Mason inks cooperation agreement with First Nations for … – Proactive Investors USA & Canada
July 24, 2014
Mason inks cooperation agreement with First Nations for development of Lac Gueret
Mason Graphite (CVE:LLG)(OTCQX:MGPHF) has signed a cooperation agreement with a First Nations group for the pre-construction phase of its Lac Gueret graphite project in Quebec, advancing its asset further along in the development process.
The company is planning to build the project into an open pit graphite mine, which is expected to produce some 50,000 tons of concentrate per year. Once in production, the operation is expected to create about 80 direct jobs, Mason said, for both aboriginal and non-aboriginal residents of the area.
Construction could start as early as 2015. The mine site will also include infrastructure for a concentrator, as well as maintenance, office and personnel buildings.
The agreement between Mason and the Conseil des Innus de Pessamit, of the Pessamit First Nation, is an important first step in establishing the relationships the junior graphite developer needs with the local communities, it said. The company is planning to hold information and consultation activities in the coming months.
The mutual commitment to cooperation between the two parties also paves the way for an impact and benefits agreement, and provides a fair distribution of construction, maintenance, and operating jobs and contracts according to the available resources of the communities.
