VANCOUVER (CP) -- Northgate Minerals Corp. said Wednesday it has reached a compensation agreement with native trappers that enables planning for its Kemess North project to go forward.
Northgate also noted that appointments have been finalized for the joint federal-provincial environmental review panel that will evaluate the development proposal.
The company said its agreement with members of the Fort Connelly First Nation in Bear Lake who hold trapping rights in the Kemess region will provide annual compensation for disruption caused by the mine.
Northgate added that the trappers have agreed to participate in the environmental review, in an agreement similar to the one covering the 1990s development of the Kemess South mine, which produces 300,000 ounces of gold annually.
''We look forward to working closely with them during the environmental assessment process to ensure that their local and traditional knowledge and concerns are incorporated into the development plans for Kemess North,'' stated Ken Stowe, president and CEO of Northgate (TSX:NGX).
Northgate estimates the Kemess North deposit contains proven and probable reserves of 4.1 million ounces of gold.
Federal Environment Minister Stephane Dion said last week that the joint review panel will be chaired by Carol Jones, a soil scientist specializing in mine reclamation, along with Malcolm Scobie, a mining engineering professor, and Mark Duiven, a resource and community development consultant.
