The Northwest Regional Office is responsible for the management of 4 District Offices--Kenora, Red Lake, Thunder Bay North and Thunder Bay South. The resulting area is approximately 700 km by 700 km in size, from the Manitoba-Ontario border in the west to the vicinity of the town of White River, Ontario, in the east; and from the United States-Canada border in the south to the edge of the James-Hudson Bay lowlands in the north.
The Northwest Regional Office is also home to the First Nation Minerals Information Officer, who provides information and expertise to Ontario First Nations communities in particular. Although the First Nation Minerals Information Officer is based in Thunder Bay, his services are delivered throughout Ontario.
Metallic mineral commodities produced in the Northwest Region include gold, palladium, platinum, silver, copper and nickel. The Northwest hosts 5 producing gold mines: Red Lake Mine, Musselwhite Mine, William Mine, David Bell Mine, and Lac Des Iles Mine. Non-metallic mineral commodities produced in the Region include granite dimension stone and amethyst, the latter being Ontario's official gemstone.
Mining and Exploration Summary Northwestern Ontario - 2007 (pdf)
Northwestern Ontario Mining and
Exploration Activity
Highlights - 2007 (pdf)
Dimension stone continued to be produced in the Kenora District in 2006. Major exploration projects targeted gold at 1) Atikwa Au-Cu property (Opawica Explorations Inc.), 2) Mine Centre property (Q-Gold Resources Ltd.), 3) Plomp Farm property (Champion Bear Resources Ltd.) and 4) Rainy River property (Rainy River Resources Ltd.). Base metal - platinum group elements were targeted at the North Rock property (MetalCORP Limited) and the #34 nickel zone (Rainy River Resources Ltd.) in 2006.
The significant exploration programs targeting these commodities are based on success from previous years work. Significant land acquisition by several companies can be directly related to these successes. Increased market values for iron ore, molybdenum and uranium have resulted in staking of prospective ground for these commodities in the District. Positive marketing studies have resulted in exploration activity of rare-metal prospects in the District.
With a continued rise in commodity prices, and positive results from exploration efforts in 2005, activity in the Kenora District continued at a level comparable to previous years. A total of 54 exploration projects were conducted by mineral exploration companies and individual prospectors during the year.
The History of Mining in the Kenora Area (pdf)
Historical Perspective of the Kenora Resident Geologist's Office (pdf)
Gold Potential in the Warclub Assemblage and in the Dinorwic Lake area (pdf)
Mineral Deposits not Being Mined (pdf)
THE RED LAKE DISTRICT OFFICE HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY RELOCATED TO THE RED LAKE REGIONAL HERITAGE CENTRE
51A, Hwy 105, Red Lake
The postal address is still the same:
Red Lake District, MNDM
P.O. Box 324
Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0
The phone and fax numbers have not changed:
Phone: (807) 727-3272
Fax: (807) 727-3553
The Red Lake District Office is located in Red Lake, Ontario. The present town of Red Lake was created in 1998 by the amalgamation of the Townships of Red Lake, Golden (the Balmertown, Cochenour and McKenzie Island townsites) and the Madsen Local Services Board. The District also includes the community of Ear Falls and many First Nation communities which are accessible only by air or winter road.
Historically, gold is the main commodity produced in the Red Lake District, although iron was produced from 1968 to 1986 at the Griffith Mine near Ear Falls and zinc, copper and silver were produced from the South Bay Mine from 1971 to 1981. Since 1930, over 23 million ounces of gold have been produced in the Red Lake District, the bulk of it (approximately 18 million ounces) from the Campbell-Red Lake Deposit, now operated as The Red Lake Gold Mines by Goldcorp Inc.
Gold Production in the Red Lake District (pdf)
Mineral Deposits not Being Mined (pdf)
The Thunder Bay North District encompasses an area covering the Nipigon Basin and eastern Wabigoon Subprovince in the south, extending north and east to the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and in the west includes the eastern and central portions of the Uchi and Sachigo Subprovinces. The following towns and First Nation (FN) communities are situated within the district: Angling Lake (Wapakeka FN); Armstrong; Beardmore; Bearskin Lake FN; Big Trout Lake (Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug FN); Cat Lake FN; Fort Hope (Eabametoong FN); Geraldton; Gull Bay FN; Jellicoe; Kasabonika FN; Kingfisher Lake FN; Lansdowne House (Neskantaga FN); Longlac; Macdiarmid; Nakina; North Caribou Lake (Weagamow FN); Osnaburgh House (Mishkeegogamang FN); Pickle Lake; Summer Beaver (Nibinamik FN); Webequie FN and Wunnummin Lake FN.
Musselwhite Mine (Goldcorp Inc.) is the only producing mine in the Thunder Bay North District. It is located 126 km north of Pickle Lake. In 2007, the mine produced 222 379 ounces of gold from 1 325 726 milled tonnes at a grade of 5.45 g/t Au (A. Cheatle, Goldcorp Inc., personal communication, March, 2008). From 1997 to 2007, 13 941 308 tonnes of ore were mined and milled to produce 2 399 070 ounces of gold. Proven and probable mineral reserves as of December 31, 2007, were 9 740 000 t at a grade of 6.32 g/t Au, for a total of 1 980 000 contained ounces.
Two main gold producing camps have been identified from past production in the Thunder Bay North District. The Beardmore-Geraldton belt produced an estimated 4.1 million ounces of gold from the mid-1930's to the 1970's. Gold production in the Pickle Lake area totaled approximately 3.1 million ounces from five mine sites between 1934 and 1997.
In addition to gold, there are active exploration projects for copper-nickel-platinum group elements, copper-zinc, and diamonds throughout the district.
Mineral Deposits not Being Mined (pdf)
The Thunder Bay South District covers an area from Calm Lake, west of Atikokan, east to White River, and just west of Armstrong. The Resident Geologist’s Program is based in Thunder Bay, but also maintains a seasonal field office in Marathon.
There are three producing, precious and base metal mines, as well as several amethyst producers and a stone quarry in the Thunder Bay South District. The Shebandowan Mine was closed in the second quarter of 1998. The Winston Lake Division mine suspended operations in late 1998. The remaining, active mines are:
| Mine | Operator | Owner(s) | Commodities |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Bell | Teck-Corona Operating Corporation | Teck Cominco Limited (50%) Barrick Gold Corporation (50%) |
Gold |
| Lac des Iles | Lac des Iles Mines Ltd. | North American Palladium Ltd. | Platinum group metals, gold, copper, nickel |
| Williams | Williams Operating Corporation | Teck Cominco Limited (50%) Barrick Gold Corporation (50%) |
Gold |
The two gold mines are situated on the Hemlo deposit, east of Marathon. The Lac des Iles Mine is located approximately 100 km north of Thunder Bay.
