Troilus Mining Project

Cooperation Plan
Troilus Mining Project
Draft Version

PDF Version 604 KB

Document reference number: 36

March 2023

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

In May 2022, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) and the Cree Nation Government signed an agreementFootnote 1 to ensure Cree involvement in the federal impact assessment process for the Troilus Mining Project (the Project). This agreement delegates all aspects of the impact assessment to a Joint Assessment Committee (the Committee), composed of members of the Agency and the Cree Nation Government. Final decision making, however, remains the responsibility of the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

On January 25, 2023, the Agency, in collaboration with the Cree Nation Government, determined that an impact assessment is required for the Project, pursuant to Subsection 16(1) of Canada's Impact Assessment Act.

The Project is also subject to a provincial environmental impact assessment and review process in Quebec under the Environment Quality Act (EQA). Chapter 22 of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA), enshrined in the EQA, establishes, among other things, an environmental and social protection regime that provides for an environmental and social impact assessment and review process. The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Committee (COMEV) is an advisory body, composed of members appointed by the governments of Quebec, Canada and the Cree Nation, responsible for reviewing preliminary information provided by a proponent whose project is located in the territory governed by the JBNQA. To this effect, the COMEV sent the proponent (Troilus Gold Corp.) of the Troilus Mining Project, in August 2022, a directive that specifies the nature, scope and extent of the environmental impact study that the proponent must prepare for the provincial procedure. The Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX), a joint committee composed of representatives appointed by the Cree Nation Government and the Government of Quebec, will then have the mandate to review the environmental assessment of the Troilus Mining Project and to recommend or not to the Quebec's Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (ministre de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques) whether the Project should go ahead and, if so, under what conditions.

For any project subject to a federal impact assessment, the environmental impact assessment requires the Agency to develop a cooperation plan for the impact assessment that outlines how the Agency will work with other jurisdictions.

This Cooperation Plan outlines the Committee's approach to working with the Province and the in relation to the Troilus Mining Project.

This plan has been developed by the Committee to inform the public of the actions it intends to take to inform a cooperative assessment process for the Project. The Coperation Plan is intended to be flexible and does not preclude the Committee from making changes to the approach outlined in this plan to accommodate changes that may occur during the assessment process.

2. Project Scope

Troilus Gold Corp. is proposing the construction, operation and decommissioning of a new open-pit gold and copper mine located approximately 76 kilometres northwest of the Cree community of Mistissini and approximately 170 kilometres north of Chibougamau, Quebec. As proposed, the Troilus Mining Project would include the mining of two former open pits and one new pit, the reuse of the tailings facility, the development of waste rock and overburden piles, and the construction and operation of a new ore processing plant complex. The project would have a maximum ore production capacity of 40,000 tonnes per day and a 10-year operating life.

3. Approach to Cooperation

The federal impact assessment process and the provincial environmental impact assessment and review procedure under the JBNQA will be applied to meet federal and provincial requirements, respectively. The Committee will work with the Province and the COMEX to share information. Wherever possible, information will be shared to optimize exchanges with the proponent and to promote public participation in the assessment processes.

4. Information Sharing

In order to increase the efficiency of information gathering from the proponent and other stakeholders, while taking advantage of the best available scientific expertise, the Committee will work with the Province and the COMEX to ensure smooth and timely information sharing.

The Committee will respect requirements related to confidentiality and privacy, including the protection of Indigenous knowledge, when sharing or publicly posting information.

The Committee will inform the Province and the COMEX of its meetings with the proponent and share information where possible.

5. Public Participation and Participant Funding

To the extent possible, the Committee will attempt to harmonize its public participation activities with those of the COMEX, where timelines coincide.

Funding to support public participation is available. For information about the activities that are eligible for funding or to apply for funding please see the National Program Guidelines and application on the following page: Funding programs - Canada.ca

For further information on public participation and engagement activities, please see the Project's Public Participation Plan on the Registry.

6. Indigenous Consultation and Engagement

Crown consultation will be conducted separately, by the Committee and the COMEX.

For further information on these Indigenous Consultation and Engagement activities, please see the Project's Indigenous Engagement and Partnership Plan that will be published on the Registry following the end of the planning phase.

7. Decision Statement

At the conclusion of the environmental assessment and impact assessment procedures, the decisions made by the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec will be separate. The Committee will keep the Province and the COMEX informed of the timing of the decision. Where appropriate, the Committee will share information with the Province and the COMEX regarding potential conditions that may be imposed on the Proponent in relation to the Project to promote consistency and efficiency in the implementation of regulatory obligations.

8. Interpretation

The Plan is not a legal document and does not change any existing federal, provincial, or Indigenous legislative or regulatory jurisdiction, right, power, privilege, prerogative or immunity by virtue, nor does it create any new legal powers, duties or legally binding obligations.

9. Contact Information

The Agency office designated for administering the impact assessment of the Project is:

Quebec Regional Office
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
901-1550, avenue d'Estimauville
Québec, QC G1J 0C1
Email: troilus@iaac-aeic.gc.ca

The contact information for the COMEX, responsible for administering the environmental and social impact assessment and review process, is:

COMEX Secretariat
Sophie Cooper, Executive Secretary
Marie-Guyart Building
675, boulevard René-Lévesque E, 6th Floor, Box 83
Québec, QC G1R 5V7
Phone: 418-521-3933
E-mail: sophie.cooper@environnement.gouv.qc.ca

The contact information for the Quebec office in charge of evaluating the Project is:

Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs
Marie-Guyart Building
675, Boulevard René-Lévesque E, 29th Floor
Québec, QC G1R 5V7
Phone: 418-521-3933
Website: https://www.ree.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/index.asp

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