INN: I’m going to switch gears a little bit. We were both up in the Yukon quite recently touring around different mining properties. I just wanted to ask what your overall impression was up there, what did you think of that?

JK: Yeah, we were on different tours.

INN. Different tours, but same place.

JK: Yeah, yeah. So mine was a … flyover tour. We had a couple of geologists with the Yukon Geological Survey in our plane — we were all wired up and talking to each other, and we all had iPads that had geological and topographical maps, and so we could toggle back and forth as we — and the geos would tell us about the projects as we flew over them. So that was quite neat.

You know what, I first went up to the Yukon in the summer of 2015 in … the height of the bear market, right? It was the end of the world, stocks were not trading and really low. And then 2016 of course was when Goldcorp (TSX:G,NYSE:GG) bought Kaminak. So just a year later it was lots of energy, and it’s sort of drifted down. I would say it felt more like 2015 this past year even though some interesting things are happening up there.

INN: You’ve really been able to watch that progression up there.

JK: Yeah, yeah, and getting back to detachment. I mean, one of the companies, ATAC Resources (TSXV:ATC) — did you go to the site?
 

INN: Yeah, we did.

JK: Yeah. So, you know, they came out yesterday with 23 meters of 9.5 grams per tonne gold in a step-out hole at Conrad, where they just announced a maiden resource estimate. And the stock I think opened the day of $0.52, went up to $0.55, $0.56, but closed the day flat. And that’s an outstanding hole, it really is. So it’s an example of where there is value in this market, but you might have to wait.

INN: And that non-reaction is just a reflection of the market right now?

JK: Yeah. There haven’t been a lot of great successes in … exploration, but also in the mining sector. It’s like stepping on a down elevator. That’s kind of how it’s been for the last several years, right? And so money’s just flowed out and into things like cannabis and … blockchain as well.

INN: Speaking about exploration — there’s a lot of talk right now about is there enough exploration going on and things like that. The Yukon — just going back there — it’s a jurisdiction with a lot of mining history. What would you say are the pros and cons of investing in properties there vs. a jurisdiction where there has been less exploration, there’s less that’s happened there?

JK: I’d say … the Yukon — one of the greatest things about the Yukon is the government support is outstanding up there. A lot of the First Nations are very business oriented and pro-mining depending on where you are. Remoteness is an issue, right? So these projects are hard to get to. Projects that are on a road in the Yukon — it’s a huge advantage. 

INN: That’s all from me unless there are any final thoughts you want to leave investors with for Q3 and the rest of the year.

JK: Just pick good companies, good management teams.

INN: Easier said than done.

JK: It is. It is, but you know what, management teams — it’s all about management in this business, especially in a market like this. So that’s a safety margin that you have to take advantage of.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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