In the shadow of Quebec’s Abitibi Greenstone Belt, just west of Val-d’Or, lies a mine that built an empire, LaRonde.
To the casual observer, it looks like any other shaft: headframes, processing plants, and tailings ponds. But in Canadian mining, LaRonde is more than infrastructure. It’s where persistence, risk, and geology combined to shape a company.
The humble beginnings: Dumagami days
Before it became LaRonde, the site was known as Dumagami, a modest underground operation that few believed could be a major producer. The mineralization was promising, but the complexity kept larger players away.
By the late 1980s, under General Manager Ebe Scherkus, Dumagami poured its first gold. Agnico Eagle, then a small company with limited resources, moved to secure full ownership. Among those pushing the decision was Sean Boyd, then a young CFO, who saw value others missed. Boldness, not caution,…
