Video: First Mining drilling shows more Springpole potential as enviro clock resets

First Mining Gold’s (TSX: FF; US-OTC: FFMGF) Ontario-based Springpole project nears a permitting decision in 12 months, CEO Dan Wilton said.

The project is one of Canada’s most advanced in a key gold-producing area. However, it has been stuck in permitting limbo since it began its environmental assessment in 2018. It is grandfathered under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act of 2012. The application is still under review after a court confirmation in December.

“We’re grandfathered under the old act,” Wilton said in a January interview, “which means that the federal government actually has 365 days statutorily to review the project.”

Recent drilling at Springpole found large areas of valuable mineralization in waste that was once ignored. This reveals a lot of untapped potential, Wilton said.

In Quebec, the Duparquet project also shows promise. The 2025 program marks the company’s largest exploration drill campaign since acquiring the project in 2022. First Mining is to complete about 18,000 metres of drilling this year. The company wants to grow the resource to give the project future development options.

Watch below the full interview with The Northern Miner’s western editor, Henry Lazenby.