Environmental Policy

OUR HEALTH, SAFETY, ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY POLICY – WORKING TOGETHER WE SUCCEED

Juggernaut Resources is committed to health, safety, environment and community responsibilities, which are integral to the way we do business. We commit to continual improvement in our performance and aspire beyond Zero Harm to net benefit, for both people and the environment. Wherever we operate we will develop, implement and maintain management systems for health, safety, environment and the community that are consistent with recognized standards within the regions we operate in, and enable us to:
• identify, assess and manage risks to employees, contractors, the environment and communities.
• strive to achieve leading industry practice.
• meet and, where appropriate, exceed applicable legal and other requirements.
• achieve targets that include reducing and minimizing environmental impact.
• support the fundamental human rights of employees, contractors and the communities in which we operate.
• respect the traditional rights of indigenous people.
• care for the environment and value cultural heritage.

Seek opportunities to:
• work with communities to develop relationships that focus on creating value for everyone.
• communicate with, and engage employees, contractors, business partners, suppliers, customers, visitors and communities to:
• build relationships based on honesty, openness, mutual trust and involvement.
• share responsibility for meeting the requirements of this policy.

We will be successful when we achieve our targets towards our goal of net benefit and our operations are invaluable to the communities in which we work.

Mineral Exploration and Mining in Canada

FIGURE 1: METAL EXPLORATION EXPENDITURES IN CANADA BY TYPE FROM 2009 TO 2019 IN MILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS (SOURCE:HTTPS://WWW.STATISTA.COM/STATISTICS/437552/EXPENDITURES-FOR-METAL-EXPLORATION-IN-CANADA-BY-TYPE/)

  • In 2020, Canada produced over 60 minerals and metals worth $44 billion. Metals, and more specifically gold, represented over two thirds of total production accounted for.
  • Gold was the top-ranked commodity by value of production in Canada in 2020 with a value of $12.3 billion.
  • Canada is a leading global producer of many critical minerals including those used in advanced battery technologies, such as cobalt, graphite and nickel.
  • The minerals sector, which includes mining, primary processing, and metal product manufacturing, directly employed 377,000 individuals in 2020.
  • Indigenous people accounted for 12% of the mining industry’s labour force in the 2016 census, up from 8% in 2011, which ranks mining among the leading industries for Indigenous representation.
  • Domestic exports of mineral and metal products reached $103 billion in 2020, accounting for 21% of Canada’s total merchandise exports.
  • In 2020, $2.1 billion was invested in mineral exploration in Canada. Precious metals (mainly gold) were the most sought-after commodities, accounting for 65% of the most sought-after commodities, accounting for 65% of the spending.

Mineral Exploration and Mining in British Columbia

  • In 2018, British Columbia’s mining industry made $1 billion in direct payments to government to support healthcare, education, and public services.
  • The mining sector generated more than $11.7 billion in revenues province-wide in 2017.
  • B.C.’s mining sector directly employed more than 10,000 people in 2017, with thousands more indirect jobs also being generated by the sector.
  • Copper, coal, zinc, silver, gold, lead, and molybdenum are the primary minerals mined in B.C.
  • In British Columbia alone, the mining sector employs over two-thirds of all Indigenous people that are employed in the extractives sector.
  • British Columbia’s mining companies are among the lowest greenhouse gases emission- intensive in the world.
  • British Columbia’s mining industry practices are some of the highest environmental standards, supported by a deep commitment to sustainable development and production, and the BC Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines is regarded as a global benchmark for best practices in environmental stewardship and responsible development.

