Northwestern Ontario’s mining sector is starting to pick up, following an announcement this afternoon from the federal and provincial governments giving their approval of a new palladium mine near Marathon.
Generation PGM’s Marathon Palladium project includes the construction of three open pits where ore will be extracted, and include an onsite ore processing facility.
900 jobs are expected to be created for the construction over 18 to 24 months before an operating workforce of 375 people takes over.
Based on current mineral reserves, over its planned 13-year mine life the Marathon Project concentrate is expected to produce 1,905,000 ounces of palladium, 467 million lbs. of copper, 537,000 ounces of platinum, 151,000 ounces of gold and 2,823,000 ounces of silver in payable metals.
“Our government is creating the right conditions for companies to do what they do best – build mines and create jobs,” said George Pirie, Minister of Mines. “The Generation Mining palladium-copper project is another strong indicator that our government’s Critical Minerals Strategy is working, and companies are investing in Ontario. This exciting project will boost the economy of the Marathon region and lead to economic prosperity for local Indigenous communities.”
Palladium is used in catalytic converters, dentistry, surgical instruments, and many other items and is one of the minerals included in Ontario’s Critical Mineral Strategy.
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