The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.
A long-waited environmental report into a proposed copper and palladium mine near Marathon says the project won’t cause any “significant” impacts. The massive report, authored by mine proponent Stillwater Canada, is part of a lengthy review into the project overseen by an independent panel of experts appointed by the provincial and federal governments.
According to Stillwater’s report, the mine on the outskirts of Marathon “will not result in significant adverse effects on renewable resources and is not predicted to result in any significant adverse cumulative effects on the environment.”
If the project passes the environmental review and the company acquires numerous permits, the open-pit mine is forecast to employ 365 people for about a dozen years. The company said earlier that production could begin in about three years.
The report is subject to public input. Deadlines for comments won’t be set until hard copies of the report have been distributed at municipal offices and libraries, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency said.
In the meantime, the report can be viewed online at ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/document-eng.cfm?document=57673.Public hearings, to be overseen by the panel of two scientists and an engineer, are to be held at a later date.
Though the proposed site’s close proximity to Lake Superior and the Pic River has raised eyebrows among some environmental groups, Stillwater’s report concludes the mine “can proceed while remaining protective of the environment and peoples in proximity to the proposed project.”
With respect to woodland caribou — a locally protected species — the report says: “There are ample ways for caribou to bypass or traverse the (mine) site. Any loss of potential connectivity is reversible at decommissioning (of the mine).”
Stillwater Canada, the report adds, “is committed to working with government to evaluate other potential mitigation and enhancement strategies (for caribou). The effect is therefore characterized as non-significant.”
Stillwater Canada’s Montana-based parent company has a good track record in the U.S., providing funds so that environmental groups can hire their own experts to review company reports.
Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas said Wednesday that he continues to support the proposed mine, which could provide employment for people not just in Marathon but those living in nearby communities like Terrace Bay and White River.
“I still see this is a regional project that will have a huge (economic) impact,” Dumas said.
The Town of Marathon will receive property tax revenue from surface buildings at the proposed mine site near the town airport, about 10 kilometres north of downtown.
Stillwater is proposing to house workers in three renovated motels, as well as a new apartment complex on a former downtown school property it would purchase from the municipality.
Dumas said discussions on those plans remain “a work-in-progress.”
He said he continues to believe that the expected influx of workers, including 400 labourers and tradesman required for the mine’s two-year construction, can be accommodated through Stillwater’s own housing plans and through the sale of existing homes and empty lots.
Building a new subdivision is possible, but is “a worst-case scenario,” said Dumas.
In its environmental impact report, Stillwater indicates it is in consultation with four First Nations, including nearby Pic River First Nation, as well as two Metis organizations.
The report notes that in 2004, Pic River filed an application to Ontario Superior Court stating the band “never relinquished” title to its traditional territory, including the site for the proposed mine.It’s expected that it will cost up to $650 million to build the mine. Earlier this year, automaker Mitsubishi announced it was investing $94.6 million in the Marathon project, representing a 25-per-cent stake.