Argonaut Gold continues to progress on the construction of the Magino Mine

The Argonaut Gold, Magino Project team continues to engage with community members and all Indigenous communities to ensure their neighbours are well informed of all activities with the Project.
Argonaut continues to assemble and mobilize their teams and build infrastructure. They’ve continued configuration of the IT and Communications internal network, generators for the 458-person camp are being installed, sections of the dorm buildings have been transitioned from temporary sewer infrastructure to permanent and hydrant and waterline installation was completed.

Project Updates (March 2022)
The Magino construction project continues to advance on schedule for first gold pour by March 31, 2023.
We’ve also added a project progress aerial flyover video which can be viewed on our website on the Magino Project page at: https://www.argonautgold.com/English/assets/development/magino/default.aspx

A summary of progress in February includes:
 

SITE WORKS & CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS
Site works and construction milestones include:

•    Completed rebar, formwork, and concrete pour of perimeter wall in sections of the grid of the Process Building.
•    Completed torquing and plumbing intermediate purlin supports squaring up the building structure.
•    Continued installation of the cladding assembly, SAG mill rebar, formwork and shoring for floor slab at the reclaim, and backfill and excavation along bund walls and footings.
•    Overburden removal and rock placement in the North, Northwest, and Southwest embankments for the Water Quality Control Pond (WQCP), with 75% complete stripping and 48% rock placed.
•    Rockfill for Tailings Management Facility approximately 40% complete.
•    Continued tree logging, clearing and hauling.

 

ENVIRONMENT, PERMITTING & COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Our team continues to engage with community members and all Indigenous communities to ensure our neighbours are well informed of all activities with the Project.  

Key highlights include:

•    Fish Habitat Compensation Area work included: stripping of peat on overburden, placement of topsoil, tree piles, and boulder clusters in the Spring Lake Extension, drilling of the rock outcrop within the McVeigh Creek Realignment, and dewatering the excavation footprint.
•    Meetings with the Mayors and Councilors for the communities of Dubreuilville, Wawa and White River to discuss an overview of the construction progression, project updates and employment statistics. These meetings included a discussion on a socio-economic study being conducted by Wood PLC on the engagement of communities relating to topics such as housing, immigration, recreation, and transportation.
•    Meetings with Red Sky Metis Independent Nation, Metis Nation of Ontario and Missanabie Cree First Nation Environmental Committees to provide environmental updates on the project.
•    Participated in a Career Fair with Confederation College.
•    Donated to the Wawa Minor Hockey Association for a sponsorship for the Northern Ontario Hockey Association Tournament of Champions.
•    Sponsored local Health & Safety radio advertisements for Wawa’s Annual Ice Fishing Derby.

 

PRE-PRODUCTION MINING

Pre-production mining continues:

•    Continued reverse circulation (RC) ore control drilling.
•    WA900 and third DI650i equipment commissioned.
•    Drilling and blasting at the WQCP continues.

MOBILIZING TEAMS & CAMPS

We continue to assemble and mobilize our teams and build infrastructure and have made the following progress:

  •    Booster station for wifi internet access for the camp delivered.
•    Nursing station and COVID testing trailers connected to permanent power.
•    Telephone landlines installed.

PROJECT TIMELINE & UPCOMING MILESTONES

During the next few weeks, upcoming milestones include:

•    Continue TMF and WQCP overburden stripping and rockfill.
•    Continue Spring Lake Fish Habitat construction and continue Goudreau Fish Habitat access road construction.
•    Continue pit dewatering.
•    Completion of Truck Shop construction.

As Argonaut progresses on the construction of Magino, they are committed to updating their shareholders during this process as they execute on their strategy to transform Argonaut from a high-cost, junior producer with relatively short mine lives to a lower-cost intermediate producer with much longer mine lives. 

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