On the subject of mine…

ERO number

019-6749

Comment ID

83614

Commenting on behalf of

Ontario Rivers Alliance, Friends of the Attawapiskat River, Montcalm Environmental Liaison Group

Comment status

Comment approved More about comment statuses

Comment

On the subject of mine closure changes, As a member of the Montcalm Mine Environmental Liaison Group, this mine site, now owned by Glencore, has been in permanent shutdown since 2009. The 15 km effluent line that was to be removed as per approved closure plan is still in the ground. The watershed receiver, the Groundhog River Waterway Provincial Park, was dug up and the discharge pipe was buried in the riverbed. It has now been nearly 15 years since mining operations shutdown. How is this new bill 71 going to resolve this situation?
At the Standing Committee on the Interior session of April 4, 2023, it was stated that it could now take up to 15 years to start up a mine. How long should it take to reach mine full closure when funds and approvals were in place a long time ago. When do we disqualify an amendment request?
I fail to see how this bill will improve our situation, this combined with my previous comment on how we treat First Nation does not qualify as respectful rightful reconciliation.