| All resource investors should pay attention to the company’s relationships with local stakeholders, including First Nations groups. Let’s be blunt: in British Columbia, without the support of local First Nations groups, permitting, drilling, environmental studies and mine construction are going to be impossible. Five years ago, Dolly Varden Silver was a founding member of a group focused on deepening the relationships with The Golden Triangle’s First Nations including the Nisga’a Lisims Government (NLG) “Government, along with First Nations and several exploration companies [including DV Silver] from B.C.’s northwest region, has created the B.C. Regional Mining Alliance (BCRMA) to promote British Columbia’s mining opportunities internationally,” reported the Nisga’a Nation. “British Columbia’s Golden Triangle is poised for a mining boom that raises the bar when it comes to achieving the higher environmental, social, and guidance expectations for companies that produce the gold, silver, copper, and other metals the world needs and wants,” confirms Mining News North. “Through our partnership, we are creating a circle of certainty in the Golden Triangle that will attract investors to work with us in our territories,” stated Nisga’a Lisims Government President Eva Clayton. We have 15 Nisga’a staff working at site now. They are doing camp maintenance, building drill pads, falling trees, logging core and we’re getting Nisga’a people working on the environmental side.  |
| Senior Nisga’a members often travel with me to conferences. It’s advantageous to have them at the table with us. We want them to understand our business, and we need to understand their concerns, their priorities. We also want our shareholders to meet our First Nation partners, and understand that they are an important part of the Dolly Varden project. I’ll give you an example of the synergies between DV and the Nisga’a. One of our partners is a Nisga’a-owned business called “Savage Pads” – a full-service construction contractor that has delivered specialized services to the Dolly Varden project for more than a decade. The company was founded by Phillip Clayton. He’s an expert in constructing helicopter and drill pads. He is also an inspirational community leader, coaching basketball, baseball and soccer, while providing training and employment opportunities to local community members. The Savage Pads team has mobilized a crew to construct pads that can be customized to almost any type of terrain. As part of this service, they bring in materials to construct the pads, modify construction to the unique landscape, dismantle the pads, and provides full land reclamation after use. In light of soaring timber costs, Savage Pads uses an innovative technique that fully reuses timber and incorporates it into various components of the pads while leveraging fallen trees to increase pad stability. Savage Pads collaborates with the Nisga’a Employment, Skills and Training (NEST) organization which provides resources and services to support the Nisga’a people in finding and keeping meaningful employment. Through their partnership with NEST, Savage Pads employees can achieve certification for their specialized skillsets. We prioritize local hiring because the skillset is there, and community members have a deep knowledge of the local area in addition to a vested interest in Dolly Varden success. It’s a true team environment where everyone is working together towards a common goal. The Nisga’a are looking to maximize employment opportunities and also grow their wealth. Ideally, if we are doing our job well, there is no disconnect between our corporate mission and the economic and social objectives of the Nisga’a.  There’s another dimension to “Community Relations” that is more personal. I’m born and bred in British Columbia. The Kitsault Valley is in my back yard. I care deeply about the land, the people and my reputation here. My intention is to form partnerships that will benefit our shareholders and the local communities for generations. That to me, is the true measure of success. In the next message, I will talk about the people who have built Dolly Varden Silver. Shawn Khunkhun CEO, President & Director of Dolly Varden Silver Visit Our Website For More Infomation |
