CANADA’S BIGGEST DRILLING PROGRAM OUR PASSION FOR EXPLORATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Windfall is one of the biggest exploration programs on the planet. The Environmental team invests passion and energy into environmental protection, working jointly with the Geology, Mining, Drilling and Camp Maintenance departments. 

Particular attention is paid to drilling activities, from planning to demobilization of the drill rig. The Geology Planning team determines the drill hole positions according to available geological data, and technicians set out the drill holes and access paths on the field. Technicians ensure we respect mandatory distances from permanent or temporary watercourses, avoid protected areas, and keep in mind potential hazards to health and safety. The team reassesses the plan if it identifies an environmental or safety issue. Before moving to the next hole, the drilling contractors have a Drill Implementation Query approved by the Geology, Health & Safety and Environment teams.

Field technicians perform daily inspections of the drill rigs, sloops, fuel tanks, sumps and pumping stations. They visit each site every two days to inspect implementation instructions, the general cleanliness of the site, garbage and hazardous material management, the presence of spills and management of the water and drill cuttings. Osisko Mining’s Environmental inspector can ask for immediate correction at any time, depending on the severity of the issue. The team takes pictures of the sites before, during and after drilling. A site inspection is made after the demobilization of the drill rig to record the status of the site and the need for additional work or remediation.