February 2013
Spanish Mountain Gold Community Bulle5n / February 2013
Community Bulle4n
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Happy New Year from the Spanish Mountain Gold team! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season, had 5me to relax, and enjoyed bringing in the New Year with your family and friends.
We expect 2013 to be an exci5ng year as we con5nue to advance the Spanish Mountain Gold Project. At the end of 2012, Spanish Mountain Gold announced the results of the Spanish Mountain Project’s updated Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA). The results of the updated PEA demonstrate the poten5al technical and economic viability of establishing a gold mine and mill complex on the Project. The updated PEA has provided Spanish Mountain Gold with the economic confidence required to move forward into a feasibility study. The full updated PEA document is now available on the website at www.spanishmountaingold.com. We want to hear from you!
This newsle@er is driven by you, our neighbours. We look forward to hearing from you! Do you have ques5ons or comments about the project or the explora5on/mining industry? Are there events you want us to a@end or jobs you want to learn more about? Or maybe you just want to say “Hi” and introduce yourself? Please don’t hesitate to contact us! SMG has several mechanisms for you to ask ques5ons on the proposed Project.
Please visit the community website at: www.spanishmountaingold.com/community.
Email us at: [email protected] or call us toll free at: 1 877 601 3651.
“Like” us on the new Spanish Mountain Gold Facebook page at:
h@ps://www.facebook.com/spanishmountaingold. Our Facebook page provides up to date informa5on on the Project with links to community bulle5ns, photos and no5fica5ons of community mee5ngs and events. We look forward to hearing from you!
Spanish Mountain Gold has recently appointed Rothschild, a global financial advisory company, as an advisor to help raise funds on the market and/or to iden5fy prospec5ve partners to help us advance the Project. Oden during challenging fiscal climates, companies seek assistance from financial advisors such as Rothschild, to come up with crea5ve ways to raise money. Rothschild is a large interna5onal company with a wealth of experience in the mining sector. Spanish Mountain Gold is excited about the future of the Project and looks forward to working with such a renowned advisory group.
In 2013, Spanish Mountain Gold will focus on addi5onal explora5on ac5vi5es including infill drilling, engineering work, par5cipa5ng in the Federal and Provincial Environmental Assessment processes and ini5a5ng a feasibility study on the Project. A feasibility study is a comprehensive study of a mineral deposit in which all relevant factors are considered in sufficient detail to serve as the basis for a financial ins5tu5on to decide whether to provide monies for mine development. Relevant factors include everything from mine design and engineering, to environmental and socio-­‐economic considera5ons, to costs and risks. Spanish Mountain Gold would use a feasibility study to jus5fy and support mine development. Feasibility studies typically take up to 12 months to complete so we don’t expect to have this report un5l 2014.
No dates have been set, but we hope to return to the field in the late-­‐spring/early summer to begin our 2013 field season. We look forward to seeing you then!
Spanish Mountain Gold Community Bulle5n / February 2013
Environmental Assessment Process
Spanish Mountain Gold Community Bulle5n / February 2013 Bri4sh Columbia Environmental Assessment Process
The BC Environmental Assessment Office (BC EAO) and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) are conduc5ng a harmonized Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Project. Where are we at in the Environmental Assessment?
Spanish Mountain Gold is s5ll in the pre-­‐applica5on stage of the EA process. We have been working with our independent environmental consultants, the Provincial-­‐Federal led Working Group (consis5ng of local, regional, provincial and federal representa5ves and representa5ves of the Williams Lake Indian Band, Xat’sull Na5on and Lhtako Dene Na5on) and regulators to ensure that all necessary and relevant studies and informa5on have been iden5fied and included in the drad Applica5on Informa5on Requirements document. What is the Applica4on Informa4on Requirements Document?
The Applica5on Informa5on Requirements (AIR) is an important document because it lays out what issues will be addressed in the assessment and what informa5on must be included in the final applica5on (e.g. baseline studies, approach to assess cumula5ve impacts etc.). The process for developing the AIR begins with the company preparing a drad AIR. The BC EAO and CEA Agency then seek feedback on the drad AIR from First Na5ons, the Working Group and the public. Public input is obtained through pos5ng the drad AIR on the ePic website (listed below), issuing an RSS feed to interested par5es, specifying a period and process for public wri@en input, and a public open house.
Can I review and provide comment on the draF AIR?
There will be a minimum of one formal public comment period during the pre-­‐applica5on stage. Government regula5ons require that communi5es be no5fied of public comment periods at least 7 days in advance. Most oden this no5ce is done through the newspaper and other community media. During this period the drad AIR will be made available on the BC EAO website for review and comment. An open house will also be organized by the BC EAO to solicit in-­‐person feedback. Spanish Mountain Gold will ensure it provides more informa5on around the 5ming of the public comment period on its website, its Facebook page and through a special community bulle5n, as it is made available from the BC EAO. Why is it important to par4cipate in the EA process?
The EA process ensures that the public has an opportunity to have their concerns and ques5ons addressed in rela5on to projects that may affect them. The goal of the EA process is to ensure that major projects meet the goals of environmental, economic and social sustainability. Par5cipa5ng in the official EA process ensures that your concerns and ques5ons are documented and responded too.
Where can I find more informa4on?
