Newmont’s proposed Coffee Gold mine clears Yukon’s environmental assessment

Mar 08, 2022

Decision bodies, including the territorial and federal governments, sign off on recommendations.

Newmont Corporation wants to build an open pit gold mine in the White Gold district south of Dawson City, Yukon. Decision bodies have given the green light to recommendations by the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board. (Newmont)

The federal and Yukon governments, alongside First Nations, have given the green light to recommendations by the territory’s environmental assessment board regarding the Coffee Gold project.

Newmont Corporation is proposing to build a large gold mine capable of producing roughly 67 million tonnes of ore over the project’s lifecycle. Located 130 kilometres south of Dawson City, Yukon, project activities — including closure and reclamation plans — would span 24 years.

The decision bodies sent the project back to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) for reconsideration last year. The board was asked to include more information about the cumulative effects of development in the area, including an access road.

Asked what affected the outcome this time, John Streicker, Yukon’s minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, said more consultation with communities, particularly First Nations.

Affected First Nations whose traditional territories fall within the parameters of the project include Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Selkirk First Nation, White River First Nation and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun.

“I have found that Newmont has been a good partner in working with communities and I think that’s reflected here in the [impact benefit] agreements that they’ve developed,” Streicker said.

According to the YESAB screening report, the mine site will include a camp for up to 400 workers and during the peak of construction will provide jobs for nearly 700 people.

Roberta Joseph, chief of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, told CBC News that the First Nation has worked very hard to ensure citizens’ rights are upheld, and that the proper checks and balances are in place long before the project moves ahead any further.

She said while the First Nation is satisfied with the project so far, there’s a lot of work left to do. That includes monitoring cumulative effects that stem from the construction — or revamp — of the 214-kilometre mine access road, referred to as the “northern access route.”

“Any fish or wildlife monitoring areas need to be monitored along the northern access route, because we know that proponents are mainly responsible for [impacts] within the project area. Most of the northern access route is open to the public, so we have to take that into consideration, as well,” she said.

“We also need to take into consideration wildlife monitoring and water quality management in regards to cumulative effects from any other proponents that may be submitting applications in the area.”

The location of Newmont Corporation’s Coffee Gold project. (Newmont)

What is the board recommending?

Newmont, a large multinational corporation, has many boxes to tick. The board was tasked with setting criteria, including a bevy of monitoring and mitigation measures that consider wildlife, water quality and on-site safety.

According to YESAB’s decision document, the board recommends mitigations such as barring activity on the access route when caribou migrations are intersecting or frequently crossing the road. The board also recommends that cruising altitude for project-related aircraft be 600 metres or higher between May and Aug. 31, so as to avoid disturbing caribou.

Cultural awareness is another piece. Among other things, the board recommends that Newmont ensure First Nations workers have access to an on-site elder and that the company allocate funding toward each affected First Nation to retain “Indigenous Project Monitors,” tasked with resolving potential conflicts between operations and cultural values in the Coffee Creek area and collecting information on resources available to harvest in and around the project site.

The board also wants the company to develop a monitoring plan for dust and airborne pollutants linked to mining operations.

Lewis Rifkind, mining analyst with the Yukon Conservation Society, said he doesn’t recall seeing such a recommendation in previous assessments of large mines.

“It is a concern, especially when you get these big projects,” he said. “You know, are we going to see impacts on plants and stuff, if there’s going to be a lot of dust kicked up?”

‘The decision document kind of weasels out of some of the tough questions,’ said Lewis Rifkind of the Yukon Conservation Society. (CBC)

Rifkind said while the decision document is strong on monitoring efforts, it’s shy on full-fledged mitigation measures.

“The decision document kind of weasels out of some of the tough questions,” he said. “In a way, they recognize there’s an issue with some of the big things associated with this project, but they haven’t quite worked out all the details, and those will be coming in the future.”

What’s next?

The company is years away from even starting construction, as there are many regulatory hurdles Newmont needs to overcome.

Newmont still needs to obtain a quartz mining licence. It also needs a water licence which is particularly important for a mine of this scale, Rifkind said.

The Yukon Water Board will soon conduct hearings into the project, through which Yukoners can also participate and submit feedback.

The water board will review financial security associated with the project. That’s to ensure there will be enough money left for reclamation and closure, should the mine be abandoned.

“This is critical in that we’ve done the environmental assessment and now the company needs to apply for a water licence, and this is where we get into the real nitty-gritty,” Rifkind said.

The original article can be found on the CBC News website