Photo credit: osiskodev.com
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QUESNEL – Osisko Development Corporation has been granted an operating permit under the Mines Act for its Cariboo Gold Mine in nearby Wells.
Cariboo Gold is an underground mine that will employ close to 634 people during construction that includes an initial investment of $137 million, with another $918 million in revenue generation over the projected 16 year life of the mine. It will have the capacity to process approximately 1.1 million tonnes per year – 4,900 tonnes per day – of gold-bearing ore through its underground mining and ore milling at the Quesnel River Mine, with waste rock storage at the Bonanza Ledge Mine near Barkerville. A transmission line from Quesnel to the mine is also part of the project.
The permitting process was completed in 13 months, following a technical review conducted by technical experts in collaboration with First Nations. This is the first project entirely assessed under the new 2018 Environmental Assessment Act that has been granted a Mines Act permit.
A permit under the Environmental Management Act (EMA) for the Cariboo Gold project is currently under consideration with a statutory decision-maker in the Ministry of Environment and Parks. A decision is expected in the coming weeks. An EMA permit would provide authority for the company to introduce wastes into the environment while protecting public health and the environment. The EMA regulates industrial and municipal waste discharge, pollution, hazardous waste and contaminated site remediation.
The Environmental Assessment Office completed its assessment of the mine project with consultation from experts, First Nations, including the Lhtako Dené, Xatśūll, and Williams Lake First Nations, government agencies and the public.
A B.C. environmental assessment certificate was issued to Osisko on October 10, 2023 following a joint decision by the B.C. ministers of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.
The ministers included 22 legally binding conditions in the environmental assessment certificate intended to prevent or reduce potential adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural and health effects. With these requirements, as well as Osisko Development Corp’s project design features to reduce Cariboo Gold’s impacts on the community of Wells and the environment, the ministers determined that significant adverse effects can be mitigated.
Included in the conditions are a plan to minimize impacts on the local community and tourism, through a limit on the maximum allowable noise from the project, performing blasting only during the day, using vegetation to screen buildings and other facilities to minimize visual impacts for residents and visitors, limiting truck traffic near residential areas, strict policies around work camps, hiring 75 percent of workers from the region if they are qualified, a strategy developed with the District of Wells to mitigate pressures on recreation and tourism, and supporting community events to promote arts and culture. Osisko also must hold regular community meetings and ensure timely response to concerns, including establishing a new, clean drinking water supply for the District of Wells, mitigation and monitoring measures to reduce emissions and maintain air quality, and managing effects on the environment, in particular to mitigate impacts to wildlife, habitat and bodies of water, overseen by an independent environmental monitor.
Osisko Development Corp still must receive other required provincial permits and authorizations before construction can start.
Business Examiner Staff