Mine Owner, Drilling Contractor and Construction Company Fined a Total of $177,500 for EPA Violations

Original Media Release:

Convicted – Alamos Gold Inc. (previously operating as Prodigy Gold Inc.), Fraser Drill Blast Management Inc. and Sigfusson Northern Ltd.

Court Location – Sault Ste. Marie

Description of Offences – The convictions are for discharging, causing or permitting the discharge of a contaminant, namely fly rock, into the natural environment which caused an adverse effect.

Date of Offences – May 14, 2021

Date of Convictions – January 9, 2025, and February 19, 2025

Penalties Imposed –

• On January 9, 2025, Alamos Gold Inc. was convicted of one violation under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), fined $67,500 plus a victim fine surcharge (VFS) of $16,875, and given six months to pay.

• On February 19, 2025, Fraser Drill Blast Management Inc. was convicted of one violation under the EPA, fined $50,000 plus a VFS of $12,500, and given 90 days to pay.

• On February 19, 2025, Sigfusson Northern Ltd. was convicted of one violation under the EPA, fined $60,000 plus a VFS of $15,000, and given one year to pay.

Background –

• The Magino Gold Project Site is a gold mine located on Goudreau Road in the Finan Unorganized Township in the District of Algoma.

• At the time of the offences, the Magino Mine was owned by Prodigy Gold, a subsidiary of Argonaut Gold, which was later amalgamated with Alamos Gold in January 2025. At the time, Prodigy Gold was redeveloping the Magino Mine using open pit mining methods to extract leftover gold deposits.

• In early 2021, Prodigy Gold contracted Sigfusson Northern Ltd. to complete construction and site development at the mine. Sigfusson Northern is a heavy construction company that undertakes a range of construction projects, including mine construction and restoration, road construction, and excavation work.

• In March 2021, Sigfusson Northern subcontracted Fraser Drill Blast Management Inc. to provide certain blasting services to support the blasting operations at the mine. Fraser Drill Blast provides drilling and blasting contractor services for large scale projects such as highways and mines.

• Fraser Drill Blast was responsible for drilling, loading and detonating the explosives. Sigfusson Northern was responsible for traffic control, surveying work to set grades, blast patterns and limits, and blast guarding to secure the exclusion zone.

• On May 14, 2021, Fraser Drill Blast detonated a blast at the Magino Mine. At the time of the blast, a portion of Goudreau Road was not guarded. As a result of the blast, a piece of fly rock struck a vehicle travelling on the road. The fly rock broke through the windshield of the vehicle and struck the passenger, resulting in a left forearm fracture.

• Prodigy Gold reported the discharge of fly rock to the ministry the following day.

• Fraser Drill Blast determined the exclusion zone limits for the blast. Sigfusson Northern prepared and provided a map with the location of the blast and the exclusion zone limits. An investigation determined that the blast location had not been plotted correctly.
• The ministry’s Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigated and laid charges which resulted in the convictions.