NEWS OUT!!!!!!!!!TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - AuRico Metals Inc. (TSX: AMI), ("AuRico" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the acquisition of Mineral Streams Inc. ("Mineral Streams"), a private company owning a 0.25% NSR royalty on the Williams mine at Barrick Gold Corporation's ("Barrick") Hemlo complex, a 0.5% NSR royalty on Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd.'s ("Wesdome") Eagle River mine, and a 1.5% NSR royalty on Barrick'sDavid Bell property, which also forms part of the Hemlo complex.
Pursuant to the share purchase agreement between AuRico and each shareholder of Mineral Streams, AuRico will pay C$6,850,000 for all of the outstanding shares of Mineral Streams at closing. Net of Mineral Streams' positive working capital of about C$1 million, AuRico's acquisition cost is approximately C$5.9 million. Consideration will consist of 50% cash (for a total of C$3,425,000) and 4,753,951 AuRico Metals shares.
"We are very excited to be announcing this acquisition – our first investment to grow our royalty portfolio – only two months into our existence as AuRico Metals," commented Chris Richter, President and CEO. "The Hemlo – Williams and Eagle River royalties are an excellent fit within our portfolio of high quality cash flowing royalties located in top tier jurisdictions, and together with the Young-Davidson and David Bell royalties we now have four royalties in Ontario giving us exposure to some of the best gold mines in the province."
About Hemlo - Williams:
- The Williams mine is part of the Hemlo complex which is an underground and open pit mine operated by Barrick and located approximately 350 kilometres east of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
- Hemlo produced 206,000 ounces of gold in 2014 and is expected to produce between 200,000 and 225,000 ounces in 2015 (See Barrick'sguidance per February 18, 2015 press release at www.barrick.com).
- The Hemlo complex began production in 1985 and has produced over 24 million ounces to date. Hemlo has had a strong history of replacing reserves for the last 15 years.
About Eagle River:
- The Eagle River mine has been in continuous production since 1995 and has produced over 1 million ounces of gold. The mine is operated by Wesdome and is located approximately 50 kilometres west of Wawa, Ontario.
- Eagle River produced 48,190 ounces of gold in 2014, and has a long history of replacing reserves.
- Significant upside exists from continued exploration of identified ore zones and their possible inclusion in future mine plans.
The share issuance is conditional on TSX approval, and closing of the transaction is expected to occur on or about September 15, 2015.
Qualified Persons
John Fitzgerald is AuRico Metals' Chief Operating Officer and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Fitzgerald has reviewed and approved the technical information related to Hemlo – Williams and Eagle River in this press release.
About AuRico Metals
AuRico Metals is a mining royalty and development company whose cornerstone assets include a 1.5% NSR on the Young-Davidson Gold Mine, located in Ontario, Canada, a 2% NSR on the Fosterville Mine, located in Victoria, Australia, and 100% ownership of the advanced Kemess Project in British Columbia, Canada. AuRico Metals' goal is to deliver sustained value creation for the company's many stakeholders. AuRico Metals' head office is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Cautionary Statement