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Felix Lee on the critical role of #PDAC2021 in promoting miners interest around the world In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Peter Clausi spoke with Felix Lee, President of PDAC about the convention that just kicked off earlier this week and the role of PDAC in promoting miners interest around the world. In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Mr. Lee starts with: “The show is off to a great start.” Mr. Lee pointed out that most people think of PDAC as a convention but the organization exists as an advocacy body. He said that the organization works very hard to support and promote a vibrant, competitive, and responsible minerals exploration industry. They also work with the Canadian federal government to enact policies that benefit the industry. “We are poised to play a very critical role in the transition of Canada’s economy to a low carbon future,” Mr. Lee added. To watch the complete interview, click here About PDAC Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is the leading voice of Canada’s mineral exploration and development community since 1932. With over 7,200 members around the world, PDAC’s work centres on supporting a competitive, responsible mineral sector. The annual PDAC Convention is the world’s premier international event for the minerals and mining industry. It has attracted more than 25,000 people from
135 countries in recent years. To learn more about PDAC, click here Focusing on battery materials at #PDAC2021, Publisher starts with the rare earths experts from Search Minerals It’s the week where the mining world usually descends in Toronto for PDAC 2021 (#PDAC2021) conference….last year I gained a business partner and 2 Board members , this year I am committed to reviewing every single battery material, critical material, technology metal and associated cleantech/greentech and EV company participating. Often asked how I find companies, the answer is always the same – relationships. 20+ years now on Bay Street, am always seeking the story behind the deal, this one is about Newfoundland and Labrador. A deal that has not only made every local a potential shareholder, is championed by the government but is about the value of investing in people for the future good of the whole. For #PDAC2021, I urge you to start with going to the Search Minerals Inc. (TSXV: SMY) virtual booth. Off to a good start in 2021, especially on the money side of their business. They closed an oversubscribed private placement in January ($534,000), received another $150,900 in warrant proceeds in early February and announced another non-brokered private placement in mid-February for maximum gross proceeds of $1.75
million. This is expected to close on or before March 15. Recall that the company has a 100% interest in an approximate 70 kilometer long by 8 kilometer wide region in the Fox Harbor volcanic belt located in the Port Hope Simpson area of southeastern Labrador. Within this area is a belt 63 km long and 2 km wide which is road accessible, on tidewater, and located within 3 local communities. Search is focused on finding and developing Critical Rare Earths Elements (CREE), Zirconium (Zr) and Hafnium (Hf) resources. Exploration commenced in 2009 and it quickly became apparent that the district was rich in rare earths. The Foxtrot deposit was discovered in 2010 followed by Deep Fox in 2014 and Fox Meadow in 2016. While all of these discoveries have significance, there are more than 20 additional exploration prospects identified in the immediate area, providing future exploration inventory. Search has completed a preliminary economic assessment report for Foxtrot and a resource estimate for Deep Fox. Search is also working on three exploration prospects along the belt which include: Fox Meadow, Silver Fox and Awesome Fox. The company now has five major discoveries in this area with excellent road and power infrastructure with deep-water port access nearby that would support a low-cost development scenario. Foxtrot is the most advanced with a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the prospect and an NI 43-101 report prepared in 2016. The deposit, which would be mined with both open pit and underground workings, contains the key rare earth elements neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, necessary for permanent magnets used in electric cars, wind turbines and many high-tech products. In addition to being a mineral exploration company, management recognized the importance of leveraging the cost advantages provided by the physical location of Foxtrot as well as the subsequent discoveries. The company developed a patented
proprietary Direct Extraction technology which has produced a 99% high purity mixed rare earth concentrate via two continuous pilot plants. Search has continued to optimize their patented Direct Extraction Process technology with the generous support from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and from the Atlantic Canada Opportunity Agency (ACOA). Greg Andrews, President and CEO of Search Minerals commented in their February 10, 2021 news release that “Search has received internal engineering studies which outlines the capital and operating costs for constructing a 1/200th scale demonstration plant in St. Lewis Labrador (10 tonnes per day). The demonstration plant would be essential for 1) training our future workforce for plant operations, 2) producing sufficient quantities of mixed rare earth concentrate for demonstration of commercial rare earth separation, and 3) large scale validation of our Direct Extraction processing flowsheet. We are putting together our business plan for the construction of the demonstration plant with our funding partners.” While their technology has been proven, scaling up to a plant will require significant capital and the company now needs to securing funding and/or a partner to further refine the process in a demonstration plant. In addition, the company will require further funding to continue infill drilling to take the discoveries to feasibility study stages. We note that the company has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC), signed in late October 2020, for technical collaboration. The company has also entered into a Technical Collaboration Framework Agreement with USA Rare Earth, LLC to explore further separation capabilities. An interesting company with good assets, Search has a nice, compact area of operations and have had good exploration
