Page 19 Page 18 By Gregory Reynolds Goldcorp Inc. operates two mines in the City of T immins under the name of Porcupine Gold Mines. They consist of the Hoyle Pond and Dome under ground mines, several lar ge tonnage stockpiles, and a central mill - ing faci lity . Also, on the horizon is the re-opening of the fabled Hollinger Gold Mine in the city . Progress is steadily advancing on a deep under ground shaft (winze) at Hoyle Pond that will provide increased access to recently discovered zones such as the TVZ and V AZ in the under ground mine operation and signifcantly extend the mine’ s productive life, says the company . Successful exploration drilling at the Hoyle Pond under - ground operati on has demonstrated improving gold grades and the extension of several gold structures at depth. This success is spurring new investments in mine development to position the revitalized Porcupine mine complex for long-term success. In 2010, the Dome marked its 100th year of continuous mine and mill operations, and every day it adds to its his - toric North American record of continuous production. The Porcupine complex has produced more than 66 million ounces of gold since production began. “At Porcupine in Ontario, higher grade and higher tonnage from increased mill utilizatio n led to fourth quarter gold production of 74,100 ounces at a total cash cost of $750 per ounce. For 2012, gold production totaled 262,800 ounces at a total cash cost of $772 per ounce,” said Chuck Jeannes, Goldcorp president and CEO. Production in 2013 is an es - timated 270,000 - 280,000oz. The Hoyle Pond Deep project continued to progress, which will access deeper discovered zones of gold mineraliza - tion and enhance operationa l fexibility and effciencies throughout the Hoyle Pond under ground complex. By the end of 2012, full face shaft sinking had advanced to within 20 metres of the 720 metre level skip dump excavation. New shaft expenditures for 2012 totalled $7 million and $29 million for the fourth quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2012, respectively . The Porcupine workforce is 820, including contractors, and the estima ted life of the operation is 13 years. The mill located at the Dome has a capacity of 1 1,000 tonnes per day . Pending receipt of permits, initial production at Hollinger is expected in the frst half of 2013,” he said. The Provincial Ministry of the Environment has request - ed additional air and noise modeling before approving the project’ s Environmental Compliance Approval for Air . The company says capital costs will be $87 million to reopen the Hollinger , once the lar gest gold mine in the British Empire, as an open pit operation. Opened in 1910, the Hollinger produced over 19.5 mil - lion ounces of gold before closing more than 35 years ago. The project occupies 250 acre s in the centre of T immins and this fact has led to a certa in amount of opposition to the project. In November 2012, T immins city council ap - proved it. The mine is expected to operate for eight years and to employ 180 people. Goldcorp says upon completion of this project, all af - fected areas will be re-vegetated such that new growth is self-sustaining. Porcupine’ s end goal is to improve downstream water quality and allow redevelopment of the property for recreational purposes. Porcupine will continue to communicate our project to the community and concerns will be integrated into fnal planning stages. W ith sustainined mining operations, Porcupine Gold Mines can continue to emplo y over 600 people and sev - eral hundred contractors for many years to come, all of which will beneft the future of the City of T immins. The Hollinger Project Community Advisory Committee is an independent committee of citizens whose mandate is to be an informed sounding board between the com - munity and Porcupine Gold Mines to assist in problem solving and to work towards building a sustainable com - munity . The company says the Hollinger Project presents a unique challenge in mine development as it is located immediately adjacent to the downtown core of the City of T immins. Due to this sensitive location, plans for de - velopment took into account not only the usual economic factors, but also the ef fects on nearby stakeholders, en - suring these are minimal. The community needs to be treated as a partner in this project in order for it to be successful. Successes at Hoyle Pond spurring new investments by Goldcorp