Agnico Eagle Mexico was recently recognized for the ninth year in a row and proudly Agnico Sonora (La India) for the first year with the distinctive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award, an honour that is presented annually by the Mexican Center of Philanthropy (CEMEFI) and the Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility (AliaSRE).

The award recognizes companies that make a conscious and continuous commitment to be socially responsible by showing respect for people, ethical values, community and the environment.

In order to be eligible, companies must meet a specific set of criteria that includes, among other things, investing time, talent and resources in the development of the communities in which it operates. To meet these criteria Agnico Eagle has developed a number of programs in Chihuahua and Sonora States, home to our Pinos Altos, Creston Mascota and La India mines.

In 2015 one of our key initiatives was the restoration of a school in Matarachi, Sonora where we developed a plan in collaboration with local school officials and teachers to repair and upgrade the school building including the installation of new lights and solar energy equipment as well as bringing in new classroom computers.

As a result of this program the teachers advised us that 50% of the students who had left or were contemplating leaving have now stayed in school or chosen to return to school. And, the program has also had broader impacts having helped keep families together, avoided generating other social problems in the community and also strengthening the relationships Agnico Eagle has with the local community.

During the same year Agnico Eagle also donated construction materials to help build a new educational facility in affiliation with Chihuahua’s Technical University and undertook numerous other social, health, and economic related projects in and around the community.

All of these programs are directly linked to our commitment of working with our stakeholders to build community capacity and ensure that the benefits being generated now will also endure well beyond the life of the mine.

“Corporate social responsibility is central to our operations at Agnico Eagle Mexico and we are extremely proud to be recognized year after year,” said Leonardo Fernandez, Superintendent, Technical Services Pinos Altos. “We look forward to continuing to work with our local communities to create a positive difference in their everyday lives and to help them to benefit from our presence in their community.”

“Beyond an award this is our company commitment and legacy; we really care about the benefit of the surrounding communities and their progress,” said Gustavo Amador, General Manager La India.