Hollinger Open Pit Mine Slowly Progressing Forward

Several hills of piled soil  offer visible signs  that some ground has been broken in the efforts to get  the Hollinger Open Pit Project in Timmins, Ontario underway, but more work will be required before the proposed open pit mine  becomes productive. Electronic signs posting notice of the next blast have been set up for at four locations around the perimeter of the Hollinger site for least a year, but instead of posting blast time they flash safety related messages about driving safely or about working safely.

Progress has been slow since Porcupine Gold a subsidiary of Goldcorp received the okay to proceed from Timmins City Council in the Fall of 2012, but the company is moving ahead with its plans.

The last public statements by Porcupine Gold was made by Project Paul Miller, Hollinger Mine Superintend and Marc Lauzier, General Manager appeared at the October 21, 2013 Timmins City Council meeting. Part of the slowed pace of the Hollinger Open Pit Project was due to applications for environmental compliance approval submitted by Goldcorp to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment..

Miller reported that Ministry of the Environment had delivered a draft Environmental Compliance Approval report to Goldcorp covering work required to minimize air and noise emissions. Goldcorp will provide comments back to the Minister and after that  the next step would for the Ministry to consider Goldcorp’s comments. leading to the issuance of air , water and noise quality permits.

“As far as I can tell, we should be blasting soon,” said Lauzier. “Everything’s on track.”

Lauzier said Goldcorp is committed to operating the Hollinger site in a safe and responsible way for the eight year lifespan and also to rehabilitate the Hollinger site for safe public use.

Lauzier also said that Goldcorp will proceed in a fiscally responsible manner. He told council that a senior executive from Goldcorp was on site in early October and the company was  re-evaluating the project to make sure it still makes economic sense to proceed at the current gold price.

Unlike other gold mining companies who are responding to the lower price of gold with by cutting staff to save on costs to make up for the drop in gold prices, Goldcorp is in good economic shape and  will continue at current staff levels Lauzier assured Timmins Council..

Other updates:

• The haul road from the Hollinger property to the mill near Schumacher is complete, including an eight-metre-high berm along the North side adjacent to homes.

• A pumping system has been has opened at the McIntyre head frame, and crews will continue to remediate mine hazards located below the planned berm around the Hollinger pit.

• Goldcorp rerouted a source of snowmelt on from the Hollinger property that caused water to settle on under the trailers of residents of Fairway Village. The property damage protocol was followed with inspection, recommendations and compensation for any damage.

• The city will hire consults to monitor for noise and vibrations from blasting and operational activity.

• A concept design of the rehabilitated property is centred on the creation of a small lake after water infiltrates the mined out open pit. It will feature a beach on the west side of the proposed lake that will be accessible through a parking lot where the Shania Twain Centre used to be.