success under the helm of some of the most respected rare earths experts such as Dr. David Dreisinger. They are in the right resource space at the right time (in my opinion*) – and with the critical piece of business in the market (always) being leadership, Greg Andrews has been at the helm since 2014 and is evidence that indeed, investing in relationships in the community is a long term strategy for the wise. —————————————- Disclaimer: The writer is not a licensed Investment Advisor and is not extending investment advice. The writer owns shares in InvestorIntel Corp. and is the Publisher or InvestorIntel.com. InvestorIntel Corp. is paid for advertising by Search Minerals, however our advertising program is for ads and video production only. InvestorIntel Corp. does not accept payment for written content, does not write op-eds, and does not extend links to outside sources for payment. Mario Stifano on the world famous Omai gold mine, Guyana and preparing for #PDAC2021 In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Peter Clausi speaks with Mario Stifano, CEO and Director of Omai Gold Mines Corp. (TSXV: OMG) about Omai’s flagship Guyana resource and the unique opportunity presented by acquiring the world famous Omai gold mine. The project remains under-explored and rich in potential. With an average gold price of more than 4x what it was when the mine was last in operation, the company is building on the
past success of the Omai mine. In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Mario went on to say that Omai “is a very large deposit and also very high grade for an open pit.” Mario explains that when gold prices fell in the 90s and 2000s, a major producer abandoned the mine in Guyana with millions of ounces still potentially in reserve, and Omai Gold Mines Corp. was able to acquire it at a steep discount. He goes on to explain in great detail the cost of exploration in the region, how Omai is covering those costs, and the technical reasons for Omai’s optimism regarding the blue sky potential of this multi-million ounce gold deposit. Omai Gold Mines Corp. will be presenting at the PDAC Virtual Convention to be held from March 8, 2021 to March 11, 2021. Omai Gold Mines is a Core Shack exhibitor. To watch the full interview, click here. About Omai Gold Mines Corp.: Early prospectors identified Guyana’s vast mineral wealth 130 years ago, and at the heart of the country’s gold mining history is the Omai mine: a multi-million-ounce deposit that was once South America’s largest producing gold mine. We’re building on this past success with new tools, relationships and vision to bring this under-explored gold district back to life, providing a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to participate in value creation. Avalon Gold Exploration Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Omai Gold Mines Corp., holds a 100% interest in the Omai Prospecting License covering 4,590 acres, including the past producing Omai gold mine. To learn more about Omai Gold Mines Corp. (TSXV: OMG), click here.
The CSE on the Benefits of a Virtual #PDAC2021 In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Peter Clausi speaks with Barrington Miller of the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) about the upcoming Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Mining Conference to be held from March 8-11, 2021. In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Barrington talks about the upcoming PDAC mining conference, its new digital format, and the CSE’s participation in PDAC 2021. Barrington discusses the challenges of running a mining conference digitally, but also the perks. Having a digital mining conference makes it more accessible to companies that are located internationally and also means that investors and media who may be occupied during the conference can access the conference later. While the pandemic has changed the format, Barrington thinks that may be a good thing and that PDAC 2021 may be the best year yet. To watch the full interview, click here. About the Canadian Securities Exchange The Canadian Securities Exchange, or CSE, is operated by CNSX Markets Inc. Recognized as a stock exchange in 2004, the CSE began operations in 2003 to provide a modern and efficient alternative for companies looking to access the Canadian public capital markets. To learn more about the Canadian Securities Exchange, click here
PDAC 2021: The world’s largest mining show goes virtual As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impose travel restrictions and limitations on the size of gatherings, large and in-person events in Canada are challenging to hold. With this in mind, the 89 t h Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference shifted to cyberspace this year as the world’s largest mineral exploration and mining event decided that a virtual event would be safer than getting over 23,000 people together in a conference hall. The annual conference, which brings together mining executives, geologists, analysts, investors, students, and government officials, will be held online and aims to offer attendees the same ability to connect with the global mineral exploration and mining community. InvestorIntel returns again this year as a PDAC 2021 media partner. Virtual PDAC PDAC plans to offer over 100 hours and more than 100 sessions of unique content. Similar to previous years, the online event will be divided into different programs including Capital Markets, Investor Exchange, Presentation Rooms, Sustainability, Geoscience, and Short Courses. An advantage of the virtual conference is that the platform will be available 24 hours a day and, after the “live”