 

FIGURE 2: MAP OF SELECTED ACTIVE EXPLORATION PROJECTS AND MINES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA IN 2021 (SOURCE:HTTP://CMSCONTENT.NRS.GOV.BC.CA/GEOSCIENCE/PUBLICATIONCATALOGUE/OPENFILE/BCGS_OF2022-01.PDF)

Mineral Exploration and Mining in relation to Indigenous people

  • Canada’s mining sector is the largest heavy industrial employer of Indigenous peoples in Canada with 16,500 jobs to community members.
  • Indigenous people accounted for 12% of the mining sector’s labour force in 2016, up from 8% in 2011 – the highest representation of Indigenous employment of any industry in Canada.
  • More than 525 agreements for 356 exploration and mining projects have been signed between companies and Indigenous communities and governments in Canada since 1974.
  • Roughly 430 of these agreements were still active in 2019.
  • 300 agreements between exploration companies and Indigenous communities and governments have been signed in Canada since 2010.

Indigenous People and the Canadian Mineral Exploration and Mining sector

EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS STORIES
It has been recognized that mineral exploration and mining bring change to communities. For First Nation communities, mining and mineral exploration can bring opportunities for economic development, jobs, and training. Environmentally responsible and controlled exploration and mining can mitigate environmental degradation and minimize changes in the way people use the land. For this to occur, it is paramount that all stakeholders, including local communities, government, and industry partners, have a solid relationship and are involved in the development of each specific project. The following pages contain some examples of success stories about aboriginal communities from across Canada that have incurred an impact of the mining industry in their territory.

Tahltan First Nation in British Columbia

The Tahltan First Nation is located in the Northwest portion of BC and its traditional boundaries encompass 96,000 sq. miles in a territory rich in mineral values that has been referred to as the “Golden Triangle” within the mining and investment communities.

The Tahltan First Nation has been interested in the industry driven development of its traditional territory since the 1980s when they established a set of Tahltan Development Principles. Those development principles stated the Tahltan fully intend to have substantive participation in the development of natural resources within their territory, without adversely affecting the environment and other land values which significantly define their rights of traditional use of the land.

With over 30 years of dealing with mining exploration, mining promotions, large scale mine development and operational/environmental management, the Tahltan have built the capacity for dealing directly and proactively with mining companies. This same relationship has been developed with the provincial and federal government.

Over the years, thanks to their proactive approach, the Tahltan have developed strong connections with their industry partners and have been able to immensely profit from the mineral exploration and mining sector. In their Tahltan Central Government Industry Review of 2021 they outline many of the positive outcomes and list the active agreement/projects that they support and are actively involved in.

https://tahltan.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TCG_IndustryReview2021_Web.pdf

Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories

The Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation is located in the Northwest Territories, north of Yellowknife in a land that has been known for its potential for diamonds for the past 40 years.
The Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation signed Impact and Benefit Agreements early on in the exploration stage of the major diamond mines, including the Ekati mine and the Diavik mine, to ensure that those communities closest to the project would benefit from the mining activities. They build a strong relationship with the miners and have actively pursued monitoring and research at the community level to ensure that the impacts on their community of industrialization do not go unchecked.

The success of the mines reflected directly in the success of the communities and local First Nations with billions of dollars spent on northern and aboriginal businesses, and millions of dollars that went into new and upgrades of infrastructure, social programs, and health care. The report “Measuring Success” compiled in 2013 by BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and DeBeers outlines the positive impacts of diamond mines on the northern communities.

http://library.assembly.gov.nt.ca/2013/ITI/a313688.pdf

Other Indigenous Communities in Canada
There are other examples of positive impacts generated by the collaboration of industry (mineral exploration and mining) and Indigenous Communities around Canada including the Innu Nation and Inco’s Voisey’s Bay Nickel Mine, the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation and B.Y.G. Mt. Nansen Gold Mine, the Makivik Corporation and Falconbridge’s Raglan Mine and the Nishnawbi-Aski Nation and Ontario’s Living Legacy to name a few.

Other resources
An informative article about the aboriginal participation in Mining:
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/mineralsmetals/files/pdf/abor-auto/mining_infosheet_eng.pdf

Interactive map of mining agreements in Canada:
https://atlas.gc.ca/imaema/en/

Natural Resources Canada guide on exploration and mining for aboriginal communities:
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/mineralsmetals/files/pdf/abor-auto/mining-guide-eng.pdf