Northstar Gold Corp. (CSE:NSG) CEO Brian Fowler talked with Proactive about the company's latest master project agreement involving several technology and engineering partners to advance its Cam Copper project.
Fowler explained that the agreement includes collaboration with Digital, a Canadian innovation cluster established in 2018, and Novamera, a private Ontario company with a proprietary surgical mining technology.
The partnership also involves Micon International, an independent mining consultancy that will handle Northstar’s NI 43-101 reporting requirements throughout the surgical mining program.
The Cam Copper project is entering a critical phase, with Fowler confirming a 31-month production program is in place.
The program is underpinned by a recently announced exploration target at Cam Copper, ranging between 75,000 and 140,000 tonnes of high-grade copper, with an average grade between 9% and 18%, and a conceptual average of 12% copper.
Proactive: Welcome back inside our Proactive newsroom. And joining me now is Brian Fowler. He is the CEO of Northstar Gold Corp. And Brian, it's good to see you again. How are you?
Brian Fowler: I'm well, thanks. How are you?
I'm doing well. So, really interesting news release out from the company today, talking about signing a master project agreement with a number of entities. I know you could only share certain parts of the information because there's more to come. So maybe I'll let you talk a bit about who these partners are. One I hadn’t heard of before—Digital. Tell me a little about them and some of the others.
Yeah, certainly. Digital was established in 2018 under the Government of Canada’s cluster initiative. They bring together industry leaders, small to medium-sized enterprises, and post-secondary institutions to collaborate on large-scale projects that drive innovation and the development of technology solutions in a number of sectors critical to Canada, including mining and energy, housing, workforce development, and health.
Since 2018, Digital has supported 95 projects with a total investment value of $390 million. It has delivered billions in projected revenue for Canadian companies, retained sovereign intellectual property—which is very critical—and launched hundreds of commercial products while helping tens of thousands of Canadians gain skills needed for the digital economy.
Another partner in this initiative is Novamera. They're a private Ontario company with a proprietary suite of transformative surgical mining technologies that, combined with conventional drilling equipment, create a turnkey solution for small-footprint mining. Northstar signed an engagement agreement with them just a short while ago.
Novamera is currently project leader on an existing Digital program that’s jointly funded for a $10 million program advancing their technology. According to a recent Globe and Mail article, they are currently employing their patented surgical mining technology at the Great Atlantic Golden Promise mine in Newfoundland.
Lastly, Micon International Limited is a highly skilled, multidisciplinary engineering company with capabilities covering geology, mining, metallurgy, mineral economics, and environmental social studies. They've provided independent consulting services to the global mining industry since 1988. Micon will fulfill all of Northstar’s NI 43-101 reporting requirements during the course of our Cam Copper surgical mining program.
Yeah, and Brian, that surgical program is about a 31-month-long process. So this is obviously a key piece of what is the further exploration of Cam Copper?
Absolutely. This provides important validation of what we're trying to achieve at Cam Copper. We do have a 31-month production program that we're fine-tuning. It’s all predicated on a recently announced exploration target at Cam Copper of between 75,000 and 140,000 tonnes of high-grade copper, averaging between 9% and 18%, with a conceptual average grade of 12% copper.
It seems, Brian, that you're really setting up for what could be a big 2026. Is that fair to say?
Absolutely. This is a very important step. Investors interested in what's going on with Northstar and our Cam Copper project should take note of a recently announced tripartite financing that was disclosed on October 9.
Quotes have been lightly edited for style and clarity