presentations are finished, the content will be available on- demand for three months following the conference. With thousands of companies attending and presenting, even as a virtual attendee, preparation is key when “exploring” for the next investment “gem”. Presentations for Investors The Corporate Presentation Forum for Investors (CPFI) is changing for 2021 and will combine insights from industry thought leaders such as John Kaiser of Kaiser Research and Frank Holmes of US Global Investors, with links to selected company presentations. To allow attendees to focus on specific commodities, the CPFI Showcase groups together similar companies into categories: base and energy materials, diamonds, gold explorers, gold producers, royalty companies, silver, and uranium. Other key sessions and events for investors include: Capital Markets Program “Profits with a Purpose” with Aline Cote of Glencore, Mark Bristow of Barrick Gold, and Evy Hambro of BlackRock. Letter Writer Presentations for Investors Rick Rule of Sprott, Brent Cook of Exploration Insights, and Gwen Preston of Resource Maven. Keynote speakers “The Fate of Gold Deposits” with Douglas Silver of Flydentity. During these presentations, attendees can participate in group discussions and breakout rooms, and connect with the speakers. Companies will have virtual booths with chat rooms and the ability to book 1-on-1 meetings with the exhibitors. Questions to Ask Exploration Companies
The Investors Exchange returns in a virtual format, allowing investors to connect with leading junior mining companies, mid-sized producers, and major mining companies, to discuss investment and project potential. Even at a virtual conference, plan to ask companies questions. Key factors when deciding to invest in an exploration company include: Deposit: What commodity is the company targeting? What is the grade? How far below the surface is the mineralization? Location: Where is the deposit located? Is it located in a mining-friendly jurisdiction? Is it accessible year- round? Is it near power? Management: Does the management team have experience with that specific mineral? Have they been successful in the past? Who leads the company’s exploration efforts? Funding: Do they have the cash in the bank to fund exploration for the next 12-18 months? How much financing will they require? Virtual Entertainment and Cocktail PDAC also wants attendees to enjoy the social side of the conference and included a variety of entertainment including musical acts, tours, and interactive events. For example, hosted by an award-winning mixologist, the Peru Cocktail event includes learning how to create Peru’s famous signature cocktails. Don’t forget to have a bottle of Pisco and all of the ingredients at the ready. Save the Date – PDAC is from March 8-11 The PDAC convention is scheduled to run this year from March 8-11. To learn more about the virtual conference and download the
PDAC 2021 Preliminary Program, you can visit the PDAC Convention webpage. To register for the event, you can visit the PDAC Registration webpage. Hope to see you “virtually” there!
PDAC’s President Felix Lee on soaring gold prices and widening the investment audience for the mining sector Note from the Publisher: PDAC issued an updated statement on the attendee that has been confirmed with the Covid-19 virus that may be accessed here – click here We felt that PDAC 2020 was exceedingly well done, and the attendance was reported to be 23,000, which suggests another outstanding year of attendance in spite of this unprecedented health challenge. On behalf of the InvestorIntel team, we would like to thank the PDAC team for doing an outstanding job, and for having us as a media sponsor again this year. To all of our audience members, stay healthy and be well! In an InvestorIntel interview during PDAC last week, Peter Clausi secures an interview update with President Felix Lee on Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development community. Mr Lee started the interview by discussion the substantial history and leadership of PDAC in the mining sector. Having been in existence for the last 88 years, PDAC injects more than $70 million into the local economy every year. While commenting that it is an interesting time for the mining industry with gold at all-time highs, he had some equally interesting incite on what the mining sector to widen their investment audience. To access the complete interview, click here
PDAC 2020: Critical materials to soar, capital markets say yes to gold and uranium may be the star in 2020 Finished PDAC yesterday, this annual resource and capital market social marathon was described to me best by one client as an “…annual get together with 5,000 of my closest friends.” Right off the press from PDAC’s site, they write: “Attendance at the 88th Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2020 Convention totalled 23,144, highlighting the resilience and innovation of the international mineral exploration and mining sector.” Let me share with you what we learned. Now some of you receive email updates from me through a special InvestorIntel email list. If you like what I sent out yesterday, or would like to be added to the InvestorIntel Special Report list, just click here to join Distributed on March 4th — Preparing for Day 04 of PDAC this morning, let me share some of my conclusions from this significant annual event. Significant in that I often refer to PDAC as the metaphorical market canary in the coal mine. And for those of our readers new to this phrase, “a canary in a coal mine is an advanced warning of some danger. The metaphor originates from the times when miners used to carry caged canaries while at work; if there was any methane or carbon monoxide in the mine, the canary would die before the levels of the gas reached those hazardous to humans if methane gas became present and thereby alert miners to the danger.”
