Mineral Exploration

Ron Netolitzky and Robert Sibthorpe S pring 20 1 8 13 had delivered enough data for completion of a final feasibility study, and project engineering began along with mine permitting activities. In 2015, as the permitting process was concluding, a competitive and flexible construction financing package was assembled. In March of that year, Pretium received its provincial environmental assessment certificate, and a positive federal environmental assessment decision followed in July. With the receipt of the major project permits, a production decision, and a substantial portion of the construction financing completed, development activity ramped up in September 2015. Construction of the mine, an access road and a 57-kilometre transmission line was completed by early 2017, and the first gold was poured in June. Pretium has advanced the Brucejack project from exploration to commercial production on an impressive timeline through a period of exploration and development financing diƒiculties, in a logistically challenging location, while demonstrating positive and respectful engagement with First Nations, all levels of government, stakeholders, contractors and employees. This is a testament to the high level of co-ordination and the unwavering dedication of the management team. MURRAY PEZIM AWARD RON NETOLITZKY Ron Netolitzky is the recipient of the 2017 Murray Pezim Award for perseverance and success in financing mineral exploration in British Columbia and/or Yukon. He is being honoured for an illustrious career spanning five decades, not only as a company builder and financier, but also as a geologist, prospector, consultant, entrepreneur, developer, adviser, mentor and outspoken advocate on behalf of independents and Canadian junior resource companies. He remains actively engaged in the exploration industry as a director of several publicly listed companies, and is the board chairman of Skeena Resources Limited, which is currently advancing three significant projects in the Golden Triangle area of northwest B.C. Netolitzky is a highly accomplished Canadian and international geologist who has always remained an independent- minded prospector at heart. But he has excelled – and continues to excel – at sourcing funds to take projects to more advanced stages. In the 1980s, with Delaware Resources and later Consolidated Stikine Resources, he recognized and helped realize the potential of the Snip and Eskay Creek properties, which became two of Canada's most successful high-grade precious metal mines. He has also contributed to the growth of many other junior companies, and has been instrumental in multiple significant merger-and-acquisition events. Under his leadership of Loki Gold (later Viceroy Resources) during the 1990s, the Brewery Creek project in Yukon was transformed into a successful open-pit heap-leach gold mine. This was no small feat, considering the sub-Arctic climate at this location. Netolitzky founded Taiga Consultants Ltd. in 1970 and was active as a consultant during the Saskatchewan uranium rush before venturing into junior mining exploration and development from 1985 onward. Most of Netolitzky's financings over the past 32 years have been non-brokered private placements in which he has participated substantially as an investor, in many cases becoming a controlling shareholder. Previous recognition for Netolitzky's many achievements include his receipt of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada's Bill Dennis Prospector of the Year Award in 1990, AME's E.A. Scholz Award for excellence in mine development in 1996 and induction into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2015. COLIN SPENCE AWARD ROBERT SIBTHORPE The Colin Spence Award for excellence in global mineral exploration is presented to Robert Sibthorpe. Rarely does an exploration geologist have a hand in all aspects of exploration, from selecting the project, designing the exploration program, raising the funding, and negotiating land access with local communities and governments to personally managing the exploration activities until a National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource has been completed. Yet Sibthorpe provided major leadership on all of these tasks, resulting in the discovery of high-grade gold-bearing quartz veins in the 55 Zone on the Yaramoko property in Burkina Faso. The project was acquired in late 2010 and, remarkably, commercial production was declared in October 2016, which is a testament to the role Sibthorpe played and the team that followed his tenure at Roxgold Inc. Sibthorpe and his financial partner, Al Fabbro, acquired the Yaramoko project and two other projects from Riverstone Resources Inc. for their venture shell company. Sibthorpe was attracted to the high-grade gold Riverstone had discovered at the Bagassi South prospect because gold deposits in Burkina Faso were generally characterized as low-grade bulk tonnage deposits. Sibthorpe initiated property-wide airborne geophysical and soil geochemical surveys. His structural interpretation, combined with anomalous gold-in-soil results, led to his decision to test the 55 Zone even though conventional

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