It’s a busy and energizing time at BQE. Walking through the Vancouver office, it’s great to see new workstations filling up and new team members settling in. Our winter dinner at La Bodega was a fun reminder of how far we’ve come in such a short time (read more in The Office section). Even with weather shifting the rhythm of our seasonal water treatment operations, we’re entering the year with strong momentum and growing opportunities across the Americas—especially in Latin America. If you have any questions about the projects below, feel free to reach out to me.
David
The atmospheric river that doused the Lower Mainland with nearly 100mm of rainfall on January 12 didn’t dampen the mood of our operations team as they arrived at the Britannia Mine Water Treatment Plant to take over the operation and maintenance of the facility and begin our 20-year partnership with the Province of BC.
Although the plant has run well since 2006, today’s technology allows for significant gains. BQE’s plan focuses on improving efficiency and reducing operating costs, and as Operations Manager Brandon Marchand noted, our strategy is anchored in safety, regulatory compliance, productivity, fiscal discipline, and essential capital and maintenance projects.
Once the immediate priority of maintaining the safe operation of the plant was addressed, the team started the groundwork for improvements and optimization. Early regulatory testing was passed successfully, and operators are completing extensive training that align with our workflow standards. We’re very pleased that some of our operators are living in Squamish, a benefit to plant operations and community connection.
With our base work in motion, BQE is fully committed to setting the plant up for decades of sustained, dependable service and strengthening environmental protection in the region.
We continue supporting our client in South America in the Feasibility Study, designing a water treatment plant to achieve maximum water recycle and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) from a heavy rare earth extraction processing facility.
The treatment manages impurities that build-up during hydrometallurgical processing and captures residual rare earth that would otherwise not be recovered. The current phase of work builds on our earlier lab testing and semi-industrial pilot facility operation followed by Pre‑Feasibility Study. The treatment process combines metal precipitation, ion exchange and reverse osmosis.
Located in the mountains of central Mexico where water is a precious commodity, the Capela operation, minimizes fresh water use but this changes process water chemistry in ways that interfere with mineral flotation, reducing selectivity and recovery of value metals including zinc, copper, and lead in respective concentrates.
Following a comprehensive technical evaluation, BQE Water identified key opportunities to improve metallurgical performance through targeted water management and treatment strategies. The study analyzed how process water chemistry interacts with flotation performance, confirming that water quality plays a critical role in metal selectivity, reagent consumption, and overall plant efficiency.
Peñoles has asked BQE Water to assess how targeted water treatment could improve this performance, focusing on primarily on reducing zinc deportment into copper and lead products. Our work considers both the current bulk flotation flowsheet and a potential sequential flotation alternative, supported by testing and engineering activities underway this year.
Through this effort, BQE is helping the operation improve metallurgical efficiency while further reducing overall water consumption and supporting long-term sustainability.
We are thrilled to support the implementation of the first SART (Sulphidization, Acidification, Recycling, and Thickening) plant in Canada—and the first in North America—at Hudbay Mineral’s New Britannia Mine. This achievement is especially meaningful for BQE Water, as Dr. Chris Fleming, the inventor of the SART process and a globally recognized metallurgist based in Lakefield Ontario, serves on BQE’s Board, providing direct insight and leadership as the technology advances.
The project in Manitoba enables BQE water to apply its industry leading experience with design, construction, and operation of industrial size SART plants gained over the last 15 years through projects around the world, to assist a Canadian operation which is very exciting.
To support this, our team conducted extensive laboratory testing, paired with iterative METSIM modelling of the metallurgical circuit and preliminary SART design.
The project execution has been highly collaborative, integrating expertise across BQE’s Canadian and Chinese offices and drawing on operational insights from existing SART facilities as well as participation from laboratory technical staff and the engineering team. Basic engineering was completed last year, and long‑lead procurement was initiated. Hudbay Mineral also made due‑diligence visits to operating plants in Mexico and to BQE-operated facilities in China. Detailed engineering is now underway, with HAZOP (Hazard and Operability Study) completed in Q1 and with accelerated delivery to meet the client’s schedule and position the project for construction and commissioning later this year.
Nunavik weather can be unpredictable and offers little forgiveness—blizzard conditions forced a later start than expected. Fortunately, a warm fall allowed us to run longer than we ever have in the 22 years we have operated at Raglan Mine. Our team forged ahead with our Inuit partners at Nuvumiut Developments, keeping operations moving safely and in the right direction.
Significant highlights from this challenging season:
Nicolas Bryant-Lajoie at Glencore Nickel took a moment to thank the crew for their dedication to collaborative and safe teamwork.
“I would like to thank BQE Water for your support throughout the 2025 season. It was challenging, but thanks to your crew’s focus and teamwork, we achieved a record cumulative volume of treated water (m³) across all plants, with zero safety incidents.”
