North American Palladium
Encyclopedia
North American Palladium Ltd. , founded in 1968 as Madeleine Mines Ltd., is a mining
company
with headquarters located at Toronto
, Canada
. Renamed to its current title in June 1993, the company primarily mines and explores for palladium
but also for gold
. Platinum
, silver
, nickel
, and copper
are mined as by-products. The company's principal operations are located in Canada, with the Ontario
Thunder Bay District
holding the Lac des Iles palladium mine
and the Abitibi
region in Quebec
the Sleeping Giant
gold mine, but it also has exploration rights for the Discovery project, Flordin property, Shebandowan
West project and the Vezza project.
On October 21, 2008, the Lac des Iles mine was placed on "care and maintenance" due to declining metal prices. It was reopened on October 13, 2010.
On May 26, 2009, the company acquired the Sleeping Giant gold mine through the acquisition of Cadiscor Resources Inc.
On May 20, 2010, the company acquired the Vezza gold project, in the Abitibi region, from Agnico-Eagle Mines
.
William J. Biggar has been Chief Executive Officer and President of the company since October 1, 2008.
The only other North America
based palladium or platinum producer is Stillwater Mining Company
, located in Montana
, USA.
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
with headquarters located at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Renamed to its current title in June 1993, the company primarily mines and explores for palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
but also for gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
. Platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
are mined as by-products. The company's principal operations are located in Canada, with the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Thunder Bay District
Thunder Bay District
Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay....
holding the Lac des Iles palladium mine
Lac des Îles igneous complex
The Lac des Îles igneous complex of northwestern Ontario, Canada is a layered gabbroic intrusion which is the host for the largest palladium orebody in Canada...
and the Abitibi
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Abitibi-Témiscamingue is a region located in western Quebec, Canada, along the border with Ontario. It became part of the province in 1898. It has a land area of 57,674.26 km2 . As of the 2006 census, the population of the region was 143,872 inhabitants.-History:The land was first occupied...
region in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
the Sleeping Giant
Sleeping Giant (Ontario)
The Sleeping Giant is a formation of mesas and sills on Sibley Peninsula which resembles a giant lying on its back when viewed from the West to North-Northwest section of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. As one moves southward along the shoreline toward Squaw Bay the Sleeping Giant starts to separate...
gold mine, but it also has exploration rights for the Discovery project, Flordin property, Shebandowan
Shebandowan, Ontario
Shebandowan is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on Highway 11 in the Thunder Bay District.The community is administered by a local services board, and is counted as part of Thunder Bay, Unorganized in Canadian census data....
West project and the Vezza project.
On October 21, 2008, the Lac des Iles mine was placed on "care and maintenance" due to declining metal prices. It was reopened on October 13, 2010.
On May 26, 2009, the company acquired the Sleeping Giant gold mine through the acquisition of Cadiscor Resources Inc.
On May 20, 2010, the company acquired the Vezza gold project, in the Abitibi region, from Agnico-Eagle Mines
Agnico-Eagle Mines
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited is a Canadian-based gold producer with operations in Canada, Finland and Mexico and exploration and development activities extending to the United States. Agnico-Eagle has full exposure to higher gold prices consistent with its policy of no-forward gold sales...
.
William J. Biggar has been Chief Executive Officer and President of the company since October 1, 2008.
The only other North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
based palladium or platinum producer is Stillwater Mining Company
Stillwater Mining Company
Stillwater Mining Company is a palladium and platinum mining company with headquarters located at Billings, Montana, United States. It is the only palladium and platinum producer in the USA. The only other North America based palladium/platinum producer is North American Palladium, located in...
, located in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, USA.