IAMGOLD's Cote Project near Timmins boasts some leading-edge technology and lengthy lifespan
IAMGOLD's Cote Project, about an hour south of Timmins, is moving along with its construction phase.
Roads are being built, water has been pumped, fish have been relocated and some open pit mining has already begun.
The company currently has between 700 and 800 employees working on creating a mine with the future in mind. Gord Stothart, the company's president and chief executive officer, said Cote mine will be the third in Canada to have onsite autonomous hauling and drilling.
“We’re going to be using driverless trucks and driverless drills on the site -- it’s mature technology," said Stothart.
Cote Gold's general manager said he's looking for people interested in working with computers and communication systems.
"To make sure these 23 autonomous trucks work correctly, we need a very good communication system around the pit, so for sure we’re going to need a specific team just to manage that because if we lose the communication system, the trucks will stop," said Sylvain Collard.
Collard said people interested in working in a processing mill will also be treated to using some of the most interesting equipment in the industry.
“It's called HPGR -- high pressure grinding rollers," he said. "So it’s going to be the biggest one in Canada ... At the same time we’re going to have two Vertimills, which are the biggest on the market.”
IAMGOLD acquired the property in 2012 and Stothart said it's signed partnership agreements with several First Nations, most recently the Métis Nation of Ontario.
He said hiring Indigenous people from the area will be a priority. When the mine is in full production in 2023, the Cote Mine will need 450 full-time workers.
“We’ve had a recent discovery off the side of it and are looking to add some additional ounces to the pot here in the next while," Collard said. "So my projection is this mine is going to go well beyond 18 years and I think is going to be an important contributor to the northern economy for a long time.”
Stothart said to have a discovery of this magnitude in this region -- the heart of the world's mining industry -- is really special to IAMGOLD.
He said an economic study done a couple of years ago found that the Cote Project expects to produce at least $10 billion for Ontario's economy and $5 billion in direct and indirect wages.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.