Informa5on regarding the Environmental Assessment process for the Spanish Mountain Gold Project is published on the BC EAO and CEA Agency website. You can browse related documents at the BC EAO Project Informa5on Centre (e-­‐PIC) at h@p://a100.gov.bc.ca/
appsdata/epic/html/deploy/epic_project_home_373.html or at the CEAA Internet registry at h@p://www.ceaa-­‐acee.gc.ca/050/details-­‐eng.cfm?evalua5on=63917. Spanish Mountain Gold Community Bulle5n / February 2013 Spanish Mountain Gold Community Bulle5n / February 2013
DID YOU KNOW??
* Each and every Bri5sh Columbian uses almost 50,000 pounds (23,000 kilograms) of mined products each year. This includes, but isn’t limited to, gold, silver, copper and molybdenum. Did you know that is the combined weight of over 100 snowmobiles!
* When you brush your teeth, turn on a light, drive your car, take a bus, ride your bike, put on the television, use a camera or telephone, you are using items that came from mining.
* In 2011, more than 29,000 people were employed in B.C.’s mineral explora5on, mining and related sectors, mostly in rural B.C. Photo credit: Le2 & Right BC AMTA
One of the ac5vi5es Spanish Mountain Gold hopes to conduct up at site this season is a Seismic Refrac5on Survey. This is a new type of ac5vity never conducted on site before so we wanted to take this opportunity to discuss it with you. What is a Seismic Refrac4on Survey?
Seismic refrac5on surveys are a type of geophysical survey that helps companies be@er understand below surface geological characteris5cs such as the type of bedrock and fault loca5ons. Generally when seismic surveys are conducted, an elas5c wave is sent into the earth and each layer of the Earth reflects a por5on of the wave’s energy back. How does it work?
Geophones or sensors are planted in the ground with a stake and connected by geophone cables (looks like a basic cable). With a hand shovel approximately 5 – 7 “shot points” are placed in small “shot holes” at the beginning, end and within the cable length. A small piece of dynamite and a zero delay-­‐
blas5ng cap are then planted; the charge is hooked up to the voltage and the shot points are detonated in order. Once this has been completed, the cables, etc. are picked up and moved further along and the ac5vity is repeated.
The team then reviews the results on a seismograph to help determine the nature and depth of the subsurface.
* The average salary in the mining industry in B.C.
is $108,000.
* In 2010, B.C. produced 196 million kilograms of copper valued at $1.4 billion, or enough to use in more than one million homes. You can find copper in the pipes for water and electricity, in the wiring of electronic items like the phone, computer and television, lights, taps, even doorknobs!
Explora4on Methods
Photo credit: BC AMTA
Block the road when blas4ng nearby. Geophone cables across the road.
Dig hole for charge. Detonator box visible.
Insert charge with detonator. Detonator not aOached to trigger un4l much later.
Dig hole and get ready to insert the charge.
Reviewing the results.
All clear!
Blast!
Ready to blast with computerized trigger.
Spanish Mountain Gold Community Bulle5n / February 2013
Career FAQs
There will be many exci5ng employment possibili5es at Spanish Mountain Gold if the project moves into construc5on and opera5on. Each of these posi5ons, along with informa5on on training can be found in the Jobs Directory available in the community sec5on of the Spanish Mountain Gold website.
This month’s career highlight is a Millwright!
Career Highlight: Millwright
Millwrights are responsible for the installa5on, maintenance and repair of sta5onary machinery including assembling, aligning, troubleshoo5ng, inspec5ng, dismantling and moving machinery and equipment. Other tasks that are performed may include welding, cuung and machining as well as blueprint reading. Millwrights specialize in two areas: 1) construc5on millwrights are mostly engaged in the ini5al installa5on of industrial plant
machinery and equipment; and, 2) industrial millwrights Photo credit: BCIT Millwright
maintain and repair machinery and equipment ader it is installed. Millwrights are designated as an Industrial Mechanic under the inter-­‐provincial Red Seal program.
The best part about becoming a Millwright is your profession is always in demand! Millwrights work in many different industries including construc5on, assembly plants and power sta5ons. The world is at your feet!
Millwright training programs are available at Thompson Rivers University, the College of New Caledonia, College of the Rockies, BCIT, Kwantlen Polytechnic, and Northern Lights College. A millwright appren5ce must complete a four-­‐year program including a combina5on of workplace and school hours of training. Appren5ceship programs are a combina5on of on-­‐the-­‐job training and school, which means that when you are on-­‐the-­‐job you are working and earning a salary. Following the four-­‐year program a passing grade on the interprovincial exam will result in the BC Cer5ficate of Appren5ceship, the BC Cer5ficate of Qualifica5on and the Interprovincial Standard Endorsement, also known as the Red Seal.
Spanish Mountain Gold Community Bulle5n / February 2013 More informa4on can be found at: College of New Caledonia: h@p://www.cnc.bc.ca/CNC_Programs/Industrial_Mechanic__Millwright__Machinist.htm Trades Training BC:
h@p://www.tradestrainingbc.ca/appren5ceship/schedules/194 Are you currently hiring for the Project?
While Spanish Mountain Gold is not hiring at this 5me, we do welcome resumes from interested candidates for future posi5ons. Please send your resume to
[email protected]. Make Sure to Check out BC AMTA in Williams Lake!
Photo credit: Kwantlen Millwright
The Bri5sh Columbia Aboriginal Mine Training Associa5on (BC AMTA) has a new office in Williams Lake. Program Coach Cici Sterri@ can help you start of your future career in the mining industry.
For more informa5on about BCAMTA check out the website at: h@p://www.bcamta.ca/ or visit the Program Coach Cici Sterri@ at their Williams Lake loca5on. You can contact Cici Sterri@ at csterri@@bcamta.ca or at 250 392 8102 or toll free at 1 855 614 9959.