Limits of Ontarios Mineral Strategy: The Magino Mine Approval
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- Published on Friday, 14 August 2020 02:56
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2169 ... August 14, 2020
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Limits of Ontario’s Mineral Strategy: The Magino Mine Approval
Joan Kuyek and Matthew Corbeil
On June 11, 2020, 21 lakes, streams and wetlands in northern Ontario were re-characterized as a mine tailings impoundment for the proposed Magino gold mine. This magical transformation took place through Schedule 2 of the Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulation (MDMER) under the federal Fisheries Act. Although the Act says it is illegal to "put deleterious substances into waters frequented by fish," the MDMER creates a number of exemptions for the mining industry. As of July 2020, across Canada 64 "water bodies" are exempt. Prodigy Gold, the mine owner, now has the key permit to proceed with one of the largest gold mines in northern Ontario.
Prodigy Gold Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Argonaut Gold Incorporated, is planning the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of an open pit gold mine and metal mill located 14 kilometres south-east of Dubreuilville, Ontario. Mining would occur over 10 years. The on-site metal mill would have an ore input capacity of 35,000 tonnes... per day and would operate for approximately 12 to 15 years. During its last years, it will process a low-grade ore stockpile.
The final area disturbed by the mine will be 1,135 hectares. This figure does not include elevated arsenic, copper, manganese and cadmium levels in Herman, Otto, Spring, and Goudreau lakes, and in McVeigh Creek.
Nor does it include the risk of a catastrophic tailings dam failure of the waste rock dams holding water-saturated mine wastes. The Tailings Management Facility will eventually hold 150 million tonnes of thickened tailings (45-65% water), in an area where "the water surplus must be carefully managed." Another 400-430 million tonnes of waste rock will be generated. Fortunately, less than 5% of this is expected to be acid-generating.