Abandoned Mines

In February 2011 the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) began a process to develop a mineral strategy for the province. This is a welcome initiative as the last comprehensive policy review for the mineral sector was in the 1970s. As a starting point the government released a discusion paper and then hosted a number of community consultations and two themed workshops. MiningWatch participated in a workshop titled Environment Sustainable Mining held in St. John's on April 7 and submitted written comments on April 14.

While definitions vary, abandoned mines are most consistently defined as those mine sites where the mine operator or exploration company has ceased or suspended indefinitely their activities, be that exploration, mining or mine production, without rehabilitating the site. Some parties make a distinction between abandoned mines, those being all mine sites in the condition just described, and orphaned mines, those being abandoned mines for which an owner cannot be identified.

Joint news release with Northwatch: A major new report highlights serious impacts on the Canadian boreal forest from all phases of mining activity, from exploration to closure. Two respected mining industry watchdogs – Northwatch and MiningWatch Canada – say they published The Boreal Below (an all-new and expanded version of a widely circulated 2001 report) in response to growing demand from communities across Canada for information and analysis to help understand the impacts of mining on their lives and livelihoods. It provides a carefully-documented analysis of the social, environmental, and cultural impacts of mining from prospecting to mine closure, as well as an overview of the current situation by province and territory.

MiningWatch Canada learned today, through an application under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act, that the two mining companies in Ontario with the largest environmental footprint have been allowed to "self-assure" their mining operations against closure and abandonment. The companies themselves estimate the cost of that clean-up as over $585 million.