Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/638235
12 www.resourceworld.com f e b r u a r y / m a r c h 2 0 1 6 C ertain mining regions help shape national fortunes: the diamond fields of South Africa's Northern Cape, the silver and gold districts of Nevada, or the old coal-producing valleys of south- ern Wales are just some that spring to mind. For Canada, a key region was and is the Abitibi Gold Belt. Heading from west to east, it roughly stretches from Wawa in Ontario across the provincial border deep into Québec. The northeast end includes Chibougamau, while classic mining names pepper the ground between, including Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Matachewan, Rouyn-Noranda and the appropriately- named Val d'Or, the valley of gold. The belt has produced 170 million ounces of gold since 1901. While gold is the big ticket item, base metals and other mineral opportunities are available, with the Kidd Creek operation notable in this regard. New discoveries and exploration opportunities continue to be tapped in the Belt, a testament not only to its geology but also to companies work- ing hard to advance their projects in the face of the current down cycle. That being said, a company is only as good as its staff and management – and, as always, it is up to the investor to separate the wheat from the chaff. Abcourt mines inc. [ABI-TSXV; AML- Berlin, FSE] is advancing five projects in the region with its flagship, the Elder gold mine near Rouyn-Noranda. It had stockpiled around 6,730 tonnes of mineral- ized material during Q1 ended September 30. It recorded sales of gold and silver at more than $5.21 million. In July 2015, the company signed a deal with Camflo Inc. to process Elder ore, with Abcourt com- mitted to delivering a minimum of 10,000 tonnes per month to the Camflo mill. Abitibi royalties inc. [RZZ-TSXV] seeks royalties in mining projects. It has a 3% net smelter return (NSR) royalty on the eastern portion of Québec's Canadian Malartic Mine, operated as a joint venture (JV) by Agnico Eagle and Yamana Gold. The NSR also encompasses the Odyssey North discovery. On December 14, the company announced letters of intent with Golden Valley mines ltd. [GZZ-TSXV] to acquire a 2% NSR in two sets of claims south and southwest of Agnico Eagle's Lapa Mine and the Pandora JV under Going for gold in ABiTiBi by Simon Rees