President of Eldorado Gold Christian Milau calls the first production at McIlvenna Bay an "important milestone." (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

Sask.’s McIlvenna Bay copper-zinc mine ramps up toward production

By CKOM News Sep 2, 2026 | 4:09 PM

The McIlvenna Bay copper-zinc mine is ramping up toward commercial production.

According to a media release from Natural Resources Canada, “the mine produced its first copper concentrate in June.”

In July, it produced zinc and pyrite concentrates.

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The mine is expected to reach commercial production in the third quarter of this year.

More than 400,000 tonnes of material are ready to be processed, the release said, as exploration work continues to recover more of these minerals and other valuable ones, such as gold and silver.

Sample of mineralized rock from Eldorado Gold. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

The release said roughly 14,000 metres of drilling will happen in 2026.

This year alone, “McIlvenna Bay is expected to produce between five and 10 million pounds of copper, 3,000 and 6,000 tonnes of zinc, 5,000 and 10,000 ounces of gold, and 100,000 and 200,000 ounces of silver,” according to the release.

The mine is in Saskatchewan’s Flin Flon Greenstone Belt, which Natural Resources Canada called one of the country’s “richest mineral regions.”

Eldorado Gold is developing it alongside local Indigenous partners.

The project’s responsible resource development is supported by the fact that its connection to “SaskPower’s grid… providing reliable, renewable electricity to power operations,” according to the release.

“The progress at McIlvenna Bay marks a major advancement for Canada’s growing critical minerals sector,” the release wrote.

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson, said the mine is “one of Canada’s most significant new sources of copper and zinc.”

Copper is used in items such as electric vehicles and batteries, while zinc is primarily used for galvanizing steel.

Hodgson said the mine strengthens economic prosperity and national security at a time when Canada has never needed to build for itself more.

Secretary of State for Rural Development Buckley Belanger also noted that McIlvenna Bay provides opportunities for those in northern Saskatchewan.

Specifically, the mine employs roughly 380 full-time workers right now. That number is expected to grow to 450 once it reaches commercial production and, “currently, approximately 34 per cent of the workforce is Indigenous,” the release wrote.

Based on a 2025 study, “McIlvenna Bay is expected to operate for at least 18 years,” according to the release.

“Over the life of the mine, annual production is expected to average 41 million pounds of copper, 54 million pounds of zinc, 20,000 ounces of gold and 444,000 ounces of silver,” the release continued.

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-with files from 650 CKOM’s Mia Holowaychuk