Page 30 Page 30 MLEN SPRING 2020 Hemlo modernizes streamlines to secure future viability and extend mine life Contd from pg 28 Worker gets temperature screening prior to working shift all employees for symptoms mandatory 14day isolation for travelers with pay sitewide social distancing measures and a 230000 community support program that inclu ded support for labour food banks victim services and First Nations needs The pandemic plans includ ed oversight and guid ance from local health unit ofcials as well as the Ministry of Labour personn el to ensure proper pro tocols were both implemented and followed As an example the company conducted more than 17000 health and temperature screenings in the frst quarter of 2020 One of the strategies being implemented by Hem lo durin g the COVID pande mic is to issue gift cer tifcate vouchers specifcally designed to be spent with local businesses hit hard by the global lock down in order to stimulate the local economy The community piece has been huge said Kar en Osadchuk Hemlo Sustainability Manager EXP ANSION With the Hemlo Resource Expansion Project top ping the todo list Foulstone and senior manage ment are now focused on the plan to reinvent the way Hemlo pursues its production goals Our operatio ns at Hemlo needed to be modern ized and streamlined to secure the mine s future viability and to extend its life of mine This included a move to an underground contract mining mod el said Foulstone Based on a series of detailed evaluation feasibility and trade of studies Barrick tendered for an undergrou nd mining contractor to partner with Hemlo in its transition to becoming a more modern mine In March 2020 Barrick signed a letter of intent with Australiabased Barminco as the winning contractor At the time the company felt Barminco would pro vide contract mining services with the objective of improving productivity through industryleading technology and more efcient mining methods at Hemlo s underground operation Barminco s directives inclu ded undertaking mine development production and haulage utilizing mining equipment provided by Barrick Barrick recognizes the importance of changing the way we operate and committing to a more modern mining methodology to ensure Hemlo s future proft ability said Foulstone Barrick and Barminco consulted closely with employ ees the Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Netmizaagamig Nishnaabeg First Nations groups as well as represen tatives of the Marathon Manitouwadge and White Riv er communities ahead of signing the letter of intent T o be blunt said Foulstone Canadian mining meth ods are probably 10 years behind the rest of the world in terms of technology and other approaches W e know that bringing in an international contractor may seem out of the ordinary but the end result is that everyone will beneft from the modern uptodate ex pertise that Barminco brings together with a transfer of skills The expansio n plan includ es just over 19 million for exploration drilling The company estimates the allin bump in production costs will come in at 10oz 2019 production was 213000 ounces and at the time of this article notwithstanding the Covid19 pandemic the target for 2020 was 220000 ounces By contrast 2018 was a disappointing 170000 ounces The company is waiting for corporate approval on the 25 million expansion budget plan which will add an aggressive 19 million increase in reserve potential Hemlo has produced more than 21 million ounces of gold and has been operating continuously for more than 30 years It consists of the Williams minean un derground and open pit operationlocated about 350 kilometers east of Thunder Bay Ontario