Gowest picks Dumas to resume underground work at Bradshaw deposit
Gowest Gold has hired a contractor to resume underground work at its Bradshaw Gold Deposit near Timmins.
The company announced on February 23 that it has awarded a four-year contract to mining contractor Dumas Contracting Ltd.
The contractor has already begun moving equipment to the site and is rapidly ramping up the mobilization process in ahead of restarting work in April.
Based in Timmins, Dumas specializes in mine construction and development, production mining and engineering. It is the primary contractor working at numerous mines throughout the Americas, including several in northern Ontario.
“We are extremely pleased to have Dumas, with their extensive experience and focus on safety, as our long-term partner in restarting mining activities at Bradshaw,” said Gowest President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Gagnon. “At the same time, now that we have the significant financial support of several of our major shareholders, we are also quickly advancing on several related fronts. This includes hiring personnel, mobilizing equipment, ordering consumables and other preparations to ensure Bradshaw’s success as the next new gold mine in the Timmins camp.”
Gowest also announced that it had secured a $25-million investment from Greenwater Investment Hong Kong Limited and Lush Land Investment Canada that it will use to restart operations at the mine.
The first underground work will focus on the development and production of the initial bulk sample area (East Zone), the development of ventilation infrastructure, as well as the development of a ramp to expand and access new ore zones.
Gowest says it is also working towards finalizing an agreement for milling Bradshaw’s ore and is working with several parties to determine the optimal approach for handling the gold concentrate.
The company’s only asset is the Bradshaw deposit. A 2015 preliminary economic assessment placed an indicated resource estimated at 2.1 million tonnes.