Mineral Exploration

Patrick Evans and Carl Verley Elizabeth Miller and Brent Murphy S pring 20 1 8 15 wisdom suggested a granite-hosted anomaly like the 55 Zone should not be a priority target in the Hounde greenstone belt. The soil anomaly was first tested by rotary air blast (RAB) drilling, and then reverse-circulation drilling was utilized to test anomalous areas delineated by RAB drilling yielding 24.62 g/t gold over six metres in hole YMR-10-RC036. When drilling started, the area had a large number of artisanal miners, providing Sibthorpe and his exploration team valuable mapping exposure to the quartz veins hosting the gold. By aggressively targeting its discovery, Roxgold was able to announce its first resource estimate by August 2012, with current (December 2016) proven and probable reserves sitting at 662,000 ounces at 11.46 g/t gold following mine depletion of 91,000 ounces. HUGO DUMMETT DIAMOND AWARD PATRICK EVANS, JONATHAN COMERFORD AND CARL VERLEY Patrick Evans, Jonathan Comerford and Carl Verley, key individuals at Mountain Province Diamonds (MPV), are presented with the Hugo Dummett Diamond Award for excellence in diamond exploration and development for 2017. They have all played direct roles in advancing MPV from a junior exploration company to a partner with De Beers Canada and co-launching the large new diamond mine, Gahcho Kué, a remote fly-in/fly- out operation 280 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Verley was a founding member of MPV and has been a director of the company since 1986. He was responsible for getting the company to explore for diamonds in 1992, just after the discovery of Ekati. Canamera Geological was contracted to do the exploration on behalf of MPV. By 1994, Verley and Canamera geologists reviewed the sampling and geophysics completed to date and selected anomaly 5034 for drilling. Drilling of this anomaly led to the discovery of the first kimberlite that would become part of the Gahcho Kué mine. As the project advanced, expenses escalated and raising money became di¢icult. In 1997, MPV formed a joint venture with De Beers, with the latter as operator. After MPV amalgamated with Glenmore Highlands in 2001, Comerford joined the board, and he has been chair since 2006. In representing the major shareholders of MPV, Comerford was successful in winning their support for financing MPV's share in advancing the project through numerous equity infusions needed before financing was put in place for the mine build. Comerford was also decisive in determining what was needed to move the project forward: a new CEO with more experience. In 2005, Evans was appointed CEO of the company, a position he held until 2017. Evans was well connected in the mining and investment community and a consummate professional – a quality likely developed during his time in the South African Foreign Service. Having previously held the position of CEO at Southern Era, he had experience managing joint venture relationships with De Beers. During his tenure with MPV, Evans successfully guided the company through consolidations that resulted in a 49 per cent position in the joint venture with De Beers as the only other partner; renegotiating the agreement with De Beers to establish an e¢ective 50/50 joint venture; and pushing the project operator to advance the project through feasibility, the mine permitting and construction and, ultimately, commercial production. The Mountain Province team members of Evans, Comerford and Verley are deserving recipients of the Hugo Dummett Diamond Award. Hugo Dummett was quick to recognize talents in individuals and to nurture those talents by building a strong loyalty in his team, particularly in keeping eyes on the goal. This is Evans's strong suit. Dummett also appreciated individuals who could make di¢icult decisions quickly for the best interests of the company, an attribute clearly demonstrated by Comerford. Finally, Dummett always recognized the e¢orts of those in the trenches – or, in this case, at the drill rig. Verley identified the diamond opportunity, confirmed its success, and saw the company through many years until it culminated in a new diamond mine for Canada. The combination of these attributes of Evans, Comerford and Verley directly contributed to the development of the Gahcho Kué mine in the Northwest Territories. ROBERT R. HEDLEY AWARD BRENT MURPHY AND ELIZABETH MILLER Brent Murphy and Elizabeth Miller are the 2017 recipients of the Robert R. Hedley Award for their significant contributions and advances in the realm of social and environmental responsibility related to Seabridge Gold's KSM project in northern British Columbia. Murphy and Miller have demonstrated a dedication to the integration of environmental and social design, balancing the financial viability 2018-02-08 2:51 PM

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