P.O.
Box 370
Kirkland Lake, ON, P2N 3J7
April 21, 2009 Symbol - TSX & AIM: KGI
South Mine Complex Production Commences; Company
Wins 2008 MASHA Safety Award for Ontario
Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. (?Kirkland Lake? or the
?Company?), an operating and exploration gold mining company located in Ontario,
Canada, is pleased to provide an update on its mining activities over the past
three months.
In December, Kirkland Lake
set forth plans to expand its mine workforce, commence mining in the high grade
South Mine Complex in March and set a production target of 100,000 ounces for
its 2010 fiscal year, which begins May 1, 2009. During the months of December,
January and February, a number of these targets were met as an additional 150
miners and underground workers were hired and integrated into the work force.
The number of available ore faces was doubled by developing new stopes in both the Main Mine and South Mine Complex areas
and the Mine now operates on a seven day a week basis. Daily ore production in
March was ahead of projection at 608 tons per day and gold production for March
of 7,377 ounces
was a monthly record for Kirkland
Lake.
?The operating
team did a superb job recruiting, hiring and putting to work 150 new miners and
underground workers in just two months,? said Harry
Dobson, Company Chairman. ?Moreover, in March, the
first month of our expanded production, we were pleased to see the cost per ton
at C$238, below our target figure of C$250 per ton.?
Additional Highlights
o The
Mine?s ventilation boosting system was completed in
early April, increasing ventilation flows by 91% mine-wide (45% more than
expected) and a significant 284% for the South Mine Complex.
o Upgrades to improve the reliability
of the Mine?s Pastefill
Distribution System were also completed on the 3400 and 3800 Level. These
repairs consisted of modifications to the piping arrangements to reduce wear as
well as air locking and surging problems.
o Kirkland Lake won the 2008 Mines and Aggregates Safety and
Health Association (MASHA) Award for Excellence for safety in underground mines
with less than 250 employees in the province
of Ontario. This was the
first time in the Mine?s
history that this award was won. The Company also won the 2008 Angus D.
Campbell Safety award, presented annually to the company operating in northeast
Ontario with
the lowest frequency of accidents.
A Phase I and Phase II Project review is being completed with the intent of placing a combined and fast tracked Project plan before the Board of Directors before the end of June. The new plan is expected to contain significant schedule and capital improvements.
About Kirkland Lake Gold Inc.
Kirkland
Lake Gold Inc. is an operating and exploration gold mining company located in Ontario, Canada.
It purchased the Macassa Mine and the 1,500 ton per
day mill along with four former producing gold properties ?
Kirkland Lake,
Teck-Hughes, Lake Shore
and Wright Hargreaves ? in
December 2001. These properties, which have historically produced some 22
million ounces of gold, extend over seven kilometres between the Macassa Mine on the west and Wright Hargreaves on the east
and, for the first time, are being developed and explored under one owner. This
camp is located in the Southern Abitibi Greenstone Belt of Kirkland Lake,
Ontario, Canada. The Company?s
corporate goal is to expand its gold reserves and reduce its operating costs to
become a profitable gold producer.
The Company?s common shares trade on
the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange) and on the AIM (Alternative Investment Market)
of the London Stock Exchange.
The Company?s senior management and Board of Directors have
extensive experience in the natural resource and mining sectors that include
exploration, mining and marketing, as well as experience in the legal and
corporate finance areas.
For further
information, please contact:
Brian Hinchcliffe
Scott Koyich
President
Investor Relations
Phone :
+1 705 567 5208
Phone : +1 403 215 5979
Fax: +1 705 568
6444
E-mail: info@klgold.com
E-mail: bhinchcliffe@klgold.com
Website: www.klgold.com
Chelsea
Hayes / Klara Kaczmarek
Katherine Roe / Ashton Clanfield
Pelham Public
Relations
NOMAD: Panmure Gordon (UK) Ltd
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7377
1524
Phone: +44 207 7743 6675
E-mail: chelsea.hayes@pelhampr.com
Email: katherine.roe@panmure.com
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor
the AIM Market of the London
Stock Exchange has reviewed and neither accepts responsibility for the adequacy
or accuracy of this news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain statements which constitute
?forward-looking? statements, including statements regarding the plans,
intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, and its directors,
or officers with respect to the future business activities and operating
performance of the Company. The words ?may?, ?would?, ?could?, ?will?,
?intend?, ?plan?, ?anticipate?, ?believe?, ?estimate?, ?expect? and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or
its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.
Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future business activities or performance and involve risks and
uncertainties, and that the Company?s
future business activities may differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Such risks,
uncertainties and factors are described in the periodic filings with the
Canadian securities regulatory authorities, including the Company?s Annual Information Form and quarterly and annual Management?s Discussion & Analysis, which may be viewed
on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Should one or
more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions
underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may
vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated,
believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify
important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to
differ materially, there may be others that cause results not be as
anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend nor assume any
obligation to update these forward-looking statements.