Sustainability

We promote a safe work environment by following rigorous safety standards and health procedures. We also have a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that sets out, among other things, our commitment to relating to each other without bias, harassment, or discrimination.

COVID-19

While Brazil has been hit hard by Covid-19, we have been very fortunate. Neither of our operations have been affected by the pandemic; we have full access to our properties and our consultants continue to work uninterrupted. In Canada, our Toronto-based management team has been working from home since mid-March 2020.

We ensure the health and safety of our employees by following the guidelines set by health authorities where we operate, and continually monitor the health of our employees and their families. We have also developed our own corporate procedures, including:

• providing work from home options for at risk employees
• implementing sanitation and disinfection protocols at our workplaces
• adapting our transport system
• establishing an employee and contractor testing program.

Our primary objective is to operate in a way that respects and cares for the natural heritage where we operate. We are developing robust monitoring programs aimed at protecting forests, water, fauna, and flora wherever possible, and progressively rehabilitate and recover areas affected by our activities.

Dam Free Mining

We’ve already made a significant investment in the health of the region by planning to use a dry stack filtered tailings pile and associated filtration plant, instead of a tailings dam, at the Posse Gold Mine.

The implementation of a tailings filtered pile will significantly reduce the raw water demand from the nearby Rio do Ouro from 720 cubic metres per hour (m³/h) to 136 m³/h.

Mine Closure and Reclamation Activities

We also have a mine closure plan that includes several reclamation activities distributed over pre-closure, closure, and post-closure periods.

We believe in building strong relationships with the communities and governments where we operate. We actively engage in meaningful dialogue with residents and local organizations to identify economic, social development, and training opportunities, so the communities where we work prosper as we grow.

We buy from local suppliers whenever possible, establishing a Supplier Developer Program in Mara Rosa Amaralina in 2020. The goal of the program is to stimulate the local market, so we can engage companies based in the region. The program has four aims:

• empower micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs
• help businesses expand and access new opportunities
• help contractors meet the standards of Amarillo and other mining companies
• develop and train local labour.

The State of Goiás, which views mining as a key driver of a post Covid-19 economic recovery, announced its support for Posse in May 2020 and then again in January 2021. The 138-kilovolt power line that we are building from Porangatu to Mara Rosa will replace the existing 69-kilovolt line when we are gone, leaving a lasting legacy to the community.

We have ensured that our management team and board are made up of people who are from and reside in Brazil. In addition to Antenor Silva, a director, we have a Brazilian Country Manager, Arão Portugal. A seasoned mine builder with over 40 years of diverse mining and mineral processing experience in South America, Mr. Portugal is based in Belo Horizonte.

Part of our commitment to our communities includes regularly communicating with our local stakeholders. Every month we produce Amarillo Informativo, a newsletter about our activities in the area and key developments at the company. We are also regularly featured in the local press.