On the edge of Millertown, a well-kept, close-knit community of less than 100 people located a turn off the Buchans Highway in central Newfoundland, you’ll be hard pressed to miss the caged industrial laydown area currently doubling as mine site visitor parking. The fenced and monitored space doesn’t impose on the community proper—homes and town buildings are closer to the water—but it is one of the first, clear signs of Marathon Gold’s Valentine Lake Project.

As you might expect in the community closest to the mine site, the mining company’s presence is ubiquitous. You might spot someone, for instance, popping out of the town hall following a COVID test, required for access to the mining property. There are conversations all over about “the company.” No one needs to say the name; they all know who it is.

Marathon Gold’s project property is a nearly two-hour drive from Millertown, out a forest access road starting at the end of the community. For the people who have spent years exploring the property, it tends to be a drive they’re happy to make.

“From my own personal perspective, I’m glad I’m still working on the island. I have family here, I grew up here. I’m glad that I’m only seven hours away from home, which is nice. I don’t have to get on a plane,” says senior geologist Jonathan Remedios, speaking with Atlantic Business Magazine during a site visit in July. He had previously worked in Labrador and, prior to being hired by Marathon Gold, was looking at jobs further afield.

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