Vancouver-based junior mining company Crowflight Minerals Inc. (TSX: CML) announced this morning that its Bucko Lake nickel mine near Wabowden, Man. has resumed operations after a six-month suspension.
The company announced that operations have resumed after the Manitoba government’s Mine Safety Branch granted the company permission to resume.
A major reason the company shut down its mine operations was the company’s decision to stop using mining contractors and to staff mine operations with Crowflight’s own crews, according to Crowflight CFO and corporate secretary Derek Liu.
Under resumed operations, he said, Crowflight is no longer using contractors.
“We have new equipment and our own mining crews,” he said. “We’re doing the mining by ourselves now.”
Liu said the mine’s production capacity is 1,000 tonnes of nickel per day and Crowflight expects to be producing 800 tonnes of nickel a day within three months.
Last month, Crowflight announced that it had settled a legal claim filed against the company in January regarding debt for services from mining contractor Dumas Contracting Ltd. (See “Former mining contractor files suit against Crowflight” –BIV Business Today, January 10).
Last October, Crowflight suspended production at Bucko and announced a plan to introduce its own mining equipment and team. Later that month, the company announced the sudden death of Steven Davies, who had been COO and vice president of operations.
In December, Crowflight announced management changes, including the appointment of Liu, plus four new board members, following the resignations of four previous board members.
At press time, Crowflight’s stock was up $0.01 to $0.09. Its 52-week high was $0.21 and low is $0.045.