Jason Linklater (left) and Dave Bernier (right) of Foran Mining spoke to the Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce on Thursday about the company's planned mine at McIlvenna Bay near Creighton. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Mining the north

Spring construction planned for McIlvenna Bay mine

Oct 26, 2023 | 5:33 PM

A planned copper and zinc mine in northeast Saskatchewan is set to start construction in the spring with production planned for 2025.

David Bernier, one of Foran Mining’s advisors, spoke at a Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce lunch on Thursday, explaining where the company is now and its schedule going forward.

“We’re really focused on the advanced exploration project, which gets the underground decline advanced and preps the surface for construction in the spring,” said Bernier.

The mine will be below ground and – in an industry first – will use all electric equipment as it aims to meet carbon reduction targets.

The technology to use electric vehicles in mining has existed for 25 years but glitches needed to be worked out and it was expensive to maintain.

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With the fourth generation of batteries now out, the notion has become much more attractive.

Having all electric vehicles reduces the ventilation requirements in the mine along with reducing heating costs. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

Foran has actively started to recruit workers and has recently gone to job fairs in Creighton, Flin Flon, and Pelican Narrows. The company acknowledges that filling the amount of positions needed is going to take some work.

“It’s going to be tough. The market is very tough but we’re working with PBCN (Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation) on a training needs assessment to identify training needs early,” Bernier said.

Foran has agreements with both the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and the Cumberland House Cree Nation and plans to use Indigenous workers and contractors where possible.

“I think it’s a huge opportunity as there is an untapped resource in the back yard. We drove from our mine site to Pelican Narrows, 45 minutes. We go in the other direction, it’s 20 minutes. We have people that are willing to work close to the mine site.”

It takes about two years to get the mine operational and it will last at least 18 years, but Bernier said the company is hoping to go well beyond that.

There is some community resistance to the concept of the mine, but Bernier said that they have visited each of the PBCN communities four or five times each and have been to other communities multiple times as well.

“We are aware there are some concerns, but I don’t think it’s at the elder level,” he said, and pointed out that Foran provided funding to PBCN to hire an independent expert to assess the project.

That took 18 months and “was a super intensive process”, Bernier said. PBCN has created a lands and resources committee that was directed by the band council and had additional community members involved.

In his presentation, Benier said that they have much of the funding they need but will be looking for the remainder.

The McIlvenna Bay mine is near the communities of Flin Flon, Creighton, and Pelican Narrows and will be next to Hanson Lake.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com