JULY 2024
NOTIFICATION OF SITE ACTIVITIES

Agnico Eagle Mines provides regular updates on current activities at the Upper Beaver site as part of our commitment to sharing information and sustaining dialogue with our neighbours and communities. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please reach out to us at the contact information provided at the bottom of this email. 

The following activities are part of the preparation work for the anticipated Advanced Exploration project, pending internal approval, unless described otherwise.

Upper Beaver Site Activities: 

The blasting contractor is scheduled to remobilize to the Upper Beaver site the week of July 15 to begin additional small surface blasting of outcrops discovered around the shaft area. This work is expected to take approximately 1-2 weeks, including up to 2-3 blasts per day.

A pad will be constructed adjacent to the road near Ava Lake to increase safety when the water truck (used for dust suppression) is refilling. This work is anticipated to begin in the coming days.

Our teams have also been managing some unforeseen challenges with the quality of aggregate material within the pit northeast of the site as we’ve recently discovered that some material requires intervention to separate finer particles from the material required for construction. Different solutions were assessed, including the use of other aggregate sources and the use of a screener. Both options were retained. For the screener option, following a noise assessment and field test, our consultant concluded that the addition of the screener is not expected to exceed the targeted noise limit, although it may be audible to the closest neighbours. The construction team began screener operations July 8 and will follow the aggregate site work schedule of weekdays only. We will continue to verify noise contributions of screening activities moving forward and will adjust its location if required.

As informed at the May 8 Info session, a crusher is required at site. The crusher is expected to mobilize to site on July 22 and will operate at the far west end of the Upper Beaver site, to minimize the noise impact to surrounding neighbours.

Access Roads: 

Surface blasting on Beaverhouse Road scheduled to begin the week of June 24 was postponed. This work is now scheduled to begin following the small blast work at the Upper Beaver site. Road upgrades are expected to commence in the area of kilometer 6.9 to 8.

As mentioned in the June notification, temporary road closures will be implemented to ensure the safety of all. Notifications will be posted daily if blasting/road closures are occurring. At the request of few community members, we will also distribute these notifications via email. Please reach out to Community Relations if you would like to be added to this distribution list.

To support safe passage at the section of road reduced to one lane at kilometer 5, temporary stop lights with a countdown (approx. 2mins) have been implemented.

Also, additional wording is being added to the signage at the beginning of Beaverhouse Road to clarify that a safety whip and beacon light are not required on public vehicles. This applies to Agnico Eagle staff and contractors only for safety purposes.

The upgrade work at the McBean entrance off Highway 66 has restarted and is ongoing. Paving is expected to begin shortly which will decrease the tracking of debris onto the highway.

Dust suppression measures continue via the addition of calcium in areas where the road upgrades are not occurring, and water trucks are also being used.

Production Phase Design Work:

The following work is to support engineering design purposes related to the potential production phase.

A geotechnical investigation program has commenced with the contractor mobilizing to site on July 8. The program will include the use of a geotechnical drill, a diamond drill, and a specialized tracked equipment for soil penetration testing, within the Upper Beaver site, as well as some locations south and north of Ava Lake and east of the Misema River (access via Fork Lake Road). Geophysical work will also be conducted in the area around and within York and Ava Lake, with the use of a boat, to better understand the bedrock elevation and thickness of sediment. This work will support engineering design for dykes, channels, and mine infrastructure. The expected duration of the overall program is approximately 2 months.

Community Relations: 

The formal invitation and details for the July 27 Community BBQ Event was distributed on July 5 to our email distribution list. We hope you will join us for some fun activities and food, to learn more about the project at the various information booths, and to get better acquainted with our team members.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at the contact information below to share any concerns, interests, or complaints related to our activities.