Western Copper and Gold has undertaken a series of open house information sessions about its Casino Copper-Gold project near Carmacks.
The Casino property is located in west central Yukon, 380 km northwest of the territorial capital of Whitehorse. The project is located on Crown land administered by the Yukon Government and is within the Selkirk First Nation traditional territory; the Tr’ondek Hwechin First Nation traditional territory lies to the north.
The company President Paul Well-Sells is a young, articulate and unpretentious. He answered all questions asked in a forthright manner. Western Copper have done their homework in assembling a top-notch team of experts to move this project forward. The Selkirk First Nation has reaped the benefits from the Minto mine through royalties and employment. The company has established positive relations with First Nations which is critical for project success.
The defeat of the anti-development NDP in the recent BC election probably helps this project. Still the demand for copper, the copper price, depends on the health of the Chinese economy. If copper drops below $3, it is doubtful this project would go ahead. The project is large, but attractive from an investment perspective. Once it gets up and running it can survive lower copper prices. To raise $2.5 B in a tough market will be a challenge.