VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Exploration company Osisko Mining has taken the first steps in the environmental approval processes for its cornerstone Windfall Lake project, in Quebec.

The TSX-listed company has filed the project description with the federal Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the preliminary project information with the Quebec government (MDDELCC), which will provide Osisko with guidelines for executing the project impact assessment after reviewing both documents.

"Submission of the project description and the preliminary project information to the federal and provincial governments represents the first step in the environmental approval processes for Windfall. We look forward to consulting with all stakeholders as the design of the Windfall Lake project evolves,” president and CEO John Burzynski stated on Tuesday.

Osisko has also received approval from the MDDELCC for the mine water treatment system. This certificate of authorisation (CA) allows Osisko to start dewatering the previously existing ramp to conduct advanced exploration, through extending the ramp that was started by previous operators.

"Receipt of the CA for the ramp dewatering activities is an exciting step in the advancement of the next phase of exploration. After rehabilitation of the existing ramp, it will allow us to continue to drive forward into the mineralised zones, as well as conduct further exploratory drilling from underground in conjunction with the surface drilling programme,” Burzynski added.

Osisko is evaluating the Windfall Lake gold project as a potential underground mining operation. It has previously described Windfall to be its "company-maker" deposit, based on the prolific stream of high-grade results returning from ongoing exploration campaigns on the property.

With about C$190-million in cash and equity investments in the treasury, Osisko continues to carry out an intensive definition drilling and large-scale exploration campaign on Windfall and the surrounding area.

Osisko plans to release an updated National Instrument 43-101-compliant resource estimate on the Windfall Lake project in the second half of 2017.

The company has started collecting environmental baseline data in the vicinity of Windfall and intends to collect further data along the potential haul road and around the proposed site of a mill complex near an existing industrial property (the former Domtar Corporation pulp and paper mill) in Lebel-sur-Quévillon.