Marathon mine builder inks consultation agreement with Métis Marathon mine builder inks consultation agreement with Mtis Nation
Generation Mining's proposed palladium, copper pit could create 1,000 construction jobs, 400 mining jobs
Northern Ontario Business Staff
(Generation Mining photo) An open-pit mine developer on the north shore of Lake Superior has signed a consultation and process agreement with the Mtis Nation of Ontario (MNO).
Generation Mining said the agreement sets out principles to guide the still-developing relationship between the two parties and puts them on a path to reach a community benefit agreement.
The Toronto-based company is preparing to build its Marathon Palladium Copper Project, located roughly 10 kilometres north of the community of the same name.
The company is out raising financing for the $665-million open-pit and processing mill development while it awaits the outcome of a combined federal and provincial environmental assessment (EA) of the project.
Engaging with the Mtis Nation and area First Nation communities in the vicinity of the proposed mine is part of the step-by-step consultation and regulatory process to advance the Marathon Project through the EA and to receive government permits to begin construction.
The company anticipates starting commercial mining production, tentatively, in late 2023 or early 2024. Those timelines are influenced by when two levels of government approves the project and issues key permits. Gen Mining is confident that might take place by the middle of this year, with construction conceivably starting as early as September or October.
The development promises to deliver more than 1,000 construction jobs and 400 permanent mining jobs over a projected 13-year mine life.
“I look forward to working with the staff of GenPGM into the future and seeing the GenPGM mine benefiting all of the region and the company long into the future,” said Mtis Nation Regional Councillor Tim Sinclair in a statement issued Feb. 15.
“We value the relationship with MNO and are very pleased to have them as a partner in our Marathon Palladium Project," added Gen Mining president-CEO Jamie Levy.
Late last month, Gen Mining inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (formerly known as Pic River), the closest First Nation community to the future mine site. The agreement would provide for future business, training and employment opportunities linked to the project, including sole-sourcing some contracts to allow the community and local businesses to gain some of the economic benefits from the mine.