CASE STUDIES AND DECISION MAKING PROCESS …

1 case STUDIES AND DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR THE RELINQUISHMENT OF CLOSED MINE SITES Prepared for: NATIONAL ORPHANED/ABANDONED MINES INITIATIVE By Cowan, Mackasey and John Robertson Cowan Minerals Ltd. Sudbury, Ontario July 2013 i case STUDIES AND DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR THE RELINQUISHMENT OF CLOSED MINE SITES TABLE OF CONTENTS iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/SOMMAIRE ..v RELINQUISHMENT ..2 Introduction ..2 The role of tenure ..2 case STUDIES ..3 Introduction ..3 Quebec Lithium Mine, Quebec Introduction ..5 Background.

2 5 Tenure ..7 Closure ..7 Application for Certificate of Release ..9 Discussion ..12 Renabie Mine, Ontario Introduction ..13 Background ..13 Tenure ..14 Mine Closure ..14 Applicable Legislation ..16 Discussion ..18 Conclusion.

3 18 Polaris Mine - Nunavut Introduction ..19 Background ..19 Tenure ..20 Permits and Approvals ..20 Consultation and Transparency ..20 Mine Closure ..21 Post Closure Monitoring and Maintenance ..21 Financial Assurance ..22 Discussion.

4 22 Conclusion ..22 ii Gregg River Coal Mine, Alberta Introduction ..23 Background ..23 Post-Mining Consultation and Land Use Planning ..24 Decommissioning and Reclamation Requirements ..25 Decommissioning and Reclamation ..26 Financial Assurance ..27 Reclamation Certificate ..27 Reclamation Mine Site Liability.

5 29 Plant Site Liability ..31 Contamination Gregg River Mine Challenges ..31 Discussion ..32 Contact Lake Gold Mine, Saskatchewan Introduction ..34 Background ..34 Tenure ..35 Pre-Production Permits and Approvals ..35 Mine Closure ..36 Post Closure Monitoring and Maintenance ..38 Release from Decommissioning and Reclamation Requirements ..38 Site Relinquishment ..39 Introduction.

6 39 Financial Assurance and Funding ..40 Institutional Control Registry ..41 Indemnification ..41 Consultation and Transparency ..41 Discussion ..42 Conclusions ..42 Farley East Tailings Management Area, Manitoba Introduction ..43 Background ..43 Tenure.

7 45 Human Health and Environmental Risk Assessment for Lynn Lake ..46 Mine Closure ..47 First Nation/Town of Lynn Lake Involvement (Stakeholders) ..50 Viridian/Manitoba Partnership ..51 Release from Liability ..52 Transparency ..52 Discussion ..52 Conclusion ..53 LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE case STUDIES ..54 iii DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR RELINQUISHMENT Introduction ..56 PROCESS Technical ..58 Cognitive ..58 Interpersonal.

8 59 Creating a DECISION MAKING PROCESS ..60 Five-Step DECISION MAKING PROCESS for Relinquishment ..60 Step 1 - Submitting the application ..63 Step 2 - Site Assessment ..65 Step 3 The Long-Term ..67 Step 4 Funding ..69 Step 5 - Implementation ..72 Application to case STUDIES ..72 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ..75 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..77 SELECTED REFERENCES ..78 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Location of 6 case study projects ..4 Figure 2 Typical cross section showing stopes ..6 Figure 3 Composite photograph of the Quebec Lithium mine taken in 1959 ..7 Figure 4 Air photograph of the Quebec Lithium site .. 11 Figure 5 Photograph of Quebec Lithium site looking north ..12 Figure 6 Renabie tailings area and C Pit.

9 16 Figure 7 Surface structures and loading dock - Polaris Mine ..20 Figure 8 Photo of reclamation works, Gregg River Mine ..33 Figure 9 Photo of reclaimed mine area ..33 Figure 10 Contact Lake Mine site during operations ..40 Figure 11 Revegetation Contact Lake fuel storage site 2008 ..42 Figure 12 Looking east to the former mine-mill complex and ETMA .. 43 Figure 13 Air photo showing ETMA boundaries ..45 Figure 14 Cluster diagram showing some of the many of the factors to be considered in a MAKING a relinquishment DECISION ..59 Figure 15 A five-step DECISION MAKING PROCESS for relinquishment ..61 Figure 16 Step 1: Submitting the application ..62 Figure 17 Step 2: Site assessment ..64 Figure 18 Step 3: The long-term ..66 Figure 19 Step 4: Figure 20 Step 5: Implementation ..71 iv DISCLAIMER This report was prepared to provide case STUDIES and a DECISION MAKING PROCESS for the relinquishment of closed mine sites.

10 The authors assume no responsibility for actions taken by others on the basis of knowledge acquired from reviewing the material herein. The National Orphaned/Abandoned Mines Initiative (NOAMI) Advisory Committee makes no warrantee of any kind with respect to the content and accepts no liability arising from the use of this report. Backdrop photo is of the Farley (foreground) and "A" Shaft sites, Lynn Lake, courtesy of Department of Industry and Commerce, Province of Manitoba. v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Once the commercial aspects of a mine are diminished and the site is closed out, the proponent may ultimately wish to relinquish (give-up, surrender, abandon, return) the site to the Crown.