The Hudbay third quarter 2017 financial report we reported on on Friday noted Manitoba ore production.  It included an increase compared to last year’s third quarter in zinc and precious metal production as a result of higher grades at Triple Seven and Lalor as well as higher production at Lalor and a decrease in copper due to lower production at Triple Seven.  President Alan Hair says with the closing of Reed Mine next year they are reviewing their Manitoba operations.  He explains what they’re trying to do here is look at the Manitoba business unit as a whole.  He says there’s a number of variables and still a number of unknowns and they’re trying to solve that particular equation to make sure they maximize values in the Manitoba business unit and don’t shut off any future optimality adding they don’t want do something that they’d regret in the future so they will provide a bit more guidance on where they see the business as a whole going in Manitoba early in 2018.

Hair adds they intend to take advantage of higher metal prices and increase revenues at a slightly higher unit cost by trucking excess ore from the Lalor stockpile to the Flin Flon Mill for processing for the remainder of the year.