Continental Gold Issues 2017 Sustainability Report

TORONTO, Sept. 4, 2018 /CNW/ - Continental Gold Inc. (TSX:CNL; OTCQX:CGOOF) ("Continental" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the publication of its 2017 Sustainability Report, highlighting the Company's achievements and challenges in the areas of health and safety, environmental, social and governance issues as we work towards our 2020 goal to begin commercial production at the Buriticá project. The report is Continental Gold's third annual update and is aligned with GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) Standards.

"In 2017, we continued to work on the building blocks of a robust socio-environmental management system that can ensure consistency in our sustainability performance," commented Ari Sussman, Chief Executive Officer. "Continental believes that improving trust in mining in Canada, Colombia and globally necessarily entails an appropriate socio-environmental performance of mining businesses (regardless of their size), greater access to tangible mining benefits and the willingness of companies to be monitored by third parties. We believe that strong CSR institutions can only work in favor of all stakeholders."

Key 2017 achievements include:

• Conducted rigorous gap-closure process to set up a risk-based and integrated environmental and social management system in line with widely-accepted international standards on sustainability.
• Board approval of a Corporate Sustainability Policy and launch of an implementation strategy based on five pillars: aiming for high operational standards, supporting the development of our human resource, managing community impacts and supporting local development, environment and institutional strengthening.
• Issued a Contractor's Sustainability Guide to ensure appropriate conduct and maximized community benefits during the construction phase of the Buriticá project.
• Obtained ISO 14000 Environmental Management System certification and were re-certified in OSHAS 18000 and the Family-Responsible Company seal.
• Developed environmental conservation agreements with 110 families to protect more than 832 hectares covering existing water basins.
• Held 17 Dialogues with Continental town-hall meetings in Buriticá and released printed material to better inform on Buriticá project construction progress and to hear, first-hand, community views and expectations.
• Responding to project needs, increased workforce by 65% and, in partnership with SENA (Colombia's National Training Service), created a training centre in Buriticá. Trained 120 local apprentices in underground mining and increased our local hiring by 47.2%.
• Improved Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) by 38% and implemented an epidemiological surveillance system.
• Continued support of the small-scale mining formalization process (Formalization 2.0) by helping to establish various procedures and controls focused on health and safety, environmental compliance and mine planning. By the end of 2017, approximately 280 local jobs had been created.
• Benefited more than 960 community members and 45 local and provincial companies through our social investment and mining supply-chain programs.
• Continued to promote Future Harvest, a program to support the agricultural development of Western Antioquia by promoting the use of the best agricultural practices to help develop sustainable economic activity in the region, while protecting the environment.
• Ranked as the 8th most reputable mining company out of 55 in Colombia on the Brújula Minera survey.

Read the full 2017 report at www.continentalgold.com.The Company welcomes your feedback on the 2017 report and its sustainability performance by contacting info@continentalgold.com.

About Continental Gold

Continental Gold Inc. is an advanced-stage exploration and development company with an extensive portfolio of 100%-owned gold projects in Colombia. Formed in April 2007, the Company – led by an international management team with a successful track record of discovering and developing large high-grade gold deposits in Latin America – is focused on advancing its fully-permitted high-grade Buriticá gold project to production with first gold pour on track for the first half of 2020.

SOURCE Continental Gold Inc.

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