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TWOREMOTE OF ’S MORE ISOLATED MINES CONTINUE TO IMPRESS By Russell Noble unavik and Quebec’s Raglan Mine and Éléonore, oper- ated by Glencore and Goldcorp respectively, are two of the larger and more successful mining operations in the country, but their locations are about as unfamiliar Nto most people as the northern landscapes where they are located. In other words, most people don’t have a clue where they are on the map, let alone what the surroundings are like that far north. Both mines are indeed, remote and somewhat isolated, but when it comes to mineral deposits, Raglan Mine and Éléonore are at the forefront and envy of the mining community across the country. In fact, the world is also keeping watch as Glencore and Goldcorp continue to move towards making their Canadian operations two of the more productive mines on the globe. Starting at the farthest point north at the Raglan Mine, which

18 | Canadian Mining Journal • October 2013 www.canadianminingjournal.com is located in Nunavik approximately 1800 km northwest of Raglan Mine’s port installation Montreal or, about the same as Cuba is to the south, is near at Deception Bay. Deception Bay on the Hudson Straight and is linked by all- weather roads to an airstrip at Donaldson. About 900 people call the Raglan Mine home and since the mine was discovered in 1995, and started producing in December 1997, it has been a mainstay for employment in the area for the of Nunavik with the (which oversees the political, social and economic development of the Nunavik territory) and the two communities of Kangiqsujuaq and Salluit. Raglan Mine is a nickel and copper operation that is located on high-grade ore deposits that stretch more than 70 kilometres from Raglan Mine site, located in east to west, with a series of deposits scattered along its length. the Nunavik Region (62nd par- To access the deposits, Glencore has built four underground allel), in Northern Quebec. mines along with a concentrator, a power plant, fuel storage tanks, and a fresh water supply, as well as accommodations and administration buildings. The company has built a totally self-contained operation and with a capacity to treat 3,800 tonnes of ore per day with an esti- mated production capacity of 30,000 tonnes of nickel-in-concen- trate annually, it has also created one of the company’s major business units in the supply of nickel to the world. With 3.59 million (Proven) tonnes and 4.13 (Probable) tonnes of mineral reserves, the company is well positioned to Truck transporting ore to continue shipping its concentrate south by icebreaker at least the Katinniq mine at the six times a year during the nine-month Arctic shipping season. Raglan Mine site. The nickel-copper concentrate from Raglan Mine is then sent to the smelter of the Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations for additional processing before reaching Glencore’s Nikkelverk refinery in Kristiansand, for refining. As mentioned earlier, the Raglan Mine operation involves four underground mines and in keeping with the company’s business approach of moving forward, it continues to dig deeper

October 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal | 19 | Mining in Nunavik and Quebec

Main ramp access to the ore body and shaft stations.

always a challenge and one company that knows this really well is J.S. Redpath Limited, headquartered in North Bay, ON. Goldcorp’s Éléonore Mine. Known for its work in underground mining construction, the company has A look at some of the been working at the Raglan Mine since the underground work. middle of the 90s. In fact, Redpath -- and the joint venture Redpath-Nuvumuit (2007) — contributed to the construction of all Raglan Mine’s mines and the development of two of its mines, namely Kikialik (2008) and Qakimajurq (2012). At Mine 2, for example, Redpath-Nuvumuit will be develop- ing 420 m of Alimak raises, including vent raises and manways, until 2014, and at the Qakimajurq mine, the company has almost 100 workers involved to help develop 8200 m of ramp and lat- eral accesses, 580 m of Alimak raises, construction of electrical substations, explosives and detonator magazines, refuge stations, a service bay, underground fan room and other underground Rapid mine development infrastructure. using double Jumbos to Redpath will complete the work in 2014. The company has advance the face. worked at the Raglan Mine for more than five years without a lost-time accident. While the environmental conditions farther south at Goldcorp’s Éléonore mine aren’t nearly as severe as those at Raglan Mine, working at the mine is nonetheless, just as chal- lenging… and rewarding. As mentioned at the outset, the Éléonore mine is one of the more talked-about mining projects in Canada as Goldcorp con- tinues to work towards its first production of gold in late 2014. Located about 800 kilometres northwest of Montreal, the Éléonore mine is one of the main mines in the company’s develop- ment program that calls for a 7,000-ton per day facility, contribut- and farther out in search of minerals. ing to an average of more than 600,000 ounces of gold per year once And why not? Mineral resources show 4.41 million (Measured), the mine has ramped up to full capacity. 9.39 million (Indicated), and 19.3 million (Inferred) tonnes of It’s an ambitious goal, but given Goldcorp’s long history of mineral on the property. coming through and fulfilling its promises, it’s one the company Knowing what’s there is one thing but getting at it is another says will happen. because the site, as already described, is situated in a sub-arctic In fact, with the amount of work that has already taken place permafrost region where the average annual temperatures are at the mine, as well as the money spent on getting that work about -10 C with an average ambient temperature underground done, investors and other observers are confident that the mine (in existing permafrost operations) is around – 15C. will produce as promised. The climate is severe in both wind and temperature condi- Like most underground mines, much of the mining technol- tions. Winters are understandably very cold, but relatively dry, ogy is out-of-sight but as every mine owner and operator knows, with temperatures remaining below – 30 C for extended periods it’s those underground workings (and naturally, what they find) and often dipping below -40 C. that make or break any project. Because of these extreme conditions, working at the site is And Éléonore is no exception in that regard.

20 | Canadian Mining Journal • October 2013 www.canadianminingjournal.com Starting with the development of the exploration ramp from surface, miners were given access through the 7 metre-wide by 5 metre-high passage for more than 2.3 km into the ground. Adding to the mine’s sophisticated design and in keeping with Goldcorp’s business motto of “Safe enough for our families,” a concrete-lined Gaumond exploration shaft was also sunk to the 725m level to provide access through a safe and properly ventilated route. The shaft is 7 m in diameter and in addition to providing proper ventilation, it will be also used by miners for explora- tion access and preliminary production for the mine. Also in preparation for the start up of production, con- tractors are excavating another concrete-lined shaft, this one is 7 m wide and 1500 deep with six stations that is designed to hoist ore and waste at 7000 tonnes per day as well as transport personnel and material between surface and vari- ous work levels. In addition to the two shafts at the mine, lateral develop- ment on the 650 and 690 levels is also ongoing off the Gaumond exploration shaft. A look at some of the The shafts and drifts are now complete or on going and underground work. much of the success of the project is credited to the “family” approach taken by Goldcorp and its contractors at Éléonore. One of the main members of this family insofar as the ‘out-of-site’ shaft and drift work is concerned is Redpath- Tawich-Norascon (RTN), a joint venture between Tawich Construction Inc., J.S. Redpath Limited, and Norascon Mining Inc. This joint venture was initially established in 2011 to support the development of the Éléonore Mine and its Hoist operator at 130 employees are fully qualified to undertake projects the hoist console at anywhere in Eeyou Istchee (territory represented by the Shaft #1, monitoring Grand Council of the Crees in Québec). CMJ winch controls.

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October 2013 • Canadian Mining Journal | 21