François Carrier
(Tr. Ab)
ÎLE-DU-GRAND-CALUMET – The shareholders of the mining exploration company Ressource Sphinx met for their annual general meeting at the municipal hall, September 5. More than thirty people attended, ranging from shareholders, to local politicians and regular residents.
François Carrier
(Tr. Ab)
ÎLE-DU-GRAND-CALUMET – The shareholders of the mining exploration company Ressource Sphinx met for their annual general meeting at the municipal hall, September 5. More than thirty people attended, ranging from shareholders, to local politicians and regular residents.
From the beginning of the meeting, Normand Champigny, Sphinx president, stressed the responsible approach the company takes in regard to local
residents. “We always make sure we have agreements and partnerships with
property owners in order to do any work. Our approach is based on transparency,” he said.
The citizens present were especially curious about the progress of the company’s work and the projects to come. Despite having other projects in Quebec, the
company seems to be focused on the Pontiac. Social “accessibility” is one of the major factors driving Sphinx’s work. “We want to secure the support of citizens first, otherwise it will never work. The people here are curious and we want to show them what we are doing,” stressed Champigny.
A forgotten territory?
During the Grand Palladium and Calumet-Sud project site visits, prospector Michel Gauthier stressed that for several years, prospectors were not interested in the presence of palladium or zinc. “There was no attempt to verify the potential of these minerals for various reasons such as the market price at the time and the technology needed. So for years, nobody was interested in the region,” explained Gauthier. Sphinx discovered the presence of the two minerals while performing other work.
Quebec advancing
From an economic point of view, people often talk about Quebec’s disadvantages in relation to Ontario. However, Champigny said Quebec has a lot more
assets in the mining sector. “Unlike Ontario and British Columbia, laws and structures allow us to act and do necessary work more easily,” he said.
When asked about when a mine could be in operation in the Pontiac, Champigny was cautious: “We do not know if we have what it takes to eventually get
a company interested in operating a mine here. On the other hand, it’s like the
lottery, if you do not try, you will never win.”
It was confirmed that further mining exploration will likely take place in
the near future on the “Calumet-Sud” project.
