The Hope Bay greenstone belt is located in Nunavut, and covers an area of over 1,000 square kilometers. It is located 160 km southwest of Cambridge Bay. Three gold deposits have been defined on the belt thus far: Boston, Doris North, and Madrid. In mid-November, 2005 Newmont Mining Corporation of Canada took a 9.9 percent position in Miramar. In September, 2006 Miramar received the Doris North Project Certificate from the Nunavut Impact Review Board. The issuance of this certificate signified that the project could proceed subject to licensing and permitting conditions. An Inuit Impact & Benefit Agreement (IIBA) was then signed with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association for Doris North. The IIBA ensures that local employment, training, and business opportunities are made available to the Inuit of the Kitikmeot Region. In October, 2007 Newmont Mining Corporation announced they would acquire Miramar Mining, and this deal was formally completed in March, 2008. Additional site preparation included the acquisition and mobilization of construction materials, equipment and plant facilities. Also in 2008, one of the largest exploration programs in Nunavut was implemented, with US$33 million being spent on drilling on various deposits, including Doris, Madrid and Boston. The Nunavut Water Board issued a Type A water license to Newmont for the proposed mining project. Due to the global economic slowdown, work on the project wound down during the last half of 2009. However, at the same time, Newmont announced their intention to focus on the Doris North project itself, and in February, 2010 Kitikmeot Cementation Mining & Development (a joint venture of Kitikmeot Corporation and Cementation Canada) signed a letter of intent with Newmont's Hope Bay Mining Ltd. to carry out the underground mine development for the project. The underground access to the Doris North formation is just the first step in establishing a new world class gold mine, located right in the KItikmeot Region of Nunavut. The economic impact of the project on the communities of the Kitikmeot Region, and on Nunavut itself, is expected to be significant. As of January, 2011 Kitikmeot Corporation has a number of our joint venture partnerships contracted by Newmont/Hope Bay Mining Ltd. at the Hope Bay site. These include Nuna Logistics, Kitikmeot Cementation, Kitikmeot Caterers, Kitikmeot Blasting, Medic North Nunavut, and Kitnuna Corporation. Toromont Arctic Caterpillar is also involved, providing heavy equipment and power generation equipment. Contact: |
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