The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 51 - 64 of 64
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. March 25 reported that it is temporarily shuttering its LaRonde Complex, Goldex and Canadian Malartic gold mines in Quebec, and reducing operations at its Meadowbank and Meliadine mines in Nunavut. This decision follows a March 23 order by the Quebec government for all non-essential businesses in the eastern Canada province to close in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on the Quebec decision, as well as discussion with provincial leaders, Agnico...
Barrick Gold Corp. March 20 announced it has stepped up its emergency response plans for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic at all its sites and offices across the world. The latest round of measures by the global gold mining company includes the suspension of all non-essential business travel and the curtailing of all non-vital projects. Barrick Gold President and CEO Mark Bristow said the company was closely monitoring the very fluid COVID-19 situation, constantly updating...
Teck Resource Ltd. March 23 announced temporary ban on travel from the Red Dog Mine to communities in the NANA region of Northwest Alaska where the world-class zinc mine is located. These restrictions on travel come at a time when NANA Corp., as well as other Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) corporations are looking at ways to prevent COVID-19 from reaching their regions and villages. "Our main priority is the health and safety of our people – shareholders, e...
In what may be the world's grandest example of the Butterfly Effect, a microscopic organism in China has caused a hurricane of change for every person on Earth. For now, this change is uncomfortable, to put it mildly, as we adjust to an ever-shifting landscape of social distancing, working from home (or not at all), wild swings in the financial markets, and growing numbers of COVID-19 infected and fatalities. Many have stated that the world reaction to this newest strain of...
Novagold Resources Inc. March 23 said the 2020 drill program at the Donlin Gold project in Southwest Alaska continues at this date, but recognizes that the COVID-19 crisis is fluid and is monitoring the state of Alaska health recommendations and will make the necessary adjustments including pushing back the timeline for the balance of the 22,000 meters of drilling planned for this year. Donlin Gold LLC, a joint venture partnership owned equally by Novagold and Barrick Gold...
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. March 19 said it is providing four weeks of paid leave for its Nunavut-based workforce. This announcement follows the Government of Nunavut's declaration of a state of public health emergency relating to COVID-19. "While there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut, declaring a public health emergency allows (us) to be coordinated with efforts across the territories and Canada, and take the measures necessary to keep us prepared for the virus,"...
Auryn Resources Inc. March 18 announced that it has recalled all personnel from its gold and copper exploration projects in Peru in response to concerns surrounding COVID-19 but is continuing the economic analysis and exploration planning for its precious metals projects in Canada. Prior to the Peruvian government mandating a temporary two-week border lockdown, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based mineral explorer recalled all its personnel from the field of that Latin...
Teck Resources Ltd. March 16 said it has initiated measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 that include remote work, travel restrictions and other protocols. These protocols include pre-flight virus screenings for all personnel travelling to its Red Dog zinc mine in Northwestern Alaska. "Teck is working diligently to closely monitor the recommendations of health officials and update all employees at Red Dog on information and current best practices for prevention of COVID-19,"...
Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. has deferred it planned drill program at the Back River gold project in Nunavut and has established work-from-home protocols for employees at its corporate office in Vancouver, British Columbia. "No positive COVID-19 cases have been reported from amongst the company's employee base. However, out of concern for the wellbeing of our employees, contractors, their families, and their communities, the company has elected to implement a work from home...
Hecla Mining Company March 19 announced that it has taken measures to ensure its silver and gold operations in Alaska, Idaho, Mexico and Quebec can weather COVID-19, along with the market and logistical disruptions that come with it. These de-risking measures include: • Securing contracts that guarantee a US$16 per ounce silver price and US$1,450/oz gold price for the second quarter of this year, and US$1,650/oz gold for third quarter, while maintaining exposure to the u...
Amidst the scramble to prepare for an imminent pandemic that is roiling mining and metals markets, the three large mines in Interior Alaska have taken the time to look after the members of their community most vulnerable to COVID-19. On March 12, Kinross Fort Knox Mine, Northern Star Resources Ltd. Pogo Mine and Usibelli Coal Mine collectively donated $21,000 to support an emergency funding request received from the North Star Council on Aging for the Fairbanks Senior Center....
Alaska Miners Association March 12 announced that due to health risks associated with COVID-19, it is cancelling the AMA spring biennial mining conference that was scheduled to be held in Fairbanks from March 30 through April 4. "We are deeply disappointed that the event cannot be held as planned. However, the World Health Organization has officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic and the state of Alaska has declared a state of emergency. As an industry that holds health and...
Crashing markets, quarantines, closed offices and cancelled events are reverberating across the North of 60 Mining sector in the wake of the World Health Organization declaring the coronavirus strain officially known as COVID-19 a global pandemic. At first, the effects of COVID-19 on mining in Alaska and across Canada's North was being felt mainly by the precipitous drop in the share price of mining companies doing business here – a plunge that is being further fueled by a S...
In the current environment, it is difficult to avoid discussing the elephant in the room. Essentially, we need to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect mining activities in Alaska in the near and long term. While misinformation and speculation about the disease is rampant, some basic facts seem indisputable – the disease is highly contagious, infected people are often asymptomatic, and there does not appear to be any approved anti-viral available yet. The control m...
