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www.MiningNewsNorth.com The weekly mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North Week of September 10, 2017

New explorer makes high-gradediscovery in BC’s Golden Triangle

NEWS NUGGETSCompiled by Shane Lasley

6.75 oz/t gold sample at HerbertGrande Portage Resources Ltd. Sep. 6 announced that

sampling of a newly exposed outcrop at its Herbert Gold

project about 15 miles (25 kilometers) north of Juneau,

Alaska , returned 6.75 ounces per metric ton gold. This out-

crop of the Goat vein was exposed by the rapid erosion of

loose boulders and gravel. The vein here consists of approxi-

mately 4 feet of quartz with disseminated arsenopyrite,

pyrite, galena and sphalerite and visible gold. Hanging wall

alteration of the quartz diorite host rock reaches width of at

least six feet and the footwall contact zone is covered in the

creek bed. A Grande Portage geologist hammered numerous

representative grab samples over a four-foot width of the

exposed Goat vein. The assay results from this sampling

returned 231 grams per metric ton (6.75 oz/t) gold and 49.8

g/t silver. The company has completed roughly 75 percent of

3,700-meter summer drill program designed to extend three

separate major veins and their satellite structures at Herbert

Gold. Ten holes have now been completed from three drill

pad locations. The majority of these holes were designed to

expand the strike length of Goat, the northernmost drilled

vein, and to also intercept the Main vein. Grande Portage

said all holes have good visual indicators, including quartz

with disseminated arsenopyrite, pyrite, galena and sphalerite

and visible gold. Assays are pending. "We are extremely

pleased to have defined a substantial increase in the mineral-

ized strike length located in the eastern test areas, and to

confirm the mineralization at depths beneath previous

drilling,” said Grande Portage CEO Ian Klassen.

Hecla continues support of UAS program to train local miners

Hecla Mining Company Aug. 31 donated another

US$300,000 to the University of Alaska Southeast as part of

the Greens Creek Mine owner’s ongoing support of the cam-

pus’ “Pathways to Mining Careers” program. This program

was created in 2011, when Hecla made an inaugural

US$300,000 donation to develop a unique approach to

engage local high school students and to educate and train

them for future employment in the mining industry. Since

that time, the program has been expanded to include adults

new to mining. The program takes students who may be

interested in a mining career through a five-step “pathway”

from learning about the occupations available in mining,

through training and job shadowing to the ultimate goal of a

job at Greens Creek. Counting this latest commitment to

Pathways to Mining Careers, Hecla has donated

US$900,000 to the program. The company believes this

investment is a win-win for Greens Creek and the local

community. “Our donation has provided dozens of Southeast

Alaska residents the qualifications needed to be hired in our

GR

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Sampling of this newly exposed section of the Goat vein at theHerbert Gold project near Juneau returned assays of 231 grams ofgold per metric ton.

GO

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Last year, Golden Predator Mining built a bridge that connected the high-grade zones at it 3 Aces project to theNahanni Range Road, one of roads slated for upgrades under the C$360 million Yukon Resource Gateway project.

l G O V E R N M E N T

see NEWS NUGGETS page 8

Roads to Yukon resourcesFeds, territory commit C$360 million to modernize Yukon mining roads

By SHANE LASLEYMining News

R oads to some of Yukon’s richest mining dis-

tricts are getting more than C$360 million in

upgrades.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rolled

out the plans to invest in modern transportation

infrastructure during a visit to

the territory on Sep. 2.

“Modern infrastructure is

key to developing and prop-

erly managing the incredible

natural resources we have at

our fingertips,” Trudeau said.

The prime minister

pledged C$247.8 million to

the Yukon Resource Gateway

project, a program that will

upgrade more than 650 kilo-

meters of roads in the territo-

ry, and build or replace

numerous bridges, culverts,

and stream crossings in two

minerals-rich regions of the

Yukon.

“The Resource Gateway is

one of the most significant

projects ever undertaken in

this territory and will have an

incredibly positive impact on

the Yukon economy,” said Yukon Premier Sandy

Silver.

Following the development of project agree-

ments with First Nations in regions of the proposed

road upgrades, as well as the precursor environ-

mental and socio-economic reviews, the Yukon

will contribute up to C$112.8 million to the road

project.

“First Nation agreement is essential to the con-

tinuation of the project and we look forward to

working in partnership with them on this milestone

development,” Silver added.

This unprecedented road improvement project

will boost the mine projects nearing development

and add extra fuel to the excitement for mineral

exploration in Canada’s westernmost territory.

“The Yukon Resource Gateway Project is

extremely important to help advance exploration

projects and build the potential for mining proj-

ects,” said Golden Predator Mining CEO Janet

Lee-Sheriff.

Into White GoldIn the Dawson Range, home of the famed

Klondike and White Gold districts, four separate

road systems are slated for upgrades under the

Yukon Resource Gateway project.

The Dawson Range hosts numerous gold and

copper projects in various stages of exploration

and development, including Goldcorp’s Coffee

Gold project.

According to a feasibility study completed just

before Goldcorp paid roughly C$520 million to

acquire Kaminak Gold Corp., which owned Coffee

Gold, an open-pit, heap-leach gold operation at

Coffee is expected to produce 184,000 ounces of

gold annually over a 10-year mine life at all-in sus-

taining costs of US$550/oz.

This mine plan is based on 63.7 million metric

tons of indicated resources averaging 1.45 g/t

(2.97 million oz) gold and 52.4 million metric tons

of inferred resources averaging 1.31 g/t (2.1 mil-

lion oz) gold.

Goldcorp plans to build about 37 kilometers (23

miles) of new road that would link the Coffee

property to an existing road extending south from

the Klondike Highway into the Dawson Range,

which is on the list for Resource Gateway

upgrades.

Goldcorp, which recently filed the requisite per-

mit applications, is targeting commercial produc-

tion at its Yukon gold property by 2021.

Upgrading and extending roads into the White

Gold District will also benefit White Gold Corp., a

new gold exploration company that owns property

that blankets 40 percent of its namesake district

and has the backing of both Kinross Gold and

Agnico Eagle.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU

SANDY SILVER

see YUKON ROADS page 10