Updated May 26

1)   Musselwhite Mine (replaces Pipestone River Provincial Park)

Chief Contact:  Andrew Cheatle, Placer Dome Mines,  on site

tel:  807-532-2160 ext. 2268

e-mail: Andrew_Cheatle@placerdome.com

Location: 52° 36˘ North, 90° 24˘ West

Site Description: Mine site for Placer Dome.  Accommodation for two for a few days is  available on site.  Mine management would prefer the site not to be in the mine complex and has tentatively selected a former seismic site away from the mine.  Mine site security will be in place as it was at Ekati and Diavik

Transportation: There is road access to the mine as well as a nearby airstrip.  The transportation company used by Mussellwhite is Manatoulin Transport in Pickle Lake.  It may be wise to follow the Manatoulin truck into Musselwhite.  Rent a 4x4 in Pickle Lake for project use.

Details: Place Dome has a web site: http://www.placerdome.com/properties/musselwhite/musselwhite_property.html;

                        NRCan map NTDB 53B9

2)   McAlpine Lake (replaces Greenwater Provincial Park)

Chief Contact: Kevin Filo, Pelangio Mines, Timmins

                        Tel: 705-268-0371

                        e-mail: fkevin@nt.net

Location: 50° 1.2˘ North, 79° 45.6˘ West

Site Description: Claim site outside of the decommissioned Detour Lake mine site. Vandalism is a factor as the gate to the mine site was bulldozed open in mid-May.  NRCan has permission to place the instruments anywhere within claim ‘Block A’.

Transportation: There is road access by two-wheeled drive truck to the selected spot from Cochrane by Highway 652.  Driving time is approximately 1˝ hours from Cochrane.  Highway is paved 80% of the way.

Details:  Pelangio has a web site:

http://www.pelangio.com/properties/detour/detour2.htm

NRCan map NTDB 32L4

3)   Sutton Ridges (replaces Winisk)

Chief Contact: Peter Kapashesit, Crown Land Manager, Moosonee

                        Tel: 705-336-2987

e-mail: Peter.Kapashesit@mnr.gov.ca

Location: 54° 33˘ North,  84° 57˘ West, the northern extension of the Ridge.

Site Description:  Bedrock outcrop on the Sutton Inlier.  The site is approximately 60 Km. to the south east of Peawanuck.

Transportation:  Charter helicopter from Peawanuck.  Peawanuck is accessed by a scheduled airline, Creebec.  Creebec estimates $4500 for transport of freight from Moosonee to Peawanuck.  Bushland Airways charges $1800/trip but the Cessna 206 may not be large enough.  Size is also a concern with Creebec and is still to be verified.  The longest length is the solar panel support members at 11 ft.  The largest dimension to the side is the satellite dish at 6 ft. diameter.

Details:  Quotes will be coming in from Gateway Helicopters and Canadian Helicopters as to charters from Peawanuck.  Canadian Helicopters is the main servitor for deBeers at Victor and stages out of Attawapiskat.

                        Gateway Helicopters offers the following quote on helicopter charters:

Flight Charges:

Hourly rate:

$825.00

 

Minimum Charges:

4 hours per day, cumulative

 

Positioning Fee:

Point of hire is Timmins

 

Depositioning Fee:

Point of release is Timmins

Accessory Fees:

Fuel:

$115.00 per hour

 

Crew Room and Board:

Responsibility of customer

 

Crew Ground Transportation:

N/A

 

Crew Rotation Costs:

N/A

 

Parts and Equipment Transportation:

N/A

 

Landing/Call Out Fees at Airports:

As applicable

 

Other:   

 

Other Conditions:

 

4)   Moosonee

Location:  Not certain at this time.  There is a problem with vandalism anywhere with in the area of Moosonee.  The kindest remark I got was that kids like to play on any structures left unguarded.  I’m talking to two people to see if they would allow us to use a small part of their property for a seismic site. 

Site Description: The site will most likely be on silt.  The worst report as to vandalism was from the company which owns the local quarry.  The quarry has near surface rock layers (?).

Transportation:  Transportation to Moosonee is by Ontario Northland “Little Bear”.  Contact is by telephone at 800-461-8558 or e-mail at nlander@northlander.ca.  The schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Friday from Cochrane to Moosonee and from Moosonee to Cochrane on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  Ticket cost is $44, one way.

Details:  Moosonee boasts a hardware store for such things as chainlink fencing.

