Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/119004
non-toxic replacement for lead; it is also used in the antacid medication, PeptoBismol. NICO's mine life is expected to be almost 20 years. To be able to function in the area for those two decades and truly reach the maximum mineral potential, Fortune Minerals plans on investing heavily in required infrastructure. "Infrastructure is definitely something we are very aware of in the Northwest Territories because you have to be operating in an area that has the potential to be developed if you're successful in finding a mineral deposit and that's all about being relatively close to infrastructure," says Goad. Subject to financing, Fortune Minerals expects to have construction underway at the mine by next year. One of the first major items on the list is the construction of a year-round road, which would run from the local communities of Whati, Gamete, and Behchoko to the site. There is also talk of taking on a hydro project in the future, but all of these ven- APRIL 2013 tures come with a big price tag. "The Northwest Territories is an expensive place to do business. It has a high cost of living, labour is expensive and typically the projects that you explore are fly-in/ fly-out projects," explains Goad. "We have winter road access to our site, which is good for bringing in some of our bulk materials, but the more day-to-day access to the site was by aircraft." Fortune Minerals has about $20 million in financing and Goad says the company is looking at strategic investment from companies in places like China, Japan and South Korea. Another expensive issue is skilled labour access and high levels of staff turnover. Due to the shortage of skilled labour in the north, many of these workers must be flown in, explains Goad. "Certain types of labour are hard to source; however, it's not so difficult to find people to drive pit trucks or to do less skilled labour," says Goad. "But skilled trades are certainly a challenge all over Canada, not just in the North, and [it is difficult] to attract them to a rotational work schedule and a camp facility, [and] it's expensive to bring them in." Goad adds that having a Fortune Minerals refinery in Saskatchewan has helped to mitigate staff turnover due to its more southern location. Engineers, metallurgists, and other skilled workers at the refinery are not on a rotational schedule and can commute home at the end of the day, which increases employee retention. One of the more ground-breaking aspects of this project is that it will be one of the first mines to get underway in the NWT following devolution in the territory – meaning regulatory powers and responsibility will shift from federal to territorial jurisdiction. "We've been doing this department by department – [mining] is the last of the big transfers," explains Shaleen Woodward, executive director, www.resourceworld.com 35