Photo: Hope Bay scales down for winter

Workers at TMAC Resources’ Hope Bay gold mine project in Nunavut’s Kitikmeot region collect snow to put down on the tundra for a winter road between lakes at the mine site. As the days grow shorter, there isn’t enough light to fly the helicopters used for surface drilling, which wrapped up earlier this month. Now a reduced site crew of 21 staff will focus on building winter roads and setting up diamond drilling for winter operations. TMAC Resources Inc., the new owners of Hope Bay, along with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, recently agreed to a five-year renewal of the commercial lease for the Doris North mine as well as facilities at Robert’s Bay and the Doris North site, located about 110 kilometres from Cambridge Bay on the mainland. (PHOTO COURTESY OF TMAC)