"If Québec could issue permits faster than other jurisdictions, it would create a competitive advantage. With the US also moving to streamline permitting, it is turning into a race to attract more capital."

Michael Gignac

VP FINANCE, G MINING SERVICES

June 09, 2025

What projects has G Mining Services been working on recently?

Our project at Tocantinzinho in Brazil finished in 2024, and we will soon be completing detailed engineering at Foran’s McIlvenna Bay project in Saskatchewan, where we are also managing construction. At Oko West in Guyana, we finished a PEA and moved immediately to feasibility, with results released in April 2025. In Ecuador, we will be advancing feasibility study from July 2025 at SolGold’s Cascabel project; and on Lundin Gold’s expansions at Fruta del Norte.

In Québec, we are in the final stages of engineering and feasibility study at Patriot Battery Metals’ Shaakichiuwaanaan lithium project, with results expected in September. At O3 Mining’s Marban Alliance gold project, we also worked on the pre-feasibility study prior to the company’s acquisition by Agnico Eagle. Rio Tinto’s acquisition of Arcadium Lithium means they are in a transition period, but we are hoping for a positive construction decision soon at the Galaxy lithium project, where we completed previous engineering and other work.

No new mines came online in Québec in 2024 – what does that indicate about the sector?

This is all about timing. Operations need permits, financing and the market to align to move forward. Though it seems 2024 was slow, things will pick up again. We also saw a number of major acquisitions in Québec in 2024, which indicates faith in the province’s mining industry. Where juniors have been unable to develop a project, companies with greater financial and technical capabilities have acquired promising projects to progress them faster. I see that as a positive.

What changes do you expect with regard to permitting in Québec?

There is a desire to speed up permitting. At the end of March 2025, François Legault commented on his intention to reduce bureaucracy to accelerate mine development in Québec, and Mark Carney has said the same for Canada at large. Governments should want these projects to go ahead – they create growth and jobs.

If Québec could issue permits faster than other jurisdictions, it would create a competitive advantage. That would be a catalyst for the whole industry. With the United States also moving to streamline permitting, it is turning into a race to attract more capital. 

Where is G Mining Services expanding its international operations?

We opened our own office space in Belo Horizonte in 2024, with a growing team of 15 employees. Our success at Tocantinzinho has served as excellent marketing. Many projects across Brazil have historically been completed late and over budget, so our demonstration of on-budget, on-time delivery has caught the industry’s attention.  

Elsewhere, we have some interesting prospects in the pipeline in Europe, and are seeing a lot of demand in South America.

What led to SolGold selecting G Mining Services for work at Cascabel?

Ecuador can be a challenging jurisdiction. G Mining Services benefits from a lot of experience in the country and our strong track-record at Fruta del Norte. Additionally, SolGold has Franco-Nevada and Osisko Gold Royalties among its major stakeholders, both of which we have good relationships with.

How are commodity price dynamics shaping demand for G Mining Services’ offer?

Gold’s unprecedented price rise through 2024-25 has generated more demand from gold-focused companies. With high prices, many projects become economically feasible.

We have also seen a steadily increasing demand in copper, including from juniors. Though the copper price has seen more volatility, there are still numerous copper projects in development, like Foran’s McIlvenna Bay. A challenge with copper is that projects typically demand high CapEx, so are harder to finance. As G Mining Services continues growing we are keen to take on the challenge of large-scale copper project work.

What are G Mining Services’ priorities for the rest of 2025?

Across our international offices, we seek to grow headcount at all levels. Of course, we want to keep helping our clients succeed in their objectives, and hope they will spread the word about our good work. We are also looking at ways to integrate AI in our business to find new efficiency and productivity gains. Lastly, we are examining the possibility of creating a new copper-focused mining company, as we did with G Mining Ventures in the gold space – that project is only in its early stages, but I am confident we can repeat our success.

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