HINT HINT
Shelley upbeat about King's Point mine
potential
Baie Verte PC MHA Paul Shelley and the King's Point Mining and
Development Committee met last month with Steven McAlpine of
Richmont Mines to discuss the potential for a new mine near King's
Point.
While things are only yet at the initial stage, the company is interested
in the Hammerdown deposit near King's Point, which was discovered
about 13 years ago, in 1987, according to Shelley.
The MHA and the committee are both impressed that a mining
company of the caliber of Richmont Mines is interested in further
development in the province.
"Richmont Mines operates the only gold-producing mine in
Newfoundland right now and is considered one of the most efficient,
low-cost mineral producers in all of Canada, so we are talking about a
first-rate company," said Shelley.
He added that the company's work with respect to the Hammerdown
deposit is only yet at the initial stage and much must be done before
the company determines whether it will proceed with development
plans.
"We fully understand the company is proceeding on this with due
diligence by first conducting confirmation drilling to see if the deposit
is worth the effort of moving ahead towards production."
"Both the committee and I agree that a lot of work remains to be done
here before things reach the stage of mine development," continued
Shelley.
"We also agree that many questions regarding the mode of
development must be answered before things proceed to the next
stage. We believe the public in the area should have all the information
before anything proceeds."
The MHA is upbeat about the company's interest in the area. "Any new
mine will mean new economic activity and new jobs, and that is
something our area is very interested in attracting. Remember that
every new job in the mining industry creates as many as three new
spin-off jobs elsewhere in the community, so it is the kind of industry
that can kick-start strong economic activity in the area," he said.
"Hopefully this expression of interest by Richmont Mines is a positive
sign of better things to come for our area. Hopefully it will encourage
more mineral exploration in the Green Bay area, which I believe has
tremendous mineral potential."
Happy New Years
Stephen Joy |
