Multiple court filings in Yukon seek millions in unpaid bills from Minto Metals

Minto Metals no longer has a mine or a board of directors, but it might still have some big bills to pay.

Over the last month, three different contractors have filed documents to the Yukon Supreme Court saying the company has unpaid bills for services rendered at its abandoned copper mine near Pelly Crossing, Yukon.

Minto pulled out of the mine site last month with little notice or explanation.

A company news release at the time said Minto Metals had made the "extremely difficult and disappointing decision," as then-CEO Chris Stewart called it, to cease operations at the site. No other details were provided, and none have been offered since.

The company's entire board of directors resigned that same weekend and Minto's phone line has been disconnected for weeks.

Minto Metals still exists as a company though, and contractors, former employees and the First Nation that owns the land where the mine is located could all still be owed millions of dollars.

Borealis Fuels, based out of Alberta, provided liquefied petroleum gas to the Minto site, among other services. It says Minto has 17 outstanding invoices that total about $2.4 million. That's before interest. 

Cobalt Construction has an even higher claim. Since 2019, Cobalt provided services such as ore and waste rock handling, mill feeding and rock breaking, court files say. But the Whitehorse company claims it hasn't been paid since September, and it's now owed a principal of about $5.2 million.

A third contractor, B.C.-based CANNEPP Boiler, says it's owed just over $50,000 for maintenance and equipment sales. It's also asking the court to award interest.

Former Minto workers are also seeking compensation. A number of ex-employees have told CBC News this past month that they have received nothing aside from their final paycheques. 

A video shared with CBC News by several former mine employee last month shows employees at the site being informed of the closure and told the company was going into receivership and they could seek a form of severance payments through the receiver. But that hasn't happened, and the company hasn't filed for bankruptcy either, meaning workers can't apply for the federal Wage Earner Protection Program for remaining compensation.

CBC News has been unable to reach anyone at Minto Metals for comment since the mine closed on May 13.

The Yukon Workers' Safety and Compensation Board says it's also been unable to reach the company in that time. It's filed a statement of claim to the Yukon Supreme Court too, saying Minto owes the board over $600,000 for unpaid workers' compensation insurance premiums — money the board collects from registered employers in order to provide compensation benefits for work-related injuries and illnesses.

Minto could also owe over a million dollars in royalties to Selkirk First Nation, a Yukon government official told reporters last month. The mine site is located on Selkirk settlement land, and a part of the profit from production there is owed to the First Nation. Selkirk First Nation has yet to provide comment since the mine closed.

The Minto mine site is now the responsibility of the Yukon government. The government has hired a contractor to ensure water treatment continues at the site to prevent contamination of the surrounding environment. In an email last week, a spokesperson with Energy, Mines and Resources said the site is under control.

Pembridge Resources, which owns Minto Metals, went into voluntary liquidation weeks after the mine was abandoned.