The Project mining leases area, which hosts both the Côté and Gosselin deposits, contains calc alkalic pyroclastic metavolcanic rocks of felsic to intermediate composition, felsic to intermediate intrusive rocks (predominantly tonalite and diorite) of the CIC, and related migmatites. Siragusa’s remapping (1993) and the Ayer and Trowell (2002) Compilation Map P3511 depict granitoid rocks as the dominant lithology. Recent mapping by Gemmell and MacDonald (2017) provide the most up to date Geological Survey coverage of the mining leases area. Laird (1932) noted that, locally, the granitoid varies considerably in texture and composition and contains inclusions of older rocks. The texture varies from granular to porphyritic, while in other areas it has the appearance of a quartz porphyry phase of the granite.

The Côté deposit is a new Archean low grade, high tonnage gold (± copper) discovery. It is described as a synvolcanic intrusion related and stockwork disseminated gold deposit (Kontak et al., 2012, Katz et al., 2015, Dubé et al., 2015, Katz, 2016). Deposits of this type are commonly spatially associated with and/or hosted in intrusive rocks. They include porphyry copper-gold, syenite associated disseminated gold and reduced gold-bismuth-tellurium-tungsten intrusion related deposits, as well as stockwork disseminated gold.

The Gosselin deposit, similar to the Côté deposit, is also hosted in the synvolcanic CIC and most of its mineralization lies within hydrothermal breccia, diorite breccia, and tonalite units. Both the Gosselin deposit and the Côté deposit are classified as intrusion related disseminated gold deposits. Preliminary investigations completed on host breccias of the Côté deposit and the Gosselin deposit reveal that the Gosselin breccias resulted from fracturing and infiltration of fluids via fractures and veins. It is postulated that the combination of fracturing and fluid infiltration resulted in intense alteration through extensive fluid wall rock interaction, resulting in the formation of the breccia type appearance

The Côté and Gosselin deposits are located with 1.5 km of each other and are both hosted by the CIC. The deposits are similar in geological composition with a few key differences in terms of breccia rocks and alteration. Both deposits are centred on magmatic and hydrothermal breccia bodies that intrude tonalitic and dioritic rocks. The CIC intruded into the mafic volcanic rocks of the Arbutus Formation, which forms the basal formation in the Chester Group. The formation consists of low potassium tholeiitic pillow basalts, mafic flows, and sills. The intrusive host rocks formed from a number of pulses of several distinct and evolving dioritic and tonalitic magmas that display complex crosscutting relationships (Katz et al., 2015).

The Côté and Gosselin deposit type gold mineralization consists of low to moderate grade gold (±copper) mineralization associated with brecciated and altered tonalite and diorite rocks. Several styles of gold mineralization are recognized within the deposits, and include disseminated, breccia
hosted and vein type, all of which are co-spatial with biotite (± chlorite), sericite and for the Côté deposit silica-sodic alteration. Disseminated mineralization in the hydrothermal matrix of the breccia is the most important style of gold (±copper) mineralization. This style consists of disseminated pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, magnetite, gold (often in native form), and molybdenite in the matrix of the breccia and is associated with primary hydrothermal biotite and chlorite after biotite. In contrast, disseminated biotite and chlorite (after biotite) alteration are not typically associated with gold mineralization. When present, however, disseminated gold and chalcopyrite are intergrown with biotite–chlorite in the Côté deposit (Katz et al., 2015). Disseminated mineralization is typically associated with sericite alteration within the Gosselin deposit or silica-sodic alteration within the Côté deposit.

The nature of the veins and fractures vary from stockworks to closely spaced, planar, subparallel sheeted vein sets. Stockwork mineralization cuts through all major rock types but is most prominent in the more brittle tonalitic phases compared to the dioritic phases and formed during the biotite alteration event (Katz et al., 2015; Katz, 2016). The mineralized sheeted veins and stockwork zones cut the hydrothermal breccia and therefore post-date the breccia-controlled mineralization. Miarolitic-like cavities, which are common within the Côté deposit but not observed within the Gosselin deposit, consist of millimetre to centimetre size openings lined with feldspar, carbonate, and sulphide, and can also contain gold. Importantly, the gold bearing sheeted veins have been observed to be syn-intrusion in timing based on a structural study in the Côté deposit area (Smith, 2016). In addition, Re-Os molybdenite dating of one of these gold bearing veins returned an age of 2,746.8 ± 11.4 Ma, which overlaps with the age of the intrusive events.

