Goldcorp has signed an Impacts and Benefits Agreement (IBA) with three First Nation communities for the development and operation of the Borden Gold project near the town of Chapleau in northeastern Ontario.
The formal signing of the IBA follows successful negotiations with the three First Nations, and is a milestone marking the first time these three First Nation communities are involved with a mining project.
The IBA outlines provisions for environmental and health protections that combine innovation and the use of modern technology to develop Borden Gold into Canada's first all-electric underground mine, eliminating the use of vehicles powered by fossil fuels. The agreement also includes provisions for employment and training, and business and contracting opportunities, along with a framework for regulatory permitting.
Extraction of a 30,000-tonne bulk sample is underway and commercial operation of the mine is anticipated to begin in 2019. Ore will be trucked to Goldcorp’s Porcupine group in Timmins, 200 kilometres to the northeast, for processing.
