilitate their connection with Tahltan communities, culture, and governance. In 2022 the mentees presented to schools in Tahltan Territory three times, participated in Tahltan community events including Tahltan Fish Camp and the Tahltan
Project Activities In The 2022 Season
Skeena completed a feasibility study on the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project in September 2022. The company continues to progress on site activities for the project with the advancement of early works engineering in the first quarter of 2022. The project is in the Environmental Assessment process and entered the Process Planning phase in November 2022.
Other notable highlights in 2022 for Skeena include:
• March 2022 - Skeena partnered with Audain Art Museum and School District 87 to bring Tahltan students, who are passionate about art, to the Dempsey Bob exhibit opening in Whistler, BC.
• February 2022 - Randy Reichert joined management team as President.
• April 2022 - Skeena published inaugural ESG Report.
• May 2022 - Grand opening of Skeena office in Dease Lake and first community BBQ.
• June 2022 - Skeena acquired QuestEx Gold & Copper Ltd.
• June 2022 - Agreement between the Province and Tahltan Central Government (TCG) was signed acknowledging Tahltan right to provide consent for the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project (Section 7).
• September 2022 - Nalaine Morin was hired as Skeena’s new VP Sustainability.
• September 2022 - Skeena completed a feasibility study for the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project.
• November 2022 - Skeena extends Eskay Creek Rift with new discovery.
• December 2022 - Freda Campbell was promoted to Community Relations Director.
• No lost time incidents
• 446,000 hours worked
• 55,000 m total drilled
Nation Development Corporation (TNDC) Community Christmas Party, and connected with TCG Youth at Roundup and Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) mining conferences.
Skeena has Tahltans working in roles at every level of the company. 66% of Tahltans working at Skeena are in management or professional-track roles.
Number of employees working on your project(s)?
Skeena had 130 direct employees throughout 2022. Currently, approximately 13% of the direct employees at Skeena are Tahltan. During the winter season, work at the Eskay Creek site slowed to care and maintenance reducing the number of workers. Site activities will significantly increase in spring 2023.
Where does the majority of your financing come from year to year? What’s the breakdown of who owns your company and what’s your company’s market cap?
Our investors are primarily in Canada, Europe, and the USA. We are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Tentative plans and hopes for the 2023 season?
The company plans to commence earthworks construction, build an assay lab, continue site and road maintenance and make some general camp upgrades at the Eskay Creek site in 2023. In addition, Skeena is planning to update the Eskay Creek resource, continue regional exploration drilling programs and complete an updated feasibility study this year. The advancement of permitting and the environmental assessment will continue in 2023 for the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project.
Community engagement continues to be a priority in 2023. We plan to expand the Tahltan Mentorship Program and launch an Entrepreneurship Program. We also hope to finalize our Impact Benefit Agreement in 2023.
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TCG & TAHLTAN NATION
During the 2022 season, what involvement did TCG personnel and departments have with your company? If they were not involved, why not?
Skeena worked closely with the TCG Lands Department and Tahltan Heritage Resources Assessment Team (THREAT) to ensure Tahltan requirements on our project design and environmental assessment are met. In June 2022, TCG and the provincial government signed the first-ever consent-based decision-making agreement for the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project. In August 2022, Skeena hosted a tour of the Eskay Creek site for TCG representatives. Finally, Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) negotiations continued in 2022 involving various TCG departments and TNDC for input on the IBA contents.
In 2022, how many Tahltans did you employ? What positions did they hold in your company what percentage of Tahltans did you employ compared to others?
In 2022, 68 Tahltans were employed at Skeena projects through direct employment or contractors, which provided 3,674 working days. Tahltans directly employed by Skeena held the following positions: VP Sustainability, Community Relations Director, Community
Relations Manager, Camp Administrator, Junior Project Engineer in Training, Environmental Technician, Camp Maintenance Technician, Geological Technician, Exploration Administrator, Core Cutter, Site Buyer, and Warehouse Technician. In 2022 Skeena employed 16 Tahltans directly, which was 12% of our total direct employment. 66% of the Tahltans employed at Skeena are in management or professional-track roles.
What employment opportunities, now and in the future, are available to Tahltan members?
Skeena has the goal of providing employment opportunities to Tahltans in all areas and levels of the project. All current and future job opportunities are posted on the Tahltan OnTrack website.
Why should Tahltan members want to work for you?
During Eskay Creek’s historical operations, the project had 30 to 35% Tahltan employment. Skeena wants to build on this legacy and do even better.
Skeena has demonstrated that commitment by having Tahltans in senior management positions including the VP of Sustainability.
We look to engage Tahltans in our project and work together to create the best project possible. Many learning experiences exist in the process of exploring, designing, and permitting a mine, and we want to capture these opportunities for Tahltan professionals and entrepreneurs.
In 2020, we began our Mentorship Program where young Tahltan professionals can gain experience with Skeena in our various departments to help us execute this vision. We hope our project will provide opportunities, experience, and build on the foundations and legacy of Tahltan miners.
Did you have any Tahltan contractors working for your company?
Yes, we work with many Tahltan and Tahltan-affiliated contractors including Northern Labour Services, TNDC, Iskut Band Council, Metsantan Development, Tahltech Drilling, Konaleen Drilling, and Kica Contracting.
Do you have any outside contractors working for you? If so, who are they? Who were the primary contractors you utilized? Do they offer employment opportunities to Tahltan members?
Yes, we have outside contractors working for us, including Rugged Edge Holdings (Smithers), BV Electric (Smithers) Silver King Helicopters (Smithers), Adapt Mountain Safety (Stewart), and Omenica Drilling (Burns Lake).
We encourage our contractors to connect with Tahltan companies and individuals by requiring them to demonstrate their partnerships and programs for Tahltan members in bid documents. Skeena considers the contractor’s record of past performance in all bid decisions. We also require contractors to track benefits to Tahltan members (employment, wages, subcontracts) and report these metrics to Skeena.