This consultation was open from:
June 3, 2025
to July 3, 2025
Decision summary
This Permit to Take Water (No. 7112-DSZTBW) has been issued to Great Bear Resources Ltd. (the proponent) for their Advanced Exploration Program operation. Water will be taken for the purposes of underground dewatering, dust suppression, potable water supply, flow supplementation and contingency plans from one watercourse and six wells.
Location details
Site address
Approximately 25 kilometres southeast of the Municipality of Red Lake
Kenora,
ON
Canada
Site location map
The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.
View this location on a map opens link in a new windowProponent(s)
Great Bear Resources Ltd.
Unit 1700 - 25 York Street
Toronto,
ON
M5J 2V5
Canada
Decision details
This Permit to Take Water (No. 7112-DSZTBW) has been issued to Great Bear Resources Ltd. (the Proponent) for their Advanced Exploration Program operation. Water will be taken for the purposes of underground dewatering, dust suppression, potable water supply, flow supplementation and contingency plans from one watercourse and six wells, located in the District of Kenora, Ontario.
Details of the water taking are as follows:
Source Name: AEX Box Cut and Underground
- purpose: dewatering - underground development/bulk sample
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 1,389
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 2,000,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: AEX Potable Well
- purpose: water supply - AEX camp potable water
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 21
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 30,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: AEX Supplementation Well 1 (PW26-108)
- purpose: miscellaneous - flow supplementation
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 87
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 125,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: AEX Supplementation Well 2 (PW26-104)
- purpose: miscellaneous - flow supplementation
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 87
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 125,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: AEX Supplementation Well 3 (PW26-102)
- purpose: miscellaneous - flow supplementation
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 87
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 125,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: Water Treatment Pond Construction (Treated Water Pond, Mine Water Pond, Settling Pond) and Uplift Protection System
- purpose: industrial - operation of treatment ponds
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 146
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 210,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: Dixie Creek
- purpose: industrial - dust suppression
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 174
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 250,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: 5 years (only as a contingency source when water from the treated water pond is unavailable)
Permits to Take Water include conditions that the permit holder must comply with, including but not limited to:
- collecting and recording the daily amount of water taken
- immediately reporting complaints or interference to the Ministry
- reporting water takings each year to the Ministry
In addition, this Permit includes site-specific conditions to address the environmental setting of this water taking, including but not limited to:
- prohibiting the discharge of construction or underground dewatering water directly to the natural environment except in accordance with Environmental Compliance Approval No. 5373-DEWHG7
- requiring flow monitoring and if necessary, water supplementation to maintain surface water flows in potentially affected watercourses
- requiring water quality assessment of supplementation water in advance of its use, to maintain the water quality in the receiving waterbody
- requiring ongoing groundwater and surface water monitoring and periodic recalibration of the groundwater model enabling adaptive management as required
Issued Permits to Take Water can be viewed and downloaded at Access Ontario, by searching the approval number, 7112-DSZTBW, in the search field located at the top of the map, see "I want to...Search by Approval Number", here: Access Environment
Access Environment displays the following information:
- business name
- facility address and location on an interactive map
- type of approval or registration from the Ministry (view a PDF copy)
- date of issue
- status of the approval (approved, amended, revoked and/or replaced); status of the registration (registered, suspended, removed)
Effects of consultation
The proposal was the subject of public consultation via the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO), alongside consultation with Indigenous communities that may be impacted.
One comment was submitted electronically through the ERO, and 5,285 comments were submitted via email indicating concerns about potential adverse impacts that could result from the water taking proposal. During and following the ERO posting period, feedback was also received through meetings and written correspondence as part of the Ministry's consultation with Indigenous communities that may be impacted.
The concerns expressed regarding the proposed water takings related to the following main themes:
- Concerns regarding consultation processes and opportunities for comment.
- Impacts of proposed mining activities on general water quality.
- Completeness of application and supporting technical studies and information provided.
- Requirement for other mining environmental approvals.
- Possible effects of water withdrawals on levels and flows in local lakes and rivers.
- Potential for site discharges to cause environmental and/or human health effects and in particular concerns related to sulphate discharges.
- Consideration of the Ministry's Statement of Environmental Values in the review of the application.
The Ministry considered all comments received through the ERO and through consultation with potentially impacted Indigenous communities. In particular:
- Following the 30-day ERO comment period, additional time and materials were provided to potentially impacted Indigenous communities. The Ministry engaged with potentially impacted Indigenous communities throughout the technical review, including through meetings and written correspondence.
- As a result of comments received, the Ministry requested additional information from the Proponent, which was shared with interested stakeholders and Indigenous communities. The Permit includes conditions to manage water quality, including requirements for treatment of certain water before discharge in accordance with Environmental Compliance Approval No. 5373-DEWHG7.
- The Ministry reviewed the application and supporting technical information, including additional information requested during the review, and concluded that the information was sufficient for the purposes of deciding the Permit application.
- Should the mining project proceed beyond the current phase, a new Permit to Take Water application would be required to support water takings at later stages of project development, which would include further opportunities for consultation.
