Mining companies strike golden partnership

Two mining companies are teaming up to bring a golden future to Timmins.

Tahoe Resources and Lakeshore Gold both say the merger isn’t changing much, but allows them to get several projects off the ground running quicker.

Tahoe Executive Chair and CEO Kevin McCarthur says one of those projects is sinking the Bell Creek Shaft deeper, which will “double production at the Bell Creek Mine.”

Others include expanding the Bell Creek mill and accelerated exploration of the Timmins West mine.

He says the hope for the Timmins West mine is to find 2-4 million ounces of reserves and resources over the next four years.

Currently, there is a joint venture with Goldcorp on the Whitney project.

“It’s a possible open pit opportunity that needs permitting and a lot of work still,” says McCarthur, “But the old underground Hallnor mine has a lot of exploration potential.”

“We expect that one day, we’ll be mining underground there also.”

Another chapter of mining history is written with this development.  And with the shut down of underground operations at the Dome Mine later this year, this is a new opportunity for those workers to find new jobs as with more work ahead, the bodies will surely be needed.

McCarthur used Dome as an example when asked about the long-term viability of the mine.

“This district has been here for over 100 years, but none of these mines ever had more than four or five years of reserves ahead of them,” he said, “It’s because they continued to discover more and more.”

“I believe we’ll be here for decades.”