Up to $20 million in gold and other precious metals is missing from the Royal Canadian mint. An external audit and an RCMP investigation have yet to figure out where most of it went, but a mint tour guide let slip that about
$7 million worth was lost through the gold refining process. Officials have not confirmed or denied the guide’s remarks, which the employee made to a tour group that included a reporter. However, officials have previously
admitted that an unprecedented demand for gold last year led to parts of the refining process being skipped, resulting in a much higher than normal concentration of gold in slag that is recycled or disposed. If the $7
million figure is correct, it leaves $13 million still unaccounted for.