In my experience over the last dozen plus years I have attended PDAC, this event is our market canary and so far, you’re either going to love my conclusions, or perhaps despise them. Either way, I recommend, like me – that you pay attention to the indicators, if only for reflection. This said, let’s start with the usual disclaimer that I am not a licensed investment adviser, and I am not making any investment recommendations. What I am is a professional writer and investment banker that is commenting on feedback provided to me after doing over 3-dozen+ interviews over the last 72 hours with CEOs attending PDAC 2020. Also, under no circumstances have I ever met anyone or any software program that could predict the future, even for the moment. So, let’s call this a gambling girl’s bet on what ‘may’ potentially be happening…. understanding that none of us truly knows….
Critical Material Market may soar in 2020: The uptick for the critical materials sector is going to exceed even my personal hopes and wildest expectations. It started on Sunday morning, I met with a well-known investor in the sector, his comment to me was: “This sector is currently 5-minutes to midnight. We are not at the 1-minute to midnight marker yet, but we could be at any moment.” His point? If you’re not ready for this market surge, he doesn’t care – because he is ready. And let me add, I am familiar with at least 3 critical material private events, including 1 invitation-only one this week, which suggests others agree. Noted a key business story in the Globe and Mail yesterday morning titled “Canada, U.S. co-operating to secure vital rare-earth minerals”. Nothing of consequence in that text, let
me add, this is NOT just rare earths, notice I stated ‘critical materials’? So, for instance, our (InvestorIntel) client ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. (TSXV: ZEN) (up over 40% last month) is proving that investors are indeed getting in…what’s that line? We could be closer than we think… Increased Interest in the Junior Gold Markets: There is increased interest from the capital markets in gold. Some gold CEOs are using terms like ‘flowing’ when referring to capital options, the CEOs from several juniors I spoke with yesterday genuinely believe we will see this translate to stock movement in the markets ‘soon’? We will see. Copper is the Buzz Word for Billionaires: Copper is the buzz word, or so Robert Friedland has everyone thinking. Me? I think copper is excellent if you have it or already in on a deal, but to me – once the billionaire’s start promoting the sector, it usually means that the middle-class millionaire has missed the boat to break on through to the other side!
Socially Conscious Stocks are Winners. I interviewed Jim Payne of dynaCERT Inc. (TSXV: DYA | OTCQB: DYFSF) on Monday and he currently has the #1 moving TSX Venture stock. He was heading to go meet with Prime Minister Trudeau after our interview, yesterday I interviewed Dan Blondal of Nano One Materials…and did you see their recent news on their private placement? Instead of raising $5 million, they were oversubscribed, and raised $11 million. Enough said, the evidence is clear. Uranium may be the star of the year! Speaking of critical materials, we are waiting for the Nuclear Fuel Working Group to provide additional recommendations here later today, we are all waiting for the investment community to comprehend the announcement just over a week ago on the $1.5 billion commitment from the U.S. government over the next 10 years to buy American uranium —- we are watching the leaders, and it did not escape our notice that there was an increase in insider buying for leading American producer Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU | TSX: EFR) last week — we did an interview with Mark Chalmers yesterday. With all of this said, the overall resource sector not sending good indicators for the market this year in that we heard many members of management request N-O-T to be interviewed. Asking that they not be quoted, their response to questions on their perceptions would most aptly be described as tortoise-like in that they appeared to want to retreat into their shells and hide from any PR whatsoever! Why, one wonders… Many of the TSX Venture exploration companies seemed to be ‘worn’ — the impact of 2019 on the juniors could be
