Ontario Mine Closure Policy …

Ontario Mine Closure Policy .

The surrendering [of a mining site or lease] is predicated on the fact that these lands have been rehabilitated as per an accepted closure plan.

The closure plan has as its main goals :

1. - the removal of human health and safety hazards,
2.- the removal or securing of environmental contamination and mine wastes,
3.- the long-term protection of the environment, and
4. - the return these lands to some productive land use.

If a proponent has met the requirement of their closureplan and is willing to compensate the Crown sufficiently for those items requiring long-term or
perpetual maintenance on the site, then the Ministry will consider the issuance of an exit ticket.” (NOAMI 2013: 17)

The draft policy also highlighted Section 149 (4) of the act regarding “no liability” after surrender.

The draft policy states, “It is this permanent shift of environmental responsibility from the private owner

to the public that ultimately the Crown must be concerned” (NOAMI 2013: 18).

This provision is evidently
a major roadblock to successful surrender of mining lands / leases.

One can reasonably assume that for a
site to be surrendered, the operator would have to demonstrate with a very high level of confidence that the risks posed by the site – to human beings, ecosystems, and the environment – are nearly zero.

Otherwise, the Crown, and ultimately taxpayers, would become liable for the potential deleterious impacts of these risks, in contrast to the liability stipulations in other jurisdictions in Canada.

Comment :

In the case of the Victor Mine closure plan , there does not appear to be any semblance of a ( post Mine closure ) productive land use plan, for or with the Community in mind .
Post Mine closure planning is crucial in insuring socio economic stability once the Mine site is vacated .