5)   Coral Rapids (replaces Coral Rapids Provincial Park)

Chief Contact: Jacques Trottier, CEO, Sulliden Mines, Montreal

                        Tel: 514-861-1593

                        e-mail: sulliden@colba.net

Location: 50° 10˘ North, 81° 40˘ West.  The site is in Hobson Township straight west of Williams Island in the Abitibi River.

Site Description: Gerry Loranger of ONTC believes the site to be almost total muskeg.

Transportation: Stop on request (10 minutes) on the Ontario Northland.  See Moosonee for details. I’m trying to find the exact milepost at which to stop the train.  It may be wise to bring an ATV.

Details: Other than verbal permission to be on the property, I’ve had no response or help in placing the site on the Ontario Northland from Sulliden Mines.  Sulliden Mines took over the property from Falconbridge. Falconbridge employees have been a great source of info for me. 

Gerry Loranger (705-272-4120, gcloranger@ontc.on.ca) of the ONTC will not allow an ATV on the rail right of way because of the frequent unscheduled ONTC traffic and, I suspect, of damage to the track bed.  He suggests off loading at the sidings at Otter Rapids or Ranoke and using helicopters to bring in the supplies.  Helicopters are at this moment staging out of Otter Falls.  We could leave a flat car on the siding and unload at leisure.  He believes a trail exists from Ranoke to the Sulliden property and will try to verify that.

Ranoke is at mile 112.1 and Otter Rapids is at mile 98.7.  The Sulliden property is at approximately mile 105.6.  Otter Rapids has a large hydro electric generating dam.  The dam could be an alternate site (if no one objects to thundering water) as there would be rock nearby.

                        Sulliden web site: http://www.sulliden.com/promini/mapsCoralE.htm

                        NRCan maps: NTDB 42I4 and 42I5

                        Ont. MNR map: 82 05 00

6)   Thackery Provincial Park

Chief Contact:  Mr. Trevor Griffin, Park Superintendent

                        Tel: 705-272-6335

                        e-mail: Trevor.griffin@mnr.gov.on.ca

Location:  48° 27˘ North, 79° 56˘ West within the Provincial Park

Site Description:  The MNR publicity touts an exposed outcrop of metavolcanic rock.

Transportation:  Access to the Park by Highway 101 or 672.  Transport within the Park will probably be by ATV as the park is a nature reserve. 

Details: I’ve not been able to find a detailed map of the park other than the usual 1:50,000.  There are no resident MNR employees on site.  There will be a security problem since the Park is not patrolled.  Mr. Griffin is an absentee landlord and unable to provide trail information.

                        NRCan map: NTDB 32D5

                        Ont. MNR map: 81 04 08

7)   Wanapitei Provincial Park

Chief Contact: Mr. David Coulas, Park Superintendent

                        Tel: 705-564-7297

                        e-mail: david.coulas@mnr.gov.on.ca

Location: 46° 49.8˘ North, 80° 43.8˘ West

Site Description:  Propose a location on the ridge between the Wanapitei River and Bonhomme Lake.  I will have to verify that this is within the Park boundary

Transportation:  Access to the Park is by dirt road.  Access to the ridge is probably by ATV.  There exist trails depending on which map is used.

Details: Here again, Mr. Coulas is an absentee landlord.  There are pre-Park properties, which apparently have buildings on them.  These properties are marked as being on the river delta and may not be a first choice.

                        NRCan map: NTDB 42I15

                        Ont. MNR map: 81 04 65

           

8)   Other Remarks:

Security is always a concern expressed by any of the MNR employees I’ve talked to.  The Nature Reserve Parks are not patrolled and open to anybody with a skidoo or ATV.

Two web sites of interest for the Victor Mine and area are:

            http://www.canabrava.ca/s/SevernJV.asp                  http://www.debeerscanada.com/files/attawapiskat/factsheet.html

http://www.spiderresources.com/jamesbay.htm

            The following web sites will allow the viewing of maps for the specified locations:

                                    http://toporama.cits.rncan.gc.ca/topoaccess.html

                                    http://crownlanduseatlas.mnr.gov.on.ca

9 ) Victor Mine, Attawapiskat

Timmins to Attawapiskat flight schedule (pdf)

Bearskin Airlines for Pickle Lake

Revision History:

Gerrit  J.v.B.

Version 1, 16 May, 2003

Version 2, 20 May, 2003

IA May 26, 2021