INNOVATION May-June 2016

f ea t u r e s

The Brucejack Mine site sits above treeline, in open alpine tundra, in northern BC (A bove ) . The mine taps into what may be one of the largest undeveloped high-grade gold deposits in the world (P revious page ; C ore sample photo : K im S tallnecht .)

Exploration drilling is also being undertaken away from these known deposits in an attempt to understand the extent of the mineralisation in the Valley of the Kings and other potential on the property. About half a dozen holes have been drilled to the east of the Brucejack site recently. All six drill holes hit gold, and the intersections occurred along trend of the known deposit, demonstrating that the Valley of the Kings orebody remains open to the east and west along strike and at depth. Quartermain is obviously pleased with the results. The holes encountered visible gold, similar to the Brucejack site, and demonstrate the full exploration potential of the project. In addition, regional exploration drilling in the Bowser Lake area, approximately 14 kilometres to the east, encountered the same stratigraphy as that which hosted the world-class Eskay Creek deposit, the rich volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit further northwest—indicating another model type.

Both Quartermain and Ovsenek are confident that the grades encountered and the exploration potential have kept the project powering forward despite difficult markets. “A quality project can be financed and, therefore, will attract the appropriate capital we need,” says Quartermain. “We just completed US$130 million in financing in March, and that closed the final gap to have all the funding necessary to bring the project to production, on top of the $540-million financing package we concluded in the fall of 2015.” This, he adds, means “lots of people, lots of jobs, and lots of expenditures in BC’s north.” A Growing Workforce On Site This past March, more than 400 people worked at Brucejack. The main construction focus has been to flatten the mill pad, preparing for the mill’s construction to begin in April. Power for the site will come via a transmission line to the south, also set to begin construction this spring.

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