Revival of Gaspé Mines in Murdochville: Osisko seeks a solution to dewater pit
Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist
MURDOCHVILLE – Some 70 people listened to a presentation by Osisko Metals on July 8, which focused on the environmental aspects of the possible revival of Gaspé Mines in Murdochville. These public presentations have become a tradition to provide updates on the company’s various progress.
For example, since the start of the 2025 drilling season last winter, no fewer than 43 wells have been drilled over a total distance of 31,509 metres, out of a planned total of 120 wells over 110,000 metres, primarily on Copper Mountain.
One of the main issues mentioned to attentive citizens during the approximately 40-minute presentation was the excessively high copper concentration in the pit’s artificial lake.
The company must find a way to reduce the copper concentration for salmon before dewatering the pit and releasing the water into the York River.
“When we dewater the pit, we want to make sure there’s no copper. We’re going to protect the salmon and we’re going to proceed slowly so that the river can receive this water,” explained Alexandria Marcotte, vice-president of operations at Osisko Metals. About a hundred tests have been conducted so far to find the ideal recipe.
Tests could be conducted in the river in September with the goal of launching the dewatering process in the summer of 2026. The process could take between two and four years.
Everything will depend primarily on the weather and the amount of precipitation that falls on Murdochville during this period.
The mining company promised during the evening that it would return to the public before launching the dewatering operation.
An experimental fishery will also be conducted to characterize the condition of the salmon in the river so that their health can be monitored during the operation and their habitat preserved.
“Osisko Metals wants to conduct research at the same time as the work is underway,” she said.
The wildlife inventory noted the presence of the Bicknell Thrush, a bird with special status. Protective measures will have to be considered. The flora’s characterization is also underway.
Resource estimate by early February
Meanwhile, the drilling will allow the company to submit a resource estimate by February 2026.
“We really want to define the resource because it will be important before conducting the economic study,” continues Ms. Marcotte.
The economic study will then begin, albeit slightly behind the initial schedule.
It is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with environmental studies beginning around 2028.
If all goes well, the mine could be operational by the turn of 2030.
Osisko presented new drilling results in June that showed an average copper grade ranging from 0.25% to 1.92%, the latter value occurring over a short 30-metre segment south of Copper Mountain. This data will be included in a new resource estimate.
According to the company, the inferred mineral resource is 670 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.38%. The future looks interesting and profitable.
“We think so. We’ll keep drilling, and as long as we’re here, the answer is yes.” That’s what Osisko Metals believes,” says Ms. Marcotte.
The mayor remains optimistic
Also in attendance, Murdochville mayor Délisca Ritchie Roussy made no secret of her optimism about the revival of the mine that has marked her town’s history.
“It’s progressing very well. We’re really well informed from them. They’re not hiding anything. We have all the necessary information. I feel very good about that,” she says.
According to her, residents are generally in agreement with the revival project.
“For their children and grandchildren. There are grandparents whose grandchildren have gone out to work. If they can work here… because they’ll hire a lot of people,” believes the mayor.
Ritchie Roussy admitted she never imagined the copper mine could return to Murdochville.
“When it closed, we never thought to ask Noranda if there was any copper left. We thought there were none left at all,” she says.
The mayor plans to seek one final term in the upcoming November election to help shape the project’s future.
“Above all, negotiate the post-mining period. When they open, we’ll already negotiate the closure with well-established clauses with the mine,” she promises to avoid a repeat of history.
On August 25, 2002, citizens voted in a referendum to close the town after the mine closed in October 1999, and the smelter closed in April 2002.
Some 600 people lost their jobs during these two closures. However, Quebec rejected the referendum result and kept the town open.
To aid recovery, a call centre was launched in 2003, creating about 55 jobs. During the mine’s boom years from 1974 to 1982, Gaspé Mines employed around 2,000 people.
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