The purpose of this message is to update you on an important development regarding Agnico Eagle’s Nunavut operations.

At times like these where all bodies are looking for ways to help each other, we are all in this together. Agnico Eagle has a duty to provide a safe workplace and our priority is to protect the health and safety of our employees and the surrounding communities, especially in a place such as Nunavut.

The remote nature of our operations requires frequent travelling and accommodating employees in camp facilities. For this reason, Agnico Eagle has decided to move forward with a pilot project to implement COVID-19 laboratory testing at our Nunavut operations to test employees and contractors.

The purpose of the pilot project is to provide a rapid and accurate COVID-19 test to our employees working at our Nunavut mines and to help protect surrounding communities. The lab can confirm if a person is positive with COVID-19 even if the individual doesn’t show any symptoms.

We are working in close collaboration with Dr. Gary Kobinger, Ph.D, who is leading this project. Dr. Kobinger, is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the director of the Research Centre on Infectious Diseases at Laval University. He and Dr. Xianngguo Qiu of the National Microbiology Laboratory developed both a vaccine to prevent the devastating Ebola virus and a drug to treat those already infected. Dr. Kobinger developed the vaccine when he was an associate professor at the University of Manitoba. Further information can be found on the following website:  http://www.guardrx.org/

We have enough room to set up the laboratory and accommodate the expert team inside the Camp facility at both Meliadine Mine and Meadowbank Complex. The test is performed on a voluntary basis for employees and contractors working at site. Agnico Eagle’s top priority is to protect the safety of all workers by ensuring the workplace is safe and free from COVID-19.

This measure will supplement all other measures currently in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 amongst our workforce and to our host communities.

This is a rapidly evolving situation which we are monitoring very closely on an ongoing basis to respond promptly to changing conditions.

We will continue to keep you informed on a regular basis.