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Manitoba’s Flin Flon Greenstone Belt has yielded VMS discoveries resulting in dozens of mines. Callinex Mines has been a big part of that success for almost a century and believes it has the properties that will become the district’s latest winners. In this interview with The Gold Report,Callinex President and CEO Max Porterfield explains how high-grade assays and proximity to existing producers could lead to his company discovering the ore that HudBay will soon need.
Management Q&A: View From the Top
The Gold Report: Callinex Mines Inc. (CNX:TSX.V; CLLXF:OTCQX) has two strategic projects, Flin Flon and Pine Bay, located in Manitoba’s Flin Flon Greenstone Belt. What makes this district special?
Max Porterfield: This district has seen 32 mines over the last century, mining 145 million tons of ore. It’s famous for its volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits of high-grade copper, zinc, gold and silver. It remains highly prospective and underexplored.
TGR: What makes Manitoba such a good mining jurisdiction?
MP: It’s in Canada, of course, so it’s safe and stable. Manitoba has excellent infrastructure and an experienced workforce. The provincial government is very supportive of mining through its Mineral Exploration Assistance Program that issues rebates of up to 40% on exploration expenditures, up to $200,000 a year. Furthermore, we’ve seen major companies such Alamos Gold Inc. (AGI:TSX; AGI:NYSE) and Yamana Gold Inc. (YRI:TSX; AUY:NYSE) recently establish a presence in Manitoba. We’re really excited to be here.
TGR: Tell us about your experience in the mining industry.
MP: I began my career at U.S. Global Investors, a boutique natural resource and precious metals investment manager in San Antonio, Texas, working under Frank Holmes. I then managed investor relations for two mining juniors in Vancouver, Brazil Resources Inc. (BRI:TSX.V; BRIZF:OTCQX) and Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC:NYSE.MKT).
TGR: You joined Callinex a year ago. Besides the properties and the jurisdiction, what attracted you to this company?
MP: The opportunity to work with Mike Muzylowski, our chairman, a renowned geologist and member of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. Mike has been involved in the discovery of 13 deposits that became mines in Manitoba, and he knows the Flin Flon district as well as anyone. He was with HudBay Minerals Inc. (HBM:TSX; HBM:NYSE) for many years and was president of our predecessor, Callinan Mines. While president of Granges Exploration he made his most notable discovery within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt with the discovery of the Trout Lake mine, one of the largest ore bodies ever discovered within the belt.
TGR: What other geological expertise does your executive team boast?
MP: In June, we appointed Alan Vowles and J.J. O’Donnell (who’s actually my predecessor) as technical advisers. Between them, they have over 50 years of experience in the Flin Flon Belt. Alan is a talented geophysicist who was crucial to the discovery of HudBay’s Chisel North and Lalor mines and was a member of the HudBay team that was presented with the 2009 Bill Dennis PDAC Prospector of the Year award. J.J. was senior mine geologist for HudBay’s 777 mine, which is just outside the door of our Flin Flon property, so he really understands the geology.
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