New district slowly yields its secrets

For the dozens of companies that rushed to stake claims in the Nechako Plateau of central British Columbia three years ago, the area now known as the Blackwater Gold District is shaping up to be a better-than-average bet.

But a series of bold acquisitions by New Gold Inc. in 2011 has placed the mid-tier gold producer solidly in the driver's seat in one of Canada's largest modern gold exploration p...