Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/855838
64 www.resourceworld.com A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 MINING LION ONE METALS LTD. [LIO-TSXV; LOMLF-OTCQX] holds Fiji's Tuvatu gold project, one of the highest-grade gold min- ing prospects in the world. Led by North Vancouver entrepreneur Walter Berukoff (with Red Lion Management and real estate interests, including First Quay Holdings), Lion One Metals plans to mine the yel- low metal in the near future. Tuvatu, located on the edge of the Navilawa caldera, lies on the same structural linea- ment as the Vatukoula gold mine, near Nadi International Airport on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. A Fijian government ceremony in January 2016 marked the presentation of the mining lease permit for the go-ahead of the Tuvatu Mine, from Prime Minister Bainimarama. With a min- ing lease in place, the next steps for Lion One Metals include awarding contracts for construction of the processing plant and site infrastructure, and beginning to mine and stockpile gold before 2018. Berukoff, Chairman and CEO of Lion One Metals, has a long history of owning and operating various assets worldwide, including more than 20 gold mines in seven countries and real estate ventures in Cuba. Stories of successes have come and gone for Berukoff – resource companies founded, built up, and sold – Miramar, Northern Orion, La Mancha Resources. He values environmental concerns and has a personal interest in organic agriculture. In 2006-2007, Berukoff acquired not only the longest operating gold mine in Fiji from Emperor Mines, but also several other properties on the main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Around that time, a change in government resulted in leadership of Fiji's current Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, who has been encouraging to Lion One Metals' projects. Other people key to Lion One Metals are Stephen Mann, geologist and Managing Director, whose career included gold mining discoveries in Australia; and Ian Chang, Chief Development Officer, who was VP Project Development for Pretium's Brucejack gold project (now producing gold bars). Gold mining has been carried out on Viti Levu at the historic (and currently operat- ing) gold mine of Vatukoula. Vatukoula is one of the large volcanogenic, epithermal gold systems of the South Pacific segment of the Ring of Fire, along with Barrick's Porgera and Newcrest's Lihir in PNG. Since 1933, Vatukoula has produced some 7 million ounces of gold, and contains 21 million tonnes at 6 g/t gold (or from VGM website, mineral resources of 4.1 mil- lion ounces gold and mineral reserves of 750,000 ounces). In 2006-2007, companies controlled by Fiji looking golden for Lion One Metals by Jennifer S. Getsinger, PhD, PGeo