The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Mines Minister Jim Rondeau has unveiled an aggressive strategy to fully rehabilitate Manitoba's former mine sites, committing more than $70 million to directly address the safety and environmental health concerns associated with abandoned mines. "Today we are committing to bold new action that will build on the work we've already undertaken on rehabilitating abandoned mines," said Rondeau last Thursday. "Working with industry and other partners, we will strive to ensure former mine sites are safe, secure and free of environmental and public-health hazards." A formal long-term plan to implement environmentally-sound solutions for abandoned mine sites will be developed as part of the strategy. The minister noted the rehabilitation project will deliver lasting economic opportunities to local and First Nation communities. See 'Responding' P.# Con't from P.# Responding to the auditor general's report on contaminated sites, the province has established a $70-million provincial account for orphaned and abandoned mines. This includes a new agreement between the province and Viridian Inc. to share the rehabilitation cost of the East Tailings Management Area near the town of Lynn Lake. Under the agreement, the parties will complete a plan for rehabilitation of the area by May 2007. This year, the province is spending $4 million for rehabilitation projects at Lynn Lake, Ruttan, Sherridon and Snow Lake including environmental monitoring, dike repair, demolition and cleanup, site revegetation and preparation of long-term rehabilitation plans. The aim of the mine site rehabilitation is to meaningfully address environmental, health and safety risks and return the site as closely as possible to its original condition. By the end of the year, all orphaned and abandoned mine sites will be inspected and sites requiring further rehabilitation will be identified. "The people and the Town of Lynn Lake are very pleased to hear this announcement," said Lynn Lake mayor Audie Dulewich. "The tailings have been a concern to our residents and we think this positive approach will help to ensure the future viability of our community." "Although the auditor general stated the province is not legally responsible for remediation, we are continuing to take action to deal with the environmental issues left at orphaned and abandoned mine sites and to work with mining companies to ensure mines are closed in responsible manners," said Rondeau. In 1999, the province adopted mine closure regulations requiring environmental liabilities incurred during mining operations be financially secured to cover future remediation costs. "Many mine sites were orphaned or abandoned decades ago, before environmental impacts were fully understood," noted Rondeau. "Today, we are setting new standards for best practices." Manitoba is a leader in the rehabilitation of orphaned and abandoned mines through its participation in the National Orphaned and Abandoned Mines Initiative (NOAMI), a partnership of the Canadian mining industry, First Nations, federal/provincial/territorial governments and non-government environmental agencies. The province hosted NOAMI's first orphaned and abandoned mines workshop in 2001 and will host the 2006 workshop on Oct. 26 and 27. The event explores best practices for mine site assessment, monitoring and rehabilitation, community and Aboriginal consultation, partnership approaches and funding options. Mining is the province's second-largest primary resources industry and employs approximately 3,800 people directly and another 13,000 through related businesses. In 2005, mineral production totalled $1.56 billion and accounted for eight per cent of the province's exports.
