Public Notice
Hammond Reef Gold Mine Project – Public Comments Invited and Federal Funding Available

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) is conducting a comprehensive study, which is a type of environmental assessment, for the proposed Hammond Reef Gold Mine Project located in Ontario. The Agency invites the public to comment on the project and the conduct of the comprehensive study and to identify environmental issues that should be considered in the environmental assessment.

The Agency has prepared the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Guidelines that identify potential environmental effects to be addressed and information that needs to be included in the proponent's EIS. Public comments on the draft EIS Guidelines are invited and will be reviewed and considered before the document is finalized and issued to the proponent.

The draft EIS Guidelines will be available on the Agency's Web site at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca, in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry under reference number 11-03-63174 as of August 16, 2011. To obtain a hard copy of the document, please contact the project manager listed in this notice. The document is also available for viewing at the following locations:

• Town of Atikokan - Town Office
  120 Marks Street
  Atikokan, ON
• Fort Frances Public Library
  601 Reid Avenue
  Fort Frances, ON
• Atikokan Public Library
  Civic Centre (behind the Post Office)
  Atikokan, ON
• Brodie Resource Library
  216 S Brodie Street
  Thunder Bay, ON
• Waverley Resource Library
  285 Red River Road
  Thunder Bay, ON

This public comment period is from August 16 to September 22, 2011. All comments received during the comment period will be considered. Interested individuals or groups are invited to send their comments, in the official language of their choice to:

Hammond Reef Gold Mine Project
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Amy Liu, Project Manager
55 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 907
Toronto ON M4T 1M2
Telephone: 416-952-1576
Fax: 416-952-1573
HammondReef@ceaa-acee.gc.ca

All comments received will be considered public and will become part of the project file. This is the first of several public comment periods that will occur during the environmental assessment of the project. Future public participation opportunities will be announced at a later date.

$50,000 Available for Public Participation

The Agency is making available $50,000 under its Participant Funding Program to assist groups and individuals to participate in the federal environmental assessment process of this project. This funding is intended for activities relating to subsequent public consultations on this project.

Applications received by the Agency by September 22, 2011 will be considered. Information on the Participant Funding Program, including a guide and the application form, is available on the Agency's Web site at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca. To submit an application or to obtain additional information on the program, contact:

Participant Funding Program
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Suzanne Osborne
160 Elgin Street, 22nd Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0H3
Telephone: 1-866-582-1884 or 613-957-0254
Fax: 613-948-9172
PFP.PAFP@ceaa-acee.gc.ca

The Project and Location

Osisko Hammond Reef Gold Ltd. proposes to develop an open-pit gold mine that is expected to operate for about 14 years with a production rate of approximately 50,000 tonnes per day. It is located approximately 23 kilometres northeast from the Town of Atikokan in northwestern Ontario, near Marmion Lake.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency administers the federal environmental assessment process, which identifies the environmental effects of proposed projects and measures to address those effects, in support of sustainable development.