Profile: Tectonic Metals Inc.
‘The Shift in the Game’ leads company forward
tonic’s Tibbs Project, and 50 kilometers east of Northern Star’s Pogo Mine. In addi- tion, they have plans for nearby prospects called Seventymile and Flat. Alaska and the Yu- kon are both very sim- ilar and very different, he said. “If you look at Canada from a min- ing perspective, there
“Things are expen-
Multiple mining projects being
sive.
“And then there’s the labor shortage, which the whole world is facing. It’s hitting our whole industry. Geologists are quite prized. “And there are al- ways cost to explore and in remote regions that goes up. It’s not like Mexico. “Then there is the
developed in Alaska Tony Reda is Founder, President, CEO & Director of Tectonic Metals Inc., which is working to develop several Alaska mining projects. He was the longest-serving employee of Kaminak Gold Corporation from inception in 2005 to the sale of the company, including the Coffee Gold Project, in 2016 to Goldcorp Inc. (now Newmont Goldcorp) for $520 million. Tony served as Vice President, Corporate Development for Kaminak. Some readers will not be familiar with Tectonic Metals … tell us a little about your company. “We’re a mining exploration company focused on Alaska. Our genesis was our success in the Yu- kon. Success can be defined in many ways, but we ultimately found and were able to produce 5 million ounc- es of gold. “We defined success also when working with the local communities. “We’ve always been fond of Alas- ka as a neighbor and there’s no geo- logical border between the two. Ad we really like the Native region - al corporations here. Land tenure in Canada is not nearly so settled, which can get confusing for all par- ties, versus the sophisticated Native corporations in Alaska.” Tectonic is currently working on several projects in Alaska: The Tibbs Project hosts three new Tectonic drill discoveries in the Goodpaster District and is 35 kilo- meters east of the Pogo Mine. The Maple Leaf project is located in the Goodpaster Mining District, just 15 kilometers east-northeast of Tec-
TONY REDA
are good places and not good places. The Yukon is a great place to explore with a range of rich history of placer mining. And so does Alaska. “The Yukon is a great place to ex- plore and always has a place in my heart. It’s always about the people… and there are really awesome people there, from government to the local first nations. But sometimes the in - frastructure is not that great. But success draws competition, which the company experienced in the Yukon, he added. “When we sold our Coffee proj - ect in Yukon, there was a lot of new activity.” “Alaska is blessed with good in- frastructure for a northern state. There’s a good network of roads and highways. And sometimes we over- look what you can get it in Alaska… supplies and equipment when you need it. “Our first purchase was in the Goodpaster area around the world class Pogo Mine. Nobody is explor - ing around Pogo. We are only see- ing a tenth of the Yukon activity. By comparison Alaska is wide open.” What challenges have you faced? “With every good, there is some not so good. Like all miners and ex- plorers, there’s the seasonality. In the first few years, it could be June to September.”
setback of permitting, that some- times takes years to unravel, which impacts the whole moral of the space. It can really take the wind out of your sails.” But he doesn’t discount the value of permitting. “In one breath, you want it to be straightforward. We are governed by law and know their goals. Compared to like West Africa where you can permit a mine in two years.” “It’s a lengthy, rigorous process and the costs are huge, especially for a Canadian company raising capital in Canada. “You have to pick your poison… what risk are you comfortable with? Do you want to deal with terrorist activity? Some developing countries are not safe. One of our filters is… would we be willing to take our kids there? And Hell yes, I’ll take my kids to Alaska! ESG (Environmental, Social, Gov- ernment) seems a powerful focus for your company … what are you proud of that you are doing in this regard? “We were doing ESG before it was called ESG. It comes back to who you are as a person — not different from who you are. Treat people with re- spect. Go where you wanted. “If we are looking to acquire a lease, first we want to know if the local village wants us there. We pre-
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The Alaska Miner
Spring 2022
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