The hydrothermal breccia and associated hydrothermal alteration zones are the material component of the mineralization providing the mineable widths and grades to the deposits. Areas outside of its significant development are likely not a significant contribution to economically important mineralization.

The various gold bearing quartz vein systems, also observed immediately adjacent to the proposed open pit, serve to upgrade the hydrothermal envelope where they are present. The amount of gold contributed by these quartz vein systems to the deposits is difficult to determine but is thought to be of some significance to overall metal content.

The mine plan is designed as a truck-shovel operation assuming 212 t autonomous trucks and 34 m3 shovels. The pit design includes five phases to balance stripping requirements while satisfying concentrator requirements.

The Côté deposit is planned to be mined in five phases included within the ultimate pit limit. The schedule was developed in quarters for the pre-production period for the first five years of production, then in annual periods. The scheduling constraints establish the maximum mining capacity at approximately 70 Mtpa and the maximum number of benches mined per year at eight in each phase. Additional constraints were used to guide the schedule and to obtain the desired results. Examples of these additional constraints include feeding lower grade material during the first months of the plant ramp up schedule, the maximum stockpile capacity, and reducing the mining capacity in later years to balance the number of trucks required per period.

The design parameters include a ramp width of 36 m, maximum road grades of 10%, bench height of 12 m, berm height interval of 24 m, geotechnical catch bench of 20 m if height is greater than 150 m, a minimum mining width of 40 m, and variable slope angles and berm widths by sector.

The smoothed final pit design contains approximately 235 Mt of ore at 0.95 g/t Au and 575 Mt of waste for a resulting stripping ratio of 2.4:1. The total LOM mill feed is 233 Mt at 0.96 g/t Au, constrained by TMF capacity, and 3.0 Mt of low grade ore material remaining in stockpiles at the end of mine life. These tonnages and grades were derived by following an elevated cut-off strategy in the production schedule.

The MRA will be constructed southeast of the planned open pit to store mine rock from the open pit
excavation. The rock piles will be built in 10 m lifts with 25.5 m benches to provide an overall safe slope of 2.6H:1V. The inter-bench slopes will be at the angle of repose of the rock. In its ultimate configuration, the MRA will store 580 Mt of mine rock with its final crest elevation at an approximate elevation of 520 masl, or an estimated 140 to 150 m in height.

The overburden storage, which will be located to the southwest of the proposed open pit, will have a storage capacity of approximately 8.2 Mm3.

The topsoil/overburden stockpiles will contain stripped materials from all project development excavations. The stockpiled materials will be used for rehabilitation applications at closure. A runoff collection ditch with two sedimentation ponds will be built to settle out solids before release to the environment.

The ore stockpiles will be located on the north and east side of the plant and have a total storage capacity of 29.4 Mm3, which is anticipated to be sufficient to satisfy the maximum stockpiling capacity of approximately 63 Mt required in the production schedule.

- subscription is required.

The process circuits will include primary crushing, secondary crushing, HPGR, ball milling, vertical milling, gravity concentration and cyanide leaching, followed by gold recovery by CIP, stripping and electrowinning (EW). Tailings handling will incorporate cyanide destruction and tailings thickening.

Plant throughput will initially be 35,500 tpd and it is expected that a ramp up period of 10 months will be required to reach the design throughput.

Preliminary test work has indicated that the Gosselin deposit is similar to the Côté deposit (see Section 13of this Technical Report), however, additional test work is required to validate and confirm this. Based on discussions with Côté personnel, Wood believes that any modifications required to process potential Gosselin ore will be made by the operations group.

The process plant will consist of:
- Primary (gyratory) crushing
- Secondary cone crushing and coarse ore screening
- Coarse ore stoc ........