Partnership
A New Partnership – New Ownership
The Partnership between Dena Nezzidi Development Corporation and Broden Mining Ltd., a consortium of natural resource developers with a strong track record of development with significant Indigenous project participation, provides for governance structures, technical and fiscal capacity under which the partnership will purchase and assess the mineral potential of the Vangorda Lands and adjacent areas. The agreement outlines the terms under which the parties would work together for mutual benefit while providing for long-term social, cultural, environmental, and economic success.
Dena Nezzidi Development Corporation
CEO – Stanley Noel
Dena Nezziddi Development Corporation leads the development and implementation of a wide range of community economic development initiatives and works to maximize local participation in resource development, tourism and other key sectors.
Subsidiary businesses including Dena Cho Environmental and Tu Lidlini Petroleum. The company and its subsidiaries are proud to have a workforce that employs 90% First Nations individuals.
It is 100 per cent owned by the Ross River Dena Council (Ross River Nation community), one of the five Kaska Dena Nations. (www.rossriverdenacouncil.com). Ross River is a 300-member Indigenous community near the confluence of the Ross and Pelly rivers, near the Campbell Highway and the North Canol Road in Yukon. It is 70 km southeast of the town of Faro.
Broden Mining Ltd.
Lead by co-founder, Chairman and CEO Donald McInnes, a 30-year veteran of natural resource development in both mining and clean energy.
Strategic Metals Ltd. (www.strategicmetalsltd.com) - owners of a proprietary database of the technical information that has been compiled on the Grum and Grizzly deposits.
Silver Range Resources (www.silverrangeresources.com ) – the owner of the Keg Project that lies north of and adjacent to the Vangorda Plateau Property.
The Agreement
The partnership is modelled and was negotiated and based on other successful natural resource development agreement examples where Indigenous peoples and private sector partners have come together for mutual benefit. These include the recently announced partnership between the Migmaw Nation and Premium Brands, the Cree and Hydro Quebec, NANA Corporation and Teck, Agnico Eagle and Nunavut Tungavut.
The agreement calls for significant investment and economic support to the Ross River Nation through the initial anticipated four-year feasibility and assessment phase. Additional investment will flow to the community should the partners proceed to the development and site construction phase. This would trigger the third phase of an investment – a perpetual royalty stream for the Ross River Nation from the sale of minerals from the sites.
The Future
Following the negotiation of the definitive agreements and closing of the acquisition of the Vangorda Plateau Lands by Tse Zul, the Parties expect to assess the mineral endowment of Vangorda Project. In addition to the existing Grum and Vangorda deposit sites, it includes adjacent mineral tenures known as the Exploration Lands and the Silver Range Project with additional identified deposits known as Keg, Grizzly and Swim. This may include drilling and metallurgical studies that will form the basis of a feasibility study. Concurrent with this the partners will conduct community engagement about the social and cultural impacts of the project and assess environmental studies to support an environmental assessment process should the results of feasibility prove positive.