Prince George, BC – Public consultation will form part of the upcoming federal and provincial environmental review of a proposed gold mine southwest of Prince George, but the developer held its own ‘temperature taking’ earlier this month.

New Gold Inc. says, in total, almost 250 people came out to a series of open houses in Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Quesnel, Fort St. James, and Prince George to discuss the proposed Blackwater Gold Project located approximately 110-kilometres southwest of Vanderhoof.  A series of similar sessions last fall drew approximately 200 people.

New Gold Director of Environment & Sustainability, Tim Bekhuys, says participants expressed interest in jobs and contract opportunities, asked questions about environmental management, and local training opportunities.  He says company officials received important feedback that will be used in the design of the project.

Local businesses had the chance to add their names to a directory of potential suppliers New Gold is compiling to support local contracting.

The proposed mine is currently in the advanced exploration phase, with construction forecast to begin in 2015.  At its peak, New Gold expects to hire between 1,000 and 1,500 workers during construction and 500 full-time workers to operate the mine.  Public consultation mandated by the joint environmental review is expected to begin mid-summer.