North of 60 Mining News - The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North

Skeena Resources Ltd. June 4 announced it is implementing a vigorous infection prevention and control strategy ahead of resuming exploration and development activities at its Eskay Creek and Snip gold projects in British Columbia's Golden Triangle.

Skeena launched a 28,000-meter drill program at Eskay Creek earlier this year but idled the drill after completing 4,237 meters due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Planning to resume this program later this month, the company is implementing a COVID-19 strategy with the simple mandate of zero harm to the Company's team members, contractors, families, and communities near Skeena operations.

"Although the novel coronavirus presents new challenges to the workflows associated with the sustained and responsible exploration and development of Eskay Creek, these challenges are not insurmountable with thorough planning and vigilant execution," said Skeena Resources Vice President of Exploration and Development Paul Geddes.

The company's dynamic COVID-19 strategy is a long-term and sustainable approach that emphasizes prevention as opposed to reaction.

"We as a company are unreservedly committed to the health and safety of our team members and as such have self-mandated to exceed current and future guidance as set out in local community guidelines, and provincial and federal health authorities," Geddes added. "In these constantly shifting times, our predictive and forward-looking team centered approach to infection prevention will allow us to responsibly generate sustained value and growth for Eskay Creek."

The company has grown its forward-looking team with the addition of Sue Craig as indigenous and external relations advisor; and Norma Jean Adzich as health, safety, and infection prevention manager.

Craig is a professional geoscientist who has worked on mineral exploration and mining projects in the Yukon and British Columbia for more than 30 years. Over this span, she has received numerous awards recognizing her contributions toward environmental stewardship and sustainable development and is the recipient of the 2017 Canadian Women in Mining Trailblazer award.

Craig successfully led the environmental assessment process for the enormous Galore Creek copper-gold project in northwestern B.C. and played a key role in establishing a landmark participation agreement with the Tahltan Nation in 2006. She was also part of the Viceroy Resources team that explored, permitted, and developed the Brewery Creek gold mine near Dawson City, Yukon in the early 1990s. In this role, she collaborated with the First Nation to implement one of the first socioeconomic Accords in Canada.

Since 2013, Craig played a key role in implementing an interim measures agreement with three nations on the Kemess Underground project as it was going through the BC Environmental Assessment (EA) process; and led the EA process for Kutcho Copper.

She is currently a director of Yukon Energy Corporation; Mining Association BC; Yukon Chamber of Mines; and Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Mining and Exploration at Lakehead University.

Adzich is a northern B.C. Indigenous (Metis) occupational health and safety professional with 35 years of experience in the mining, oil and gas, and forestry sectors. Over the course of her career, Adzich has provided consulting and practical implementation of first aid, health, safety, and infection prevention programs. Her extensive working knowledge has been augmented while supporting exploration and mining programs at Pretium Resources Brucejack gold project; Novagold Resources and Teck Resources' Galore Creek; and during Cominco's time at the Snip gold project. She has also provided support to the Trans-Canada Pipeline and Coastal Gas Link projects.

Adzich holds a certificate in occupational health & safety from the University of New Brunswick, and is a licensed paramedic in B.C. She holds several other first aid and safety instructor certifications.

Author Bio

Shane Lasley, Publisher

Over his more than 16 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.

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