by Scott A. Sumner

 

Musselwhite Mine has a long and proud history, with many people and partners contributing to the ongoing sustainability and success of the operation. Musselwhite is a fly-in, fly-out underground gold mine located in Northern Ontario on the Southern shore of Opapimiskan Lake, about 500km north of Thunder Bay and is on the traditional territory of North Caribou Lake First Nation. The mine has been in commercial production since 1997 and is one of the largest gold mining operations in Canada. Previously owned by Placer Dome, GoldCorp, and Newmont Corporation, Musselwhite was recently fully acquired by Orla Mining, a Canadian mining company. This acquisition has expanded Orla's production and geographic diversification Orla also operates the Camino Rojo Oxide Gold Mine in Zacatecas, Mexico, and is advancing their South Railroad Project located in Nevada.  To date, Musselwhite Mine has produced over 6 million ounces of gold in its nearly 29-year operating history.  

 
2. What is the current operation like in terms of how you operate, how many employees you have, do they live in Thunder Bay or other areas surrounding the mine site and the impact on our economy? 

 

Orla Mining is committed to creating and maintaining a culture of workplace diversity, respecting and valuing the perspectives, experiences, cultures, and essential differences that everyone possesses.  

 

Maintaining strong partnerships with the Indigenous Communities, governments and businesses where we operate are paramount to the continued success of Musselwhite Mine. We strive to create lasting positive change by supporting the economic and social well-being of our host communities. Our goal is to ensure the benefits continue well beyond the life of mine, while keeping our impacts to a minimum. By working together, we aim to foster trust and maintain genuine, positive relationships.  

 

Today, the mine employs more than 1000 employees, including both full-time employees and contractors. While many do reside in the Thunder Bay region and Northern First Nation communities surrounding Musselwhite, our workforce extends across Canada and beyond.  
 
3. How is the current operation going in terms of the amount of minerals that are you are extracting, current pricing levels and how that affects your operation? 

Orla Mining was extremely excited with the acquisition of the Musselwhite Mine for the quality team, operation and favourable geology. Great efforts have been achieved to maximize our systems and processes to safely and sustainably advance mine production. Orla believes in a long future for this mine and has already  investing significantly into the Musselwhite mine to extend mine life and improve mine productivity for many years to come.  
 
4. Can you tell me some future potential or growth opportunities that you have at the Musselwhite  operation or within Northwestern Ontario for your company? 

Following Orla's acquisition of Musselwhite Mine in February 2025, the Company launched an aggressive two-year exploration program designed to test mine trend extensions, replace and expand underground resources, and identify potential shallow open-pit satellite deposits. Major exploration successes were announced in October 2025 with drilling confirming a potential two-kilometer extension of the mine's primary gold trend beyond current resources; and since announcing this initial discovery, the drilling campaign has delivered consistent high-grade results across all priority areas, supporting potential mine life extensions and future operational expansions. 

 

In November 2025, we celebrated and introduced a $6.6 million fund that will help create new education and skills development for Indigenous youth and communities across Northwestern Ontario. Orla Mining is proud to partner with the 24 First Nations who equally own 51% of Wataynikaneyap Power on this important initiative, which will support scholarships, trades training, mentorship, STEM programs, and land-based learning , emphasizing cultural revitalization. Over a 10-year period, the fund will be administered by Opiikapawiin Services, a service organization owned by the 24 First Nations. Wataynikaneyap Power's transmission system is bringing cleaner, more reliable electricity to remote First Nations in Northwestern Ontario, replacing diesel generation. By reinvesting funds provided for Wataynikaneyap Power's pre-development costs, we're helping ensure this benefit stays in the region and creates many new opportunities for current and future generations.  

 

 

 

At Musselwhite, we are very proud of the relationships, both old and new, that we have grown and maintained over the years in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario and we are very fortunate to be able to give back to the communities where we operate. The work that we and each of our partners do every day is truly what makes a community thrive and we look forward to many more successful and exciting years ahead!