West coast action a bright spot for some contractors

Times may be tough for the diamond drilling industry, but several contractors are being kept busy working on some high profile exploration and development projects involving both precious and base metals in Western Canada. Up in northwestern British Columbia, for example, work is continuing on the world-class Windy Craggy massive sulphide project. Two recent discoveries — Mt. Milligan near Prince George and Eskay Creek near Stewart — are also keeping drill crews working year round at a hectic pace.

Advanced Drilling, based in Surrey, B.C., is keeping its drill crews busy at the Windy Craggy project in the rugged Haines Triangle near the Alaska-Yukon border. Owner Geddes Resources is proposing a long-lived open pit mine that would produce significant amounts of copper and other metals.

C.D. (Bud) MacDonald, president of Advanced Drilling, said the project has proved to be unique in many respects. The topography is rugged and crews must travel some distance over a glacier from the camp to the work site. And on the technical front, he said the company is testing new ground in uphole drilling because of the geometry and nature of the deposit.

“We’ve drilled the longest upholes in the world there,” he said, adding this would be in the order of 1,800 ft. long at +70 degrees.

In recent months, however, Windy Craggy has come under scrutiny by preservationists who have voiced strong opposition to the proposed open pit mine.

“It seems most major projects coming on stream are facing tremendous pressure exerted by environmentalists, and sometimes it’s without their having the proper facts before them,” MacDonald said. “They are pounding the drum without stopping and understanding the process the companies are going through with the various governments to ensure that all concerns are looked after.”

Further south near Prince George, contractor Quest Drilling is keeping busy at the Mt. Milligan gold-copper project, a large bulk tonnage porphyry deposit that is still growing in size.

According to 70% owner Continental Gold, which is aiming to prove up a large open pit gold- copper mine, six rigs are currently turning on the road-accessed property.

Some 568 holes, totalling 46,000 ft., have been drilled on the property to date — which represents a staggering 90 miles of drill core.

A number of other companies are active in the surrounding area — including many major companies — and it is expected that drill contractors will begin work on a number of exploration projects this year.

The Eskay Creek region north of Stewart, B.C., is expected to be a beehive of activity for diamond drillers this summer as a number of companies gear up for summer drillling programs on properties near the Eskay Creek deposit which is owned by Stikine Resources and Murray Pezim’s Prime Resources Group.

Falcon Drilling — which has offices in Prince George, B.C. and Thunder Bay, Ontario — has been kept busy year round, drilling the high grade Eskay Creek deposit which contains significant amounts of gold, silver, lead, zinc and copper.

Six rigs are currently at work on this property, and it’s expected that many other properties nearby will be drilled for the first time this summer.

Eskay Creek is located in a rugged and remote area that can only be accessed by helicopter. Drill crews here have to be prepared for snow (25-35 ft. is not unusual) and bitter cold in the winter.

Grant Paulson, one of the firm’s owners, said the company has been active on the project since the first hole was drilled in the summer of 1988. By now, he feels the company has acquired a good handle on the specialized needs of working in the area, even under tough winter conditions.

“We’ve had some specialized and highly skilled drillers working up there since day one.”