New Gold’s Blackwater Project, a proposed open pit gold and silver mine, expects to hire 1200 to 1500 workers during construction at its peak, and up to 500 full-time workers to operate the mine.
The proposed mine is located along the northern flanks of Mount Davidson, B.C., approximately 160 kms southwest of Prince George and 110 kms southwest of Vanderhoof.
Blackwater Project’s community manager Claudette Gouger provided the latest updates of the project during a council meeting of the Village of Burns Lake on March 10, 2015.
Gouger said the Blackwater Project has hired more than 550 employees and contractors since 2012. In 2013, an average of 65 percent of employees and contractors were from the local region, and 23 percent were from First Nations communities.
Apart from the commitment to engage the local workforce, the Blackwater Project has also been making significant contributions to the area, said Gouger. Since 2012, over $240 million were spent on goods and services in the region.
The mine’s original construction start date was set for 2015, but has since been moved to a tentative start for 2017.
The project could enter the public comment stage as early as April 2015 as they continue to work on permitting, environmental assessment and consultations with the community and First Nations.
The project is subject to a coordinated federal and provincial environmental review by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office. The environmental assessment process includes up to six public comment periods to ensure the public has the opportunity to review project documents and provide comment.
“The opportunity is coming very soon for people to come to our open houses, provide comments and ask questions,” Gouger said. “People can come into our office for updates, future business employment, contracting or just for information at any time.”
New Gold is an intermediate gold mining company based in Vancouver with operations worldwide including Australia, Mexico, Chile and Canada. Once developed, the Blackwater Project will produce more gold than all other New Gold operations combined. The mine would represent an annual average production of 507,000 ounces of gold and 2,039,000 ounces of silver during 17 years of operations.
For more information, contact the Blackwater Project’s office in Vanderhoof, 250-567-9271.
