16 January 2019
NorZinc Ltd. is pleased to announce the signing of a Traditional Land Use Agreement with the Nah?a Dehé Dene Band for the construction and operation of the All Season Road to connect the company’s high grade zinc/lead/silver Prairie Creek Mine to the Liard Highway in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
The Nah?a Dehé Dene Band of Nahanni Butte is the nearest community to the Prairie Creek Mine, located approximately 90km southeast of the mine site.The mine site and route of the ASR are within NDDB’s Traditional Territory. The intent of the TLUA is to confirm NDDB’s support for the ASR and deliver benefits for the NDDB, supplemental to the existing Impact Benefits Agreement (“IBA”) signed with NDDB in 2011 that supported the Mine development itself.
At the time of the original IBA, access to the proposed Mine was planned to be by winter road. Subsequently it was concluded that an all season road would provide significantly improved operational efficiencies and better economic confidence for the Mine. The Company recognized that the ASR may have additional potential impacts and effects on the NDDB, compared to a winter-only road, and recognition of this is established within the TLUA. The TLUA combined with the IBA provides assurance the Prairie Creek Mine has strong local Aboriginal support as the ASR moves through the final phase of permitting.
“NorZinc is very pleased to sign this important land use agreement”, said NorZinc’s CEO, Don MacDonald. “We are very grateful to the Nah?a Dehé Dene Band for their collaborative support which has made possible this very positive step toward the development of the Prairie Creek Mine. It is so important that the All Season Road has the support of the local Aboriginal communities, and that those who live closest to the access road particularly will benefit from its operation.”
The community signing ceremony for the Agreement took place in Nahanni Butte on January 15, 2019. The ceremony had the participation of NDDB Chief and Council, NDDB’s band members, and directors and officers of NorZinc. A formal ceremony is planned in Vancouver during the AME Roundup 2019 conference at the end of January.