seen on many faces. —— Note that the rest of the above report had our usual discussions on upcoming events, so again – if you would like to receive these reports, click here OR, if you wanted to attend PDAC and didn’t make it…we have 42 promo videos filmed by our partners Moovly Media Inc. (TSXV: MVY | OTCQB: MVVYFyou can access below! Enjoy! 1. Peter Clausi on PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/CWdmlY5UjFg 2. PDAC 2020 InvestorIntel Update with Paul Gill of Lomiko Metals https://youtu.be/VRFGOkXop1E 3. PDAC 2020 InvestorIntel Promo Interview with Wayne Tisdale of Canadian Palladium https://youtu.be/fEgjEYLU6x4 4. R o n W o r t e l k i c k s o f f P D A C 2020 – likes gold. https://youtu.be/Bbrhvei8dTc 5. D r F r a n c i s D u b e f r o m Z E N Graphene on PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/Vv4eejXqdnk 6. P r e s i d e n t Felix Lee on PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/0U2ZoUYW1Qk 7. D e v R a n d h a w a o f F i s s i o n Uranium at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/XFDVbVZKMwE 8. InvestorIntel’s ii6 Summit Coordinator Andrew Neary on PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/FHikopRZl9Q 9. InvestorIntel interviews Brendon Grunewald of Moovly Media at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/oQ-vg1WUgCo 10. InvestorIntel interviews the Nigerian Delegation at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/MGMQ4f0n8xA 11. InvestorIntel interviews David Arenberg of DAI at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/HaiAahREPOw 12. InvestorIntel interviews David Morgan at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/uOPz6wHWtdA 13. InvestorIntel interviews Tom Drivas of Appia Energy at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/vRMIx-y03OE 14. InvestorIntel interviews Henry Weingarten at PDAC 2020
https://youtu.be/IhA83H-O1P0 15. InvestorIntel interviews Robert Klein of Western Uranium & Vanadium at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/RvEYQ72JfOA 16. InvestorIntel interviews Dave Hodge from Zimtu at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/4ahbCrfGg_4 17. InvestorIntel interviews Barrington Miller of the CSE at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/-ZzJFr3UK9s 18. InvestorIntel interviews Lee Burton of Spartan Resources at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/O5GrQbVzYmA 19. InvestorIntel interviews Frank Kutzschan at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/BFzaHEVZ6Xo 20. InvestorIntel interviews Mark Chalmers of Energy Fuels Inc at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/D_TPFwO-Qac 21. InvestorIntel interviews Alastair Neill at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/bGTXiYjhK2A 22. InvestorIntel interviews Tom Meredith of West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/gNF-yN6ff88 23. Brendon Grunewald of Moovly Media at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/CMUCbEIvqD8 24. InvestorIntel interviews Phil McGuire at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/iUEQieD2yyQ 25. InvestorIntel with the Jamaica Stock Exchange at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/8ro1evxJlAo 26. InvestorIntel interviews Anthony Cohen of Plato Gold Corp. at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/ayC9DHjsrR8 27. InvestorIntel interviews Pres. & CEO Cynthia Le Sueur- Aquin of Laurion Mineral at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/4L2H_YnJwQE 28. InvestorIntel interviews Mike Druhan of MedX Health at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/vxs-5H0wTaQ 29. InvestorIntel interviews Jim Payne of dynaCERT at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/c4KpBpez-YQ 30. InvestorIntel interviews Scott Sheldon of Go Metals at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/I_wN9liQMeY 31. InvestorIntel interviews John Covello of Laurion Mineral Exploration Inc at PDAC 2020
https://youtu.be/7RoPiq1ni4Y 32. Nano One Materials’ Dan Blondal at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/iBUhYHAF4_M 33. Ron Wortel speaks with Chuck Downie of Taiga Gold https://youtu.be/QU2nUrBDBRY 34. Ron Wortel and Chuck Downie doing a PDAC Moovly…. https://youtu.be/Tk-rML80qH8 35. InvestorIntel interviews Greg Andrews of Search Minerals at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/KQscepQPuqo 36. InvestorIntel interviews Dr Randy Miller of Search Minerals at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/8wIfb99EUq4 37. InvestorIntel interviews Byron King at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/v5uxCSmiWgY 38. Peter Clausi and Alf Stewart discuss Searchlight Resources https://youtu.be/aLS1jxW0_ng 39. InvestorIntel interviews Will Felderhof of Zephyr Minerals at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/MIrgmySm5ck 40. InvestorIntel interviews Stephen Lautens of Angkor Resources Corp. at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/eRO_dR4Fvoc 41. InvestorIntel’s CEO Tracy Weslosky on Day 4 of PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/jBNXbg6Nir4 42. InvestorIntel interviews Brent Cook at PDAC 2020 https://youtu.be/v8KCwFThctY
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