Board of Advisors

Peter Hubacheck, P.GEO

 

Mr. Peter Hubacheck is a consulting geologist and President of W. A. Hubacheck Consultants Ltd. He has over 42 years of experience as a project geologist, exploration manager and Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101, with experience in the exploration for gold, silver, base metals, uranium and diamonds in Canada and the USA.

 

His interest in diamonds began in 1989 to 1992 with the discovery of the Diamond lake #1 and #2 pipe while exploring for gold along the Kirkland-Larder Lake Break on behalf of Sudbury Contact Mines Ltd. In 1995, the Geological Survey of Canada collaborated with the company on a research effort called “the Diamond Lake Kimberlite Study.”  From 1993 to 1999, he formed an expert team of explorationists who conducted regional till, esker and RC drilling programs expanding the search area southward from the Kirkland Lake Kimberlite field into the Temiskaming Rift Valley. High resolution airborne magnetic/resistivity surveys along with radar were used to identify prospective kimberlite targets. A proprietary ranking system was employed for target selection and ground truthing resulting in the discovery of four kimberlite pipes in 1995 and 1996, most notably diamondiferous pipes 95-2 and 96-1.

 

In 2000, his firm was contracted by the Ontario Geologic Survey completing a major Modern Alluvium Sampling Program in the Kapuskasing-Fraserdale Area as part of the Operation Treasure Hunt Project as well the Fort Hope Lake sediment sampling program.

 

In 2005, his firm completed a follow-up OGS till pit/modern alluvial sampling program for Tahera Diamond Corporation in northcentral Ontario.

 

From 2011 to 2013, he initiated ground acquisition followed up by modern alluvial and till sampling programs for diamonds and gold in South Lorrain and Lorrain Townships.

 

In 2016, he evaluated a magnetic diorite intrusion containing heavy rare earth elements located in Liaoning Province in China. He served on the boards of Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (1996-1998), Contact Diamond Corporation (2004-2006), Sheltered Oak Resources (2008 to 2013) and joined the board of Plato Gold Corp. in 2011 to the present.

 

Gary Grabowski – P.GEO, OGS (retired)

 

Mr. Grabowski was District Geologist for the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines’ Resident Geologist Program (RGP) in Kirkland Lake for more than 35 years. The Kirkland Lake RGP office area is responsible for the Area adjacent to the Quebec border from north of Lake Abitibi (Burntbush) to south of Temagami, including mining camps in Matheson, Kirkland Lake- Larder Lake, Matachewan, Cobalt, Gowganda and Shining Tree. During his tenure with the Ontario government, Mr. Grabowski was responsible for monitoring, facilitating and stimulating exploration, development and production of the district’s mineral resources and providing professional technical advice and information about the district’s geology and mineral potential to a wide range of client groups.

 

Early in his career with the OPS, he became involved with diamond exploration efforts in the Kirkland Lake – New Liskeard area, beginning in 1981 with the discovery of kimberlite boulders in gravel pits in the Larder Lake area and the discovery of kimberlite pipes in the area by Lac Minerals and Monopros Ltd. (De Beers). In the late 1980s, he provided assistance to Chuck Fipke when he was collecting kimberlite samples for his GSC report.

 

He has visited three operating diamond mines (Ekati, Diavik and Victor) and attended at numerous drill programs searching for kimberlite. He has authoured recommendations for diamond exploration in the OGS Resident Geologist Reports of Activities. In 2005, he published the results of his diamond in lamprophyre project, the highlight of which was recovering 23 microdiamonds in a lamprophyre dyke at the Nipissing Mine in Cobalt.

 

He is currently a director of both the Northern Prospectors Association and the Ontario Prospectors Association. He is also a Fellow of the Geological Association of Canada.

 

Gary has a BSc from Lakehead University, 1975.

 

Martin Ethier P.GEO

 

Martin Ethier is a consulting geologist (Hinterland Geoscience & Geomatics) and has worked since 2001 as a geologist/remote sensing/GIS specialist in the mining industry on a variety of exploration projects such as diamond-bearing kimberlites, silver-cobalt deposits, gold, Ni-Cu-PGE and in the industrial mineral industry including graphite, sand/gravel deposits and rock quarries.

 

Diamond exploration has been a strong interest throughout his schooling and career. He has contributed in the discoveries of numerous Kimberlites (pipes and dykes) in NE Ontario-NW Quebec corridor. Working on the large Lapointe Kimberlite (Tres-Or Resources Ltd.) has been a major highlight – from data integration-till sampling to discovery drilling and large Diameter sampling (50 tons).

 

Martin Ethier graduated from Mount Allison University in Sackville New Brunswick (1997). In addition, he completed an intensive Post Graduate Advanced Diploma in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems from the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS) in Lawrencetown Nova Scotia (1998). He obtained a Master’s of Science Degree in Geology from Acadia University in Wolfville Nova Scotia (2001).

 

Jim Mackay

 

Jim started his geology/mining career by graduating from the Haileybury School of Mines.  He then went to work in exploration for Texas Gulf Sulphur in the Timmins area for several years, and married to Nancy Thoday from Haileybury.  Jim then went to the South Dakota School of Mines where he earned degrees in Geological Engineering and a Masters in Mining Engineering.  Jim’s wife Nancy also got her Masters degree in Mining Engineering; the first female ever in the history of the school.

 

Jim worked for a year on the iron range in Minnesota before being hired by Ingersoll Rand and sent to Arizona.  After a few years with Ingersoll Rand, Jim decided to start his own business which grew to several successful companies focused on the mining business.   After 28 years, Jim sold his company and retired in 2011.

 

Jim was first interested in RJK when his brother Rob (Now VP of Corporate Development) told him about RJK acquiring the Bishop properties south of Cobalt, on February 5, 2019.  Both Rob and Jim remembered their Geology Professor, Dan Atchison, from the Haileybury School of Mines telling the mining school students that he hoped a graduate would be the one who found the source of the 800 Carat Nipissing Diamond.  Jim decided to join his fellow Haileybury School of Mines graduates associated with RJK Explorations to discover the source of the 800 Carat Nipissing Diamond.

 

Gino Chitaroni

 

Gino Chitaroni a lifelong resident of the Cobalt-Coleman area.  His father and brothers were former silver mine owners and operators in the 1960-70s.  Gino is a graduate of the Haileybury School of Mines and then went on to obtain a Degree in Geology with a minor in Business at Lake Superior State University.  Gino is currently the President of the Northern Prospectors Association along with a board member of the Ontario Prospectors Association.  He has served on the Cobalt town council for 17 years and currently is the President of Polymet Resources Inc. (Polymet Labs) and  Blackstone Development Inc.  Gino has consulted and worked for numerous mining and exploration companies including Agnico-Eagle Mines, EGO-Resources/Cobatec, United Commodity, and Teck-Corona.  Gino played a key role in advising and negotiating the land package acquired by RJK in 2019 and is eager to join his fellow Haileybury School of Mine Graduates in the search for the source of the Nipissing Diamond.