Building on our experience with operating the temporary system that enabled the site to safely discharge over 1 million m³ of nontoxic water to the environment prior to freeze-up in 2025, BQE and its FNNND partners are expected to resume treatment at Eagle before the end of Q1.
As we prepare for the 2026 season, BQE is putting in place process improvements, including the addition of a temporary ion exchange system to manage cyanide-complexed cobalt. Collaboration with local stakeholders remains central to ensuring treatment targets are met.
In parallel, we are advancing the engineering design for a major long-term upgrade to the existing water treatment plant—an expansion designed to eliminate the contaminant mass load currently stored across the site water balance and provide a sustainable solution for future site management. The preliminary design is well underway, and completion anticipated for mid March, including a staged implementation plan that aligns construction with ongoing treatment.
Franklin Patterson, a member of the Na Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation and owner of Big River Operations, states, “The 2024 heap leach failure directly impacted our land, waters and community. It is important that FNNND citizen-owned businesses play a meaningful role in restoring and protecting water quality on our Traditional Territory. We value our collaboration with BQE Water and look forward to contributing to a successful 2026 treatment season.”
Kinross Fort Knox reached out to BQE Water last summer to help improve the performance of the cyanide destruction circuit.
Our technical and engineering team completed field investigation, combining equipment inspection, data analysis, field operational observations and on-site bench scale testing to pinpoint the root causes of variability in the system performance. The focus was not only on the identification of the causes but also on translating those findings into practical, implementable improvements. We gave the Fort Knox team clear, practical recommendations and supported the site team through a collaborative wrap‑up session. Building on this strong engagement, Kinross has asked BQE to continue improving operational optimization as the site processes ore with more complex and variable chemistry, creating challenges in maintaining stable and consistent detox performance.
This year, we are helping the plant implement changes in a structured way, strengthening operator training, and refining monitoring practices to achieve stable, repeatable performance and consistently meet tight, regulatory limits. Looking ahead, BQE and Kinross are exploring the publication of the technical findings as a conference or journal paper to share key learnings with the broader industry and support other operations facing similar detox challenge.
Andrew Jacobson presented at the 2025 BC MEND ML/ARD Annual Workshop in Vancouver on December 2–3. His talk was warmly received and sparked strong interest in the challenges and successes of emergency water treatment at Eagle Mine in the Yukon. The session also opened the door to potential collaborations, particularly around the innovative technologies applied during the site’s rapid response.
BQE Water hosted a relaxed Harbour Happy Hour reception at Mahony’s Tavern by the Convention Centre in downtown Vancouver, bringing together about 30 staff and guests. The evening was filled with camaraderie, good stories, and new connections—a warm opportunity to connect and unwind with friends from across the industry.
BQE Water will be at PDAC 2026, taking place March 1–4 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. David Kratochvil, Brent Baker, and Cristian Matus will be connecting with colleagues across the industry, sharing how BQE’s water treatment and lifeofmine services support projects at every stage—from early development right through to operations and closure.
BQE Water is excited to have Brent Baker attending CIM CONNECT 2026 in Vancouver from May 3–6. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the CIM Expo, bringing together people from across the global mining community. With its focus on strategic growth and sustainable operations, the event offers a welcoming space to reconnect, share ideas, and explore the future of responsible mining.
We’re excited that David Kratochvil will be presenting at COM 2026, held August 17–20 at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre. As part of the Sustainability: Transforming Processes & Project Delivery symposium, he’ll share insights from the paper co-authored by Chris Fleming, “Commissioning and Ramp‑up of SART and Selen‑IX – Key Ingredients to Beating McNulty Series 1.” COM remains the leading global event for extractive metallurgy and materials science.
BQE Water will be attending the Nunavik Mining Workshop in Kuujjuaq from May 20–22, 2026, with Daniel Cook and Jean-Claude Cote representing our team. Held in partnership with regional organizations and industry leaders, the workshop is a valuable forum for sharing updates, discussing challenges, and exploring opportunities in Nunavik’s mineral development landscape.
In early December 2025, we kicked off the season with a cozy dinner at La Bodega. Where we used to squeeze into the downstairs room, thanks to our growing crew, we ended up taking over the whole restaurant this year. Great food, plenty of drinks, and a lot of laughter made it a perfect night to celebrate team spirit and togetherness.
We are excited to welcome Alexandra as our new Director of Talent Development. With more than 15 years of experience as a certified HR professional, team performance coach, and transformation specialist, she brings deep expertise in building learning programs, leadership development, and career growth pathways. Outside of work, Alexandra enjoys yoga, hiking, and exploring neuroscience.
