Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd., one of the world’s largest gold producers, has reduced activities “at times” within its Quebec mines since Tuesday due to air quality issues from wildfires sweeping across the Canadian province.
Exploration activities within the region remain suspended, though the company’s mills are operating at normal levels, spokesperson Natalie Frackleton said Friday in an emailed statement. Agnico is closely monitoring air quality within its mines and making operational adjustments on a “daily basis,” she said.
“We will continue to make adjustments based on the changing conditions as well as any recommendations issued by the authorities,” she said.
The Toronto-based firm produced about 827,000 ounces of gold last year from its underground and open pit mines in northwestern Quebec’s Abitibi region, one of the areas hardest hit by Canada’s worst wildfire season in recorded history. The regional output represents about a quarter of the company’s annual gold production.
Agnico is the biggest of several producers and minerals explorers that have temporarily halted operations in eastern Canada as wildfires rage.