- The Permit includes requirements to manage the risk of unacceptable impacts to surface water levels and flows, including monitoring and flow supplementation requirements.
- The Permit requires treatment of certain dewatering water in accordance with Environmental Compliance Approval No. 5373-DEWHG7.
- The Ministry has considered all aspects of its Statement of Environmental Values in its decision to issue the Permit.
The Ministry is satisfied that the Permit issued addresses the above concerns and is protective of the environment and other water users.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
135 St. Clair Avenue West
Floor 1
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
How to Appeal
This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from April 22, 2026 to begin the appeal process.
Carefully review the information below to learn more about the appeal process.
How to appealClick to Expand Accordion
Start the process to appeal
If you’re an Ontario resident, you can start the process to appeal this instrument decision.
First, you’ll need to seek leave (i.e. get permission) from the relevant appellate body to appeal the decision.
If the appellate body grants leave, the appeal itself will follow.
Seek leave to appeal
To seek leave to appeal, you need to do these three things:
- prepare your application
- provide notice to the minister
- mail your application to three parties
1. Prepare your application
You’ll need to prepare an application. You may wish to include the following things in your application:
- A document that includes:
- your name, phone number, fax number (if any), and/or email address
- the ERO number and ministry reference number (located on this page)
- a statement about whether you are a resident in Ontario
- your interest in the decision, and any facts you want taken into account in deciding whether you have an interest in the decision
- the parts of the instrument that you’re challenging
- whether the decision could result in significant harm to the environment
- the reason(s) why you believe that no reasonable person – having regard to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind – could have made the decision
- the grounds (facts) you’ll be using to appeal
- the outcome you’d like to see
- A copy of the instrument (approval, permit, order) that you you are seeking leave to appeal. You’ll find this in the decision notice on the Environmental Registry
- Copies of all supporting documents, facts and evidence that you’ll be using to appeal
What is considered
The appeal body will consider the following two questions in deciding whether to grant you leave to appeal:
- is there is good reason to believe that no reasonable person, with respect to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind, could have made the decision?
- could the decision you wish to appeal result in significant harm to the environment?
2. Provide your notice
You’ll need to provide notice to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that you’re seeking leave to appeal.
In your notice, please include a brief description of the:
- decision that you wish to appeal
- grounds for granting leave to appeal
You can provide notice by email at minister.mecp@ontario.ca or by mail at:
College Park 5th Floor, 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON
M7A 2J3
3. Mail your application
You’ll need to mail your application that you prepared in step #1 to each of these three parties:
- appellate body
- issuing authority (the ministry official who issued the instrument)
- proponent (the company or individual to whom the instrument was issued)
Great Bear Resources Ltd.
Unit 1700 - 25 York Street
Toronto,
ON
M5J 2V5
Canada
Registrar, Ontario Land Tribunal
655 Bay Street, Suite 1500
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1E5
(416) 212-6349
(866) 448-2248
OLT.Registrar@ontario.ca
Include the following:
This is not legal advice. Please refer to the Environmental Bill of Rights for exact legal requirements. Consult a lawyer if you need help with the appeal process.
Connect with us
Contact
Client Services and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Original proposal
Proposal details
This proposal is for a new Permit to Take Water for Great Bear Resources Ltd. Water will be taken from one watercourse and six wells for the Advanced Exploration Program operation (including underground dewatering, dust suppression, utility water supply and contingency plans), located approximately 25 kilometres southeast of the Municipality of Red Lake, Ontario. Details of the water taking are as follows:
Permit type – new
Source Name: AEX Box Cut and Underground
- purpose: dewatering - underground development/bulk sample
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 1,388.9
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 2,000,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: AEX Potable Well
- purpose: water supply - AEX camp potable water
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 20.8
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 30,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: AEX Supplementation Well 1
- purpose: miscellaneous - flow supplementation
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 86.8
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 125,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: AEX Supplementation Well 2
- purpose: miscellaneous - flow supplementation
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 86.8
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 125,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: AEX Supplementation Well 3
- purpose: miscellaneous - flow supplementation
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 86.8
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 125,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: Water Treatment Pond Uplift Protection System
- purpose: industrial - operation of treatment ponds
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 145.8
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 210,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: five years
Source Name: Dixie Creek
- purpose: industrial - dust suppression
- maximum rate per minute (litres): 173.6
- maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
- maximum volume per day (litres): 250,000
- maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
- earliest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 01/01
- latest calendar date of taking (mm/dd): 12/31
- period of taking: one year
There are 3 categories of a Permit to Take Water:
- Category 1: water takings are anticipated to have a lower risk of causing an unacceptable environmental impact/interference.
- Category 2: water takings are anticipated to having a higher potential of causing unacceptable environmental impact or interference.
- Category 3: water takings are anticipated to have the highest potential of causing unacceptable environmental impactor interference.
The proposed water taking qualifies as a Category 3 permit.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
135 St. Clair Avenue West
Floor 1
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Comment
Commenting is now closed.
This consultation was open from June 3, 2025
to July 3, 2025
Connect with us
Contact
Client Services and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Comments received
Through the registry
1By email
5,285By mail
0