GOLD: Quebec gov’t okays moving road for Canadian Malartic expansion

[caption id="attachment_1003718131" align="aligncenter" width="694"] Map including the Odyssey deposit east of the Canadian Malartic pits. (Image: Agnico Eagle Mines)[/caption] QUEBEC – The Quebec government has given the okay to the proposed $200 million expansion of the Canadian Malartic gold mine in the town of Malartic 25 km west of Val d’Or. The mine is a joint venture of Toronto’s Agnico Eagle Mines and Yamana Gold. Before a new pit can be developed, Highway 117 will have to be moved at a cost of $53 million. The diversion will allow access to the Barnat zone where mining could extend the life of Canadian Malartic a further six years to 2017. The provincial okay comes with several conditions, five of which relate to noise management. Noise and dust are common complaints from communities close to open pits. The partners have also been drilling been the Odyssey North and South zones east of the pit. The inferred resource delivered late last year is 10.3 million tonnes grading 2.15 g/t gold or 700,000 contained oz. Agnico says the deposit appears to have bulk tonnage, underground potential, similar to the company’s nearby Goldex mine. Additional information about the Canadian Malartic mine is posted at www.AgnicoEagle.com.