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Tagish Lake Gold Corp. to pay for safety infractions

A Vancouver-based junior mining company has agreed to pay a fine of $24,150 after it was caught ignoring the orders of Yukon safety inspectors.

A Vancouver-based junior mining company has agreed to pay a fine of $24,150 after it was caught ignoring the orders of Yukon safety inspectors.

Tagish Lake Gold Corporation pleaded guilty to three charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act late last year.

In the summer of 2011, inspectors from the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board visited the mine site shortly after Tagish Lake Gold took over the historic underground site 80 kilometres southwest of Whitehorse.

They ended up finding multiple safety violations.

Both a scissor lift and scoop tram lacked working fire-suppression equipment, and the tram didn’t have an adequate cab to protect the driver.

The company received a stop work order, but when inspectors returned for a followup they found nothing had been done to correct the problems and work was continuing in violation of the order.

Tagish Gold Corp., which is subsidiary of New Pacific Metals Corp., pleaded guilty to the charges last year.

Its mine superintendent, Bill Lewkoski, was also fined $5,000 for his role in the infractions.

Charges were also laid against mine supervisor Mark Greasley, but he has yet to appear in court to answer for them.

Officials still don’t know where he is.

“The charges against that mine supervisor are outstanding,” said Richard Mostyn, spokesperson for the compensation board. “We cannot find him, but we’ll prosecute if we find him.”

Tagish Lake Gold was fined $7,000 for each of the three charges and $3,150 in victim fine surcharges.

It has one month to pay the fine.

Tagish Lake Gold did not respond to requests for comment.