LAURION Mineral Exploration Inc. (TSX-V: LME | OTC: LMEFF | FSE: 5YD) has provided an update on environmental, technical, and regulatory work supporting its 100%-owned Ishkōday Gold and Polymetallic Project in the Onaman-Tashota, Beardmore-Geraldton Greenstone Belt of Northwestern Ontario. The company is advancing two complementary initiatives at the historical Sturgeon River Mine: recovery and remediation of the historical surface waste rock stockpile, and a proposed Advanced Exploration Project focused on dewatering and rehabilitating the historical mine shaft and underground workings.
For the surface stockpile, LAURION has submitted an application for a Recovery of Minerals Permit to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, including a Recovery and Remediation Plan under section 152.1 of Ontario’s Mining Act and Ontario Regulation 463/24. The stockpile contains mineralized material from decades-old operations, and its recovery would involve removal and off-site processing followed by remediation, without requiring new infrastructure or underground development. This initiative could provide a non-dilutive source of value for the company while addressing a legacy environmental liability.
Separately, the proposed Advanced Exploration Project would rehabilitate the historical Sturgeon River Mine shaft, which extends approximately 642 metres below surface with 15 underground levels and has been flooded since operations ceased in 1942. The project would involve removing the shaft cap, installing a temporary exploration headframe, controlled dewatering, and progressive rehabilitation. LAURION is preparing a Permit to Take Water application for submission to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in Q4 2026, alongside a hydrogeological impact assessment. An Advanced Exploration Closure Plan and additional environmental approvals are targeted for early 2027. This work is exploratory only; no commercial production or ore processing is proposed.
Over the past five years, LAURION has completed comprehensive environmental baseline studies, including terrestrial ecology, aquatic and benthic, groundwater and surface water, shaft water and hydrogeological, and archaeological assessments. These studies establish baseline conditions and inform mitigation and monitoring measures. The company has also engaged with Indigenous communities through an Indigenous Joint Steering Committee and project-specific consultation with Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek First Nation, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation, and Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek First Nation. Public notice and meetings will be part of the Closure Plan process.
“Five years of rigorous, independent environmental baseline work is not a small undertaking,” said Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin, President and CEO. “Recovering potentially economic residual mineralization within the stockpile, and doing so responsibly, is exactly the kind of value-additive, environmentally sound project our shareholders should expect.” She added that the dewatering program is expected to provide safe underground access for geological mapping and evaluation, and to rehabilitate a long-standing legacy mine hazard.
For readers in the raw materials mining sector, LAURION’s progress highlights a growing trend: companies are increasingly looking to extract value from historical mine waste while meeting modern environmental standards. The successful permitting of the stockpile recovery could serve as a template for similar legacy sites across Ontario and beyond, potentially unlocking previously overlooked resources. The shaft dewatering and underground exploration could also lead to a better understanding of the mineralized system, potentially supporting a future Mineral Resource Estimate. As the project advances, it will be important to monitor regulatory approvals and community engagement, which are critical for social license and project viability.
For more information, visit www.LAURION.ca.
