Western Nunavut gold mine project waits for regulators’ recommendation

Here is a recent picture of the Doris North mine’s processing plant building taking shape. (PHOTO COURTESY OF RON BERTRAND/ TMAC)

Recent exploratory drilling has revealed more high-grade gold ore located deep within TMAC Resources Inc.’s Doris North deposit in the northern part of the Hope Bay property, 90 kilometres south of Cambridge Bay.

That’s good news for TMAC: “Management believes these results could significantly expand the current five-year mine life at the Doris mine and dramatically affect the global reserves and resources and annual gold production at Hope Bay,” Catherine Farrow, TMAC’s CEO, said in a June 7 news release.

The Doris North gold mine, slated to start production in 2017, would be Nunavut’s second gold mine, if approved.

But TMAC still needs to learn if Nunavut regulators will allow the company to operate an expanded operation over six years instead of two — and under what terms and conditions.

TMAC had expected to receive a decision from the Nunavut Impact Review Board and the Nunavut Water Board on its project certificate amendment by the end of May.

But in late May, the review board said it needed more time to deliberate and produce its public hearing report on TMAC’s application for proposed amendments to the Doris North gold mine’s NIRB project certificate.

NIRB then moved “anticipated date of release” of the report from May 30 to June 13.

To operate over a six-year period, TMAC needs that amended project certificate for Doris North, which was originally issued to Miramar Mining Corp. in 2006.

Newmont Mining Corp. acquired the original project certificate when the company bought Miramar in 2007, expecting to start mining in 2012, but then backed out and put the property into care and maintenance. TMAC took over the project in 2013.

Meanwhile, TMAC is working on “our longer-term goal of sustaining long-term production at the Doris deposit,” Farrow said.

During 2016, TMAC plans to install and commission its mill and expand the power plant at Doris North. The company also wants to stockpile ore and 55,600 ounces of gold and develop the underground mine network.

The primary objective of the 2016 underground exploration program is to build on the existing Doris mineral resource base, Farrow said.