What kind of environmental assessment do you want?

Public Information Session concerning the Environmental Assessment of the proposed Stillwater-Marathon PGM-Cu mine

May 5, 2011, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.

St John's United Church

Hosted by Citizens for a Responsible Mine in Marathon

The invitees include: all publicly-funded participants in Phase 1 of the EA including:
Citizens for a Responsible Mine in Marathon, Environment North, Great Lakes
United, Marathon Economic Development Corporation, Métis Nation of Ontario ,
MiningWatch Canada, Northwatch , Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation, Ontario
Coalition of Aboriginal Peoples, Ontario Nature, Pic Mobert First Nation, Pays Plat
First Nation, Red Sky Métis Independent Nation.

The evening will include:

• The opportunity for introductions from all of the funded groups describing their interest in the project
• Q & A session for members of the public to share viewpoints and ask questions of the invited groups.

The Citizens for a Responsible Mine (CRM) supports a rigourous environmental assessment of the proposed mine in which the short- and long-term economic, environmental and social costs and benefits are given careful consideration. Our hope is that an appropriately mandated Review Panel and a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement will lead to the approval of a safe, clean and sustainable mine that benefits this and future generations in our region.

June 1st Marathon Mercury article and corrections

On May 27, members of the community met with Marathon PGM and some of its consultants to discuss the project. Much of the concern related to Marathon PGM's proposal to have Bamoos Lake scheduled as a tailings impoundment area (TIA).

The following article appeared in the June 1, 2010 Marathon Mercury and is reproduced here with the gracious permission of the publisher. A scanned .pdf version of the article can be found here.

Following the article you will find corrections to misstatements by Marathon PGM's consultants that were reported in the article.

[note: click on Read more>>, below the photo, to view the entire piece.]

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Marathon PGM public meeting on environment assessment review:

‘Taking out a lake is not an easy thing to do, it’s a significant challenge’

Representatives for Marathon PGM told a Marathon audience last Thursday that ‘taking out a lake is not an easy decision, it’s a significant challenge’.

Brian Fraser, technical data consultant for the proposed open pit mine operation, said a creative solution is needed to compensate for the loss of Bamoos Lake if that option is approved by provincial and federal agencies following the environmental assessment process.

 “A creative solution is needed because we can’t create an identical lake when the mine ceases operation,” he said. “It has to be creative in a way that’s acceptable. We have to look at an ‘apples to oranges’ solution rather than an ‘apples to apples’ solution,” he said. “This approach will be the foundation for the solution. We might also look at rehabilitation or restocking of lake trout fishing in other lakes as compensation for the loss of Bamoos Lake.”

Fisher was responding to questions from an audience of approximately 40 people who turned out for the public session which was focused on the environmental aspects of the proposed open pit mine with particular emphasis on the processed solids (tailings) options

The company has submitted two options to the environmental process called the ‘North’ option and the ‘South’ option. The ‘North’ option would involve using Bamoos Lake and, when the mine ceases operation, Bamoos Lake will be changed from a cold water fishery to a warm water fishery.

Ted Schintz said he was personally in support of the mine and hopes it will be successful.

“However, Bamoos Lake is a naturally sustained trout lake and only one of the many lakes in Pukaskwa National Park is a naturally sustaining trout lake. There are not too many of them,” he said. “This makes Bamoos Lake very special.”

Eric Zackrewski, president of True Grit Consulting Ltd., uses a map to illustrate one of his answers to a question from the audience at the Marathon PGM public meeting last Thursday.