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On July 16, 2026, Sixty North Gold Mining Ltd. (CSE: SXTY) reported steady progress in developing its fully owned Mon Gold Mine near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Development efforts remain largely on schedule with minor delays. The company has completed camp assembly, gained approval to clear the mill pad, and begun constructing roads to the dry stack tailings facility. Additionally, a revised Design and Construction Plan has been submitted to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board for review. These milestones mark advancement toward the goal of initiating gold production this year, pending regulatory consents.
Key Highlights
- Sixty North Gold Mining Ltd. (CSE: SXTY) is advancing the Mon Gold Mine, a 100% owned underground gold project in Yellowknife, NWT.
- Authorization has been granted to clear the mill pad and start road construction to the dry stack tailings facility.
- A revised Design and Construction Plan for the mill has been submitted to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board; crews are mobilized and executing initial infrastructure work.
- Operational commencement timelines depend on approval of outstanding Management Plans, notably the Water and Groundwater Management Plan, which requires two years of post-2023 wildfire baseline sampling as directed by the board.
Camp Setup and Infrastructure Development Progressing as Planned
Sixty North Gold confirmed that camp assembly is complete and site operations are underway. The company anticipates camp and infrastructure setup will take approximately 3 to 4 weeks, with crews already active on location. This phase is critical for transitioning the Mon Gold Mine from advanced exploration to production readiness.
Simultaneously, the company received inspector approval to clear blasted rock from the mill pad and initiate road construction to the dry stack tailings facility. These activities are expected to last about two weeks, with work commencing within two weeks of the announcement date. This infrastructure development is essential to support milling operations once equipment assembly and regulatory approvals are finalized.
Mill Construction Plan Submitted and Under Regulatory Review
Mill assembly will begin following approval of the revised Design and Construction Plan submitted to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. The assembly phase is expected to take between 9 and 13 weeks, contingent on regulatory clearance. The submitted plan reflects the company’s engagement with the regulatory process.
The 100 tonnes per day mill features a crush, grind, gravity, flotation, and filter dry stack operation, described by Sixty North Gold as the first environmentally friendly mill design in the Yellowknife gold belt. Mill feed extraction is scheduled to start one week before mill start-up, although no exact timeline for full production commencement was provided. All remaining regulatory approvals must be secured before processing can begin.
Ongoing Regulatory Discussions on Water Management and Environmental Assessments
Sixty North Gold is actively engaging with the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board regarding its water management plan. The company submitted an independent review covering 25 years of water sample data to demonstrate stable water conditions post-2023 wildfire seasons. Missing data at some sample sites were attributed to drought conditions preceding wildfire events.
In June 2026, the company completed an extensive Archaeological Impact Assessment following a 2016 Archaeological Overview Assessment. This expanded study aims to assure local First Nations that environmental and cultural impacts will be minimal and acceptable. All Management Plans have been submitted at least once, with the Water and Groundwater Management Plan still subject to a board directive requiring two years of post-2023 wildfire baseline sampling.
Mining Method and Gold Recovery Process Detailed
The Mon Gold Mine employs selective underground mining through a 3-meter by 4-meter access portal and a 2-meter by 2-meter secondary egress raise, designed to minimize waste rock. Ore is developed underground and trucked to surface as needed. The processing circuit starts with a closed two-stage crushing circuit, followed by grinding in a ball mill to p80 minus 150 mesh. A coarser grind was chosen based on test results showing over 95% gold recovery, producing coarser tailings that are easier to manage.
Gold recovery utilizes a gravity circuit producing concentrate that can be melted into raw gold or doré bars. Gravity tailings proceed to flotation for residual gold extraction. The company did not disclose the combined recovery rate from these circuits. Flotation concentrate and associated sulphides are bagged for off-site sale or further processing. Tailings are filtered to remove 80 to 85% of water for recycling, with remaining damp sands transported to the dry stack facility for placement and monitoring.
Water Usage and Sustainable Tailings Management
The mill’s daily water requirement is estimated at 15 to 20 cubic meters, primarily sourced from mine water discharge and supplemented by fresh water if necessary. Sixty North Gold states the mine’s water use will be less than that of a modest diamond drilling program, with no liquid slurry to manage. The filtration and recycling system is designed to reduce fresh water consumption by more than 85% compared to conventional milling.
The dry stack tailings facility eliminates the need for traditional tailings ponds or slurry management. Tailings composed of quartz, carbonate, and minor rock fragments are placed in the dry stack facility for ongoing monitoring. This approach aligns with the company’s commitment to environmentally sustainable operations in the Yellowknife area.
Underground Development Reveals Deeper Ore Zones and Expansion Potential
Historical mining at Mon Gold during the 1990s extracted 15,000 tonnes of ore to depths of 15 meters, recovering approximately 15,000 ounces of gold, according to the company’s August 3, 2023 technical report filed on SEDAR+. Recent underground development has intersected the productive A-Zone 17 meters below historic stopes, confirming deeper ore extensions. A newly identified DD-Zone is also exposed in the main ramp.
Development plans include mining stopes in the East Limb, West Limb, and DD Zone, with ramp extensions planned to access deeper levels. The company also identified silver-rich volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits, large shear zone-hosted gold targets, and critical-element-enriched iron oxide copper gold (IOCG)-style mineralization on its property, offering future exploration and development opportunities beyond the initial Mon Gold Mine.
Yellowknife Gold Camp Legacy and Strategic Positioning
The Yellowknife gold camp has a rich history of significant gold production. Sixty North Gold notes that two mines in the camp, including Discovery Mine and Mon Mine, averaged over 30 grams per tonne gold, while Con Mine and Giant Mine averaged 15 grams per tonne or more. Collectively, these four mines produced over 14 million ounces of gold historically. All began production at rates below 100 tonnes per day, consistent with the company’s planned scale.
Sixty North Gold emphasizes Yellowknife’s established workforce, services, and mining expertise as key factors supporting the revival of the Archean gold belt’s production. The company’s 100 tonnes per day operation aligns with historic initial production scales in the region, reflecting a proven development model.
Financial Position and Expert Oversight
The company reports it is well funded and has retained external technical experts to assist in completing the remaining Management Plans required for regulatory approval. Specific funding amounts, debt levels, or capitalization details were not disclosed. Engaging external expertise underscores the company’s commitment to meeting regulatory standards and ensuring technical rigor.
Dr. D.R. Webb, P.Geol, P.Eng., President and CEO of Sixty North Gold and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this announcement, confirming professional oversight of the disclosed information.
Production Timeline and Regulatory Dependencies
As of July 16, 2026, Sixty North Gold indicates that plans to begin gold production this year remain on track with only minor delays. The sequential timeline includes camp assembly (3–4 weeks), mill pad clearing and road construction (2 weeks), mill assembly (9–13 weeks), mill feed extraction starting one week before mill start-up, and full operations commencement. Each phase is contingent upon successful completion of prior steps and receipt of necessary regulatory approvals.
Final production depends on approval of all outstanding Management Plans. Notably, the Water and Groundwater Management Plan remains subject to a board directive mandating two years of post-2023 wildfire baseline sampling, which may extend the timeline for final regulatory clearance. Dave Webb, President and CEO, stated the company is "moving the project forward with full support of the federal, territorial and indigenous governments, subject to the MVLWB regulations," expressing confidence in meeting current requirements to advance production.
