North American Palladium Ltd has signed a contract with Redpath Canada Ltd of North Bay, Ontario, Canada for underground mine development at its Lac des Iles mine. This is part of a major mine expansion that will take the mine from its current rate of just over 6,000 t/d to 12,000 t/d. The Redpath scope of work consists of approximately 6,550 m of lateral development and 560 m of vertical development to access ore reserves in the upper mine beneath and around the perimeter of the dormant Roby open pit.

The contract is expected to be approximately two years in duration. The Lac des Iles mine development crews will continue with their work to sustain ongoing production, which is expected to rise to over 7,000 t/d by the end of 2019. The company’s President and CEO, Jim Gallagher, commented, “Redpath is one of the premier mining contractors in the world and we welcome them onboard as we expand the Lac des Iles mine and make it one of the largest underground mines in Canada.”