Page 55 1-800-RENT -CA T BattlefeldEquipment.ca Whatever your project, at Battlefeld Equipment we have the equipment to get the job done. Our complete range of Cat ® equipment and other leading brands helps grow the capacity of your business with maximum fexibility and minimal inve stment. Reliable Equipment • Fast Service • Knowledgeable People Optimize COmmuniC at i Ons ser viCes tO remOte sites • Deliver anytime, anywhere, any device ser vice • Improve application quality and per formance • Provide the optimal level of bandwidth for all users • Leverage advanced hardware, software, and network security • Reduce the cost of deliver y NETWORKS F ind out more at: T oll Free: 1-888-612-VIV A (8482) Head Offce: 613-903-4282 T errace B.C.: 250-631-4020 www .viva.ca Go Beyond T raditional Communications Viva NIMG ad half page1.indd 1 13-02-15 5:23 PM AuRico/YOUNG-DA VIDSON MINE Page 54 By Frank Giorno Or ganizing and developing a mining operation is a mammoth task that can take hundreds of millions of dollars, over 1,000 workers and up to fve or more years to realize completion. The scope of what has to be done is quite breathtaking from a fnancial, technical, engineering and human re - sources point of view . “At our peak construction phase we had about 1,200 workers on site in - cluding 220 permanent AuRico em - ployees and the rest working for con - tractors includ ing Ledcor -- our open pit excavator; Cementation and Du - mas our shaft constructors and under - ground mine builders” said Luc Gui - mond, general manager for AuRico Gold in Matachewan in an interview on February 6, 2013. AuRico has a unique operation with both an open pit mine and an under - ground mine on their site. The under ground operation is start - ing to contribute ore but will be fully operational by 2016. This is a unique situation having both the open pit and the under ground mine in operation. “W e are using Ledcor to manage min - ing and operation of the open pit -- while AuRico oversees geology and engineering support for the open pit operation,” Guimond said. Cementation, a North Bay-based com - pany , did the under ground work that consisted of a shaft sinking contract to do work on the two main shafts. Guimond points to the Northgate shaft by the headfram e outside the window , which is a Kopi hoist, and also to the smaller , historical MCM shaft that operated from the 1930s to the 1950s. Cementation will deepen those shafts for today’ s operation. Dumas, a T immins based mining con - tract company , is doing some addi - tional under ground work. T oday AuRico Gold still has some of their construction contractors/surface control fnishing up major contract. The truly incredible thing about the AuRico Gold project is that most mines opening are delayed. A few of the lucky ones actually complete site preparation work on time. The truly incredible ones complete everything well ahead of time. “Credit goes to the great people we recruited,” said Guimond. Guimond cal ls AuRico’ s project which started in 2006 under North - gate Minerals and was conti nued by AuRico after it purchased the site from Northgate in 2012 the rebirth of the Y oung-Davidson and Matache - wan Consolidated mines. “W e are reopening a brownfeld site, this not a pristine greenfeld site,” said Guimond. The two former mines are located on the same ore body . They are a kilome - tre apart and have two separate open - ings. AuRico’ s mission is to combine the existing mines in a modern 21st century mining complex. AuRico Gold’ s service/supply contractors important to its success AuRico/YOUNG-DA VIDSON MINE