Minister's Response – Great Bear Advanced Exploration Project

Physical Activities

Kinross Gold Corporation is proposing to construct and operate a gold exploration project located 25 kilometres southeast of Red Lake, Ontario. As proposed, the Great Bear Advanced Exploration Project (the physical activities referred to as the project) would include a temporary work camp, underground infrastructure, and two surface portals to access the underground infrastructure. The project would operate for four years and extract up to 60,000 tonnes of ore for off-site quality testing.

Decision

The project does not warrant designation.

Information Considered

In forming my response, I took into account the analysis prepared by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada in its Analysis Report.

Reasons

Pursuant to section 9 of the Impact Assessment Act I, Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, considered the potential for the project to cause adverse effects within federal jurisdiction, direct or incidental adverse effects and public concerns related to these effects; adverse impacts on the Aboriginal and Treaty rights of Indigenous Peoples; and whether a means other than an impact assessment exists that would permit a jurisdiction to address the adverse effects within federal jurisdiction and the direct or incidental adverse effects.

I am of the opinion that the designation of the project is unwarranted for the following reasons:

• The project must be carried out in compliance with applicable federal and provincial legislative mechanisms.
• The requirements under the following legislative mechanisms, and related consultations with potentially impacted Indigenous Peoples and the public where applicable, provide a framework to address the potential adverse effects within federal jurisdiction, concerns about these adverse effects, and potential adverse impacts on the Aboriginal and Treaty rights of Indigenous Peoples. These mechanisms include:
  • federal legislation, including Fisheries Act and Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994; and
  • provincial legislation, including Endangered Species Act, 2007; Ontario Water Resources Act; Environmental Protection Act; Ontario Heritage Act; and Mining Act.
• No direct or incidental adverse effects are expected.