The Canadian occurrence is situated at 2042 metres elevation above sea level, between Sandon and Selkirk peaks, in the Slocan Mining Division. Most of the underground workings are on the Adams Crown grant (Lot 750).
The Canadian group consisting of the Adams, Brandon, Sarah B and Katie D claims and the Hill Top fraction, all Crown-granted; and the Adams group on the east consisting of the Britomarte and Chamblet claims, and the Midnight and Slater fractions were held in 1952 by Kelowna Exploration Company Limited, under lease from the Crown.
Comparatively little development work has been done on the Adams group. On the Canadian group, development commenced in 1895 and continued intermittently until 1942. The ground lies across Silver Ridge on the east side of Adams Peak. The mine workings range over a vertical distance of about 427 metres from the portal of No. 8 Ivanhoe tunnel to the summit of Silver Ridge on the Adams group.
The principal lodes strike northeasterly and in order, from east to west, are the Ivanhoe-Canadian lode, the No. 1 Canadian and the Brandon. The Ivanhoe-Canadian lode as explored on Canadian ground is presumably an extension from the adjoining Ivanhoe property where the Ivanhoe vein was developed. Both No. 4 and No. 8 levels of the Ivanhoe mine have been extended into the Katie D claim of the Canadian group. Some ore was mined from the extension of the No. 8 level, but no significant mineralization was encountered in the No. 4 level.
Most production from the Canadian group came from the No. 1 Canadian lode, which crosses the summit of the ridge in a low saddle about 244 metres above and 518 metres southwest of the portal of No. 4 Ivanhoe. The principal development work on this lode has been done on the north side of the ridge where it has been tapped by 3 adits at depths of 61, 91.4 and 160 metres. Production to date has come from the uppermost or No. 1 shaft. Below No. 3 level there are 3 short adits from which some ore has been obtained.
The Brandon lode has been traced on the south slope by opencuts and 3 short adits over a vertical range of more than 76.2 metres. A small production is recorded from these workings. On the summit and north slope the lode appears to lie partly or entirely within the adjoining Adams group. A fourth lode nearly parallel With the Brandon lode, about 45.7 metres to the west on Adams ground, has been traced for several metres and one short adit has been driven on it from the north side. A fifth lode known as the No. 2 Canadian which intersects the fourth on the summit of the ridge has been traced down into the Canadian basin by a series of opencuts.
Regionally, the area lies on the western margin of the Kootenay Arc, in allochthonous rocks of the Quesnel Terrane. In the vicinity of the occurrence, the Quesnel Terrane is dominated by the Upper Triassic Slocan Group, a thick sequence of deformed and metamorphosed shale, argillite, siltstone, quartzite and minor limestone. Rocks of the Slocan Group are tightly and disharmonically folded. Early minor folds are tight to isoclinal with moderate east plunging, southeast inclined axial planes and younger folds are open, southwest plunging with subhorizontal axial planes. The sedimentary sequence has been regionally metamorphosed to lower greenschist facies.
South of the occurrence, the Slocan Group has been intruded by the Middle Jurassic Nelson intrusions which comprise at least six texturally and compositionally distinct phases ranging from diorite to lamprophyre. The most dominant phase is a medium to coarse grained potassium feldspar porphyritic granite. Several feldspar porphyritic granodiorite dikes, apparently related to the Nelson intrusions, also cut the sedimentary sequence near the occurrence (Paper 1989-5).
The Canadian occurrence is hosted by limestone, argillite and quartzite of the Slocan Group that have been intruded by quartz feldspar porphyries. The rocks are folded in a synclinal structure with the limbs striking north-northwest and dipping moderately southwest and northeast.
Much confusion exists about the number and relationship of veins present on this property. At least three veins are recognized and as many as five veins may exist. From east to west, the main veins are the Canadian-Ivanhoe, the Canadian No. 1 or Adams and the Brandon or South Brandon vein. The Canadian-Ivanhoe vein is an extension of the Ivanhoe vein and extends east on the Ivanhoe Crown grant (Lot 743) (082FNW057). On the Canadian property the Canadian-Ivanhoe vein changes from a generally east to a northeast strike. The vein has been developed from the Ivanhoe workings and from two adits on the Adams Crown grant. The vein is about 3 metres wide and contains discontinuous lenses of argentiferous galena and sphalerite in a matrix of quartz, calcite and siderite mixed with crushed wallrock.
The Canadian No. 1 vein is exposed on the north side of the ridge on the Adams Crown grant. This vein has been explored with at least three adits and accounts for most of the production from the Canadian property. The vein is within a fissure zone some 10 metres wide. It occupies a major fault structure and strata north of the vein cannot be matched lithologically nor structurally with strata to the south. The vein strikes 015 to 020 degrees and dips steeply southeast. Irregular pockets of sulphide mineralization are developed within the fissure which is mostly filled with crushed rock. The ore consists of galena and sphalerite mixed with coarse calcite, quartz and minor siderite. Pyrite and limonite are also present. The relation between the Canadian No. 1 vein and the Canadian-Ivanhoe vein is not clear. The two veins appear to merge and converge into one another (Bulletin 29).
The Brandon vein is about 370 metres west of the Canadian No. 1 vein. This vein has been explored with several trenches and at least five short adits. The vein straddles the ridge on the Adams and Brandon Crown grants (Lots 750 and 751). It strikes 010 degrees and dips 70 degrees west. It is less than a metre wide and contains bands of galena and sphalerite 10 to 20 centimetres wide in a gangue of quartz and calcite.
A fourth vein lies about 45 metres west of the Brandon vein. This vein is parallel and similar to the Brandon. It has been explored with surface trenching and one short adit. The vein is intersected by a fifth vein know as the Canadian No. 2 vein. This vein strikes 070 degrees and dips 60 degrees southeast.
Production from the Canadian property between 1905 and 1942 yielded about 2439 kilograms of silver, 374,301 kilograms of lead, 17,217 kilograms of zinc and 31 grams of gold from a total of 855 tonnes mined.
