A partnership between B2Gold and the Redfish Arts Society in Cambridge Bay blends skills training with creativity – as it provides Inuit youth with access to a workshop environment and mentorship in welding and exposure to other skilled trades, including carpentry.SUPPLIED
Mining projects are known for operational complexity, due to geological and technical challenges, infrastructure and workforce issues, external pressures and more.
For B2Gold’s Goose Mine, additional considerations stem from the mine’s location “roughly 520 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife,” says Dan Gagnon, the mine’s general manager. “One challenge is that our material comes from Valleyfield, Quebec, in the summer on the ocean to a marine laydown area we manage. Then, in the winter, we build an ice road of about 163 kilometres to the mine. We move about 2,600 loads of consumables, fuel and equipment to last us at least a year – and this requires a lot of planning.”
For Mr. Gagnon, this level of complexity is exciting. And when he wakes up to temperatures averaging minus 39 degrees Celsius on winter mornings, he regards the Arctic chill not as a disadvantage but an encouraging sign for the success of the ice road, anticipated to be in use from the middle of February to early April.
“All this makes managing the Goose Mine a little different,” he says. “It adds to the challenge, but it’s also very rewarding.”
Having achieved commercial production in October 2025, the Goose Mine is the most advanced operation in the Back River Gold District, with B2Gold anticipating production at the Goose Mine to exceed 300,000 ounces per year beginning in 2027.
Foundational to success in the region are “good relationships with the Inuit communities who have been here a long time, are the land owners and understand the challenges of the environment,” explains Mr. Gagnon. “Our partnerships are based on respect and collaboration, and on the intention of bringing mutual – and lasting – socio-economic benefits.”
An example of how B2Gold invests in the social fabric of local communities is the commitment of $4-million towards regional wealth creation as part of the Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement in partnership with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, signed in 2018.
And since infrastructure in general – and housing in particular – remain challenging due to geographic isolation, “B2Gold also committed $10-million towards building public modular housing in five of the Kitikmeot communities,” he says. “This is the largest private-sector commitment ever made towards public housing.”
Dan Gagnon“ B2Gold also committed $10-million towards building public modular housing in five of the Kitikmeot communities. This is the largest private-sector commitment ever made towards public housing.
General Manager, B2Gold’s Goose Mine
Another important consideration is to “develop these resources respectfully and implement environmental monitoring and management programs to mitigate any potentially adverse effects on the environment,” notes Mr. Gagnon, adding that B2Gold has good relationships with regulators and local community groups advising on an ecosystem that is closely linked to traditional ways of life.
For example, B2Gold will stop “all our activities on the ice road when caribou are present in the area to respect this migration,” he says, with additional initiatives focused on Arctic Char habitat restoration and water stewardship.
One program, in partnership with the Redfish Arts Society in Cambridge Bay, blends skills training with creativity – as it provides Inuit youth with access to a workshop environment and mentorship in welding and exposure to other skilled trades, including carpentry.
“We recently announced a three-year extension of the Inuit Workplace Experience Program (IWEP), which brings Inuit youth from the Redfish program to the Goose Mine site to gain further hands-on exposure to skilled trades. The extension reflects a shared approach to long-term skills development for Inuit youth,” says Mr. Gagnon.
Together with a range of efforts – including community outreach, education, professional development and business partnership opportunities – this reflects B2Gold’s commitment to “invest in people and ensure local communities see tangible benefits from the mining operation.
“These relationships help ensure we have social licence to operate in Nunavut,” says Mr. Gagnon, for whom this is key for realizing B2Gold’s vision for further exploration and a long-life mining complex in the Back River Gold District.
“We have a mine that is here for the long term – and that brings value for all our Inuit partners, stakeholders and shareholders as well as for the Kitikmeot communities.”
Advertising feature produced by Randall Anthony Communications with the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.