TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Montreal-based gold miner Osisko Mining on Tuesday received a modified set of mining parameters from the Quebec government, allowing it increased access at its flagship Canadian Malartic mine and to improve the framework for the execution of its blasting operations.

Osisko’s operating parameters have been modified, allowing it to increase access to the northern portion of the deposit and to perform blasting sequences of up to a limit of 15 seconds and to conduct blasting operations between 11:00 and noon, and between 15:00 and 16:00.

"Our team and our consultants have worked diligently with the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks personnel to add necessary flexibility in our operating conditions while ensuring the necessary safeguards for our host community and our employees,” Osisko CEO Sean Roosen said in a statement.

Osisko at the end of November said the provincial environment authority raided its Canadian Malartic gold mine for documents as a result of environmental concerns. The company at the time said representatives of the authority requested and obtained documents relating to drilling, loading and blasting activities for certain dates between April 2011 and October of that year.

The environmental authority in October had asked the company to increase safety measures at the mine when it performed unplanned blasting.

RESERVE/RESOURCE UPDATE

Meanwhile, the company also on Tuesday announced an updated reserve and resource estimate for the Canadian Malartic mine, which employs more than 600 people and is an important economic contributor to the Town of Malartic, the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region and the province. In 2012, Osisko's salaries and purchases of goods and services totalled about $585-million.

Osisko said the new estimate, calculated at a gold price of $1 475/oz, combined the reserves and resources of the Main and South Barnat deposits with those defined from satellite deposits.

The openpit National Instrument 43-101-compliant proven and probable gold reserves now stood at 10.1-million ounces grading 1.01 g/t gold, following total production of 588 615 oz of gold since beginning of operations in 2011.

Global measured and indicated resources above a cutoff grade of 0.31 g/t to 0.34 g/t of gold stood at 11.7-million ounces, and global inferred resources stood at 1.2-million ounces.

The company’s Toronto-listed shares closed 2.02% higher at C$6.07 apiece on Tuesday.