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.
The NDP government's recent approval of the Reed mine is not going over well with a prominent environmental group. The Wilderness Committee, whose Manitoba branch is based in Winnipeg, opposes the mine in part because of its proximity to the habitat of woodland caribou, a protected species. 'It is hard news to take,' said Eric Reder, the committee's Manitoba campaign director, in a press release. 'Canada stopped mining national parks in 1930. Eight decades later and Manitoba still can't join the party?' Reder was referring to the fact that the Reed mine, co-owned by Hudbay and located about 50 kilometres west of Snow Lake, sits within Grass River Provincial Park. Reder said the approval of the copper mine meant 'Manitoba is shirking its responsibility to protect water and wildlife in the north.' 'This mine will impact woodland caribou, and impact water quality in our park,' he said. 'Authorizing the Reed mine is a black mark against what parks are supposed to be.' But Hudbay says Reed has been, and will be, developed in compliance with all laws. The Manitoba government apparently agrees, having granted the mine an environmental permit that remains subject to appeal. The mine has entered initial production, with full production slated to begin in the first half of 2014. Reed is expected to be in production for about five years, during which time 2.16 million tones of copper ore will be extracted and then trucked to and processed in Flin Flon, according to a project overview prepared by AECOM on behalf of Hudbay. At full production, the mine will provide 88 jobs, the company says. Under a previously approved advanced exploration project (AEP), Hudbay upgraded the previously existing access road, constructed a site office and change house, and built a 2,500-cubic-metre polishing pond and waste pad, as well as a maintenance shop and warehouse. It also developed the portal and decline needed to provide access to the ore body to a depth of 30 metres. The AEP site consists of about seven cleared hectares of land, half of the originally planned 14 hectares. For the mine, Hudbay will also construct a 50-person camp at the site along with one 18,927-litre holding tank for the storage of sewage and grey water. See 'Project' on pg. Continued from pg. A summary of comments and recommendations on the project posted on the Manitoba Conservation website says 185 comments from the public were received regarding the project. Concerns were raised about the location of the mine in a provincial park, the impact it would have on woodland caribou in the area and general protection of the natural environment. The wildlife branch of Manitoba's Conservation and Water Stewardship department raised concerns about information that was missing from the initial Environment Act Proposal (EAP) submitted by Hudbay, including the lack of a wildlife inventory study and limited description of wildlife effects and mitigation measures. The branch also sought assurances that construction workers and employees would not be permitted to hunt or shoot wildlife at or around the project site. In a June 12 response to the wildlife branch, Hudbay said: 'Although a wildlife inventory was not conducted for this project, a terrestrial survey of the area was conducted over two seasons to assess local floral communities, wildlife, and the potential for the occurrence of rare and endangered species within the vicinity of the Reed Mine site. 'Detailed methodology and observations from the terrestrial survey have been documented in the Reed Mine Environmental Baseline Assessment, provided to Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship as a supplemental document on February 28, 2012, following the initiation of the TAC review. 'The initial survey was conducted on August 24, 2010 and a supplemental terrestrial survey was conducted the following spring on June 3, 2011 to search for early flowering plants and nesting migratory songbirds that may not have been recorded in the fall 2010 survey. 'The Project Region, including the Project Area, was flown by helicopter for an initial aerial survey to allow photography and GPS mapping of points of interest followed by a ground survey. 'The Project Area was further surveyed by random walk for early flowering plant species and evidence of wildlife use and nesting by migratory songbirds. Primary among the survey goals was revealing any local habitats that may harbor rare and endangered species. 'The survey focused on plant community types in the development area, looking for local floral associations that might indicate species of concern. Wildlife occurrence was recorded through tracks and sign, and direct observation and photographs were collected. The results of this work are set out in detail in the Reed Mine Environmental Baseline Assessment.' Value Hudbay also stated that since 'no protected species were observed during the two terrestrial surveys, it was concluded that there was no critical wildlife value in the Project Area.' The company responded to concerns about hunting or shooting at wildlife by employees at the site by saying that all workers at the site would be required to comply with provincial hunting regulations, which prohibit hunting, possessing a loaded firearm or discharging firearm within 300 metres of roads. The wildlife branch said Hudbay's response had adequately addressed the issues it had raised. On the subject of Crown-aboriginal consultation, the project summary said that the mines branch of the Department of Innovation, Energy and Mines was responsible for conducting consultations with potentially affected aboriginal communities and that the department 'recommended that the proponent and the Mines Branch continue sharing information specific to Aboriginal consultation and is in support of the issuance of an Environment Act Licence for the Reed Mine.' However, last April 4, during the exploration stage of the project, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation at Pukatawagan announced that it opposes work proceeding at Reed mine because it is in MCCN's traditional territory and the government has failed to properly consult the First Nation. _ Ian Graham, Nickel Belt News
