Great Bear Gold Project - Comments Invited on the Draft Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines and Public Participation Plan

OTTAWA, ON, May 8, 2024 /CNW/ - The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) is conducting an impact assessment for the proposed Great Bear Gold Project, a new gold mine located 23 kilometres southeast of Red Lake, Ontario.

As part of the planning phase in the impact assessment process, the Agency invites Indigenous Peoples and the public to review and provide feedback on the draft Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines (draft Guidelines) and the draft Public Participation Plan (draft Plan).

The draft Guidelines outline the specific factors to be considered in the assessment of the project and provide direction to the proponent, Kinross Gold Corporation, on the studies and information required in its Impact Statement. The draft Plan explains how the public will be engaged throughout the review process and provides details on how and when public participation opportunities will take place for each phase of the impact assessment.

Comments should be submitted online by visiting the project home page on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (reference number 85832). The draft Guidelines and the draft Plan are also available on the Registry. Participants who wish to provide their input in a different format can contact the Agency by writing to [email protected].

Submit your comments online in either official language by 11:59 p.m. on June 7, 2024. All comments received will be published online as part of the project file.

The Agency invites Indigenous Peoples and the public to attend an information session to learn more about the project, the impact assessment process, and how to submit comments on the draft documents.

Virtual information sessions (via Zoom):

• May 22, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET (English)
• May 22, 2024, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET (English)
• May 23, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET (French)

In-person session (English only)

• May 28, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT
  Ear Falls Legion Branch 238, 40 John Street, Ear Falls, Ontario P0V 1T0

• May 29, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT
  Red Lake Super 8 Hotel by Wynham, 11 Hughes Crescent, Red Lake, Ontario P0V 2M0

For information on how to attend a session, please visit the project homepage and click on "Information Sessions." An additional virtual session in French is available upon request. If you have any questions, please contact the Agency using the project email above.

Stay updated on this project by following the Agency on X (previously Twitter): @IAAC_AEIC #GreatBearGold or sign-up for notifications on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry.

Kinross Gold Corporation is proposing the construction and operation of a new open-pit and underground gold mine with an on-site metal mill, located 23 kilometres southeast of Red Lake, Ontario. As proposed, the Great Bear Gold Project would include three open-pits and produce up to 60,000 tonnes of ore per day, while the metal mill would process up to 15,000 tonnes of ore per day. The project would operate for about 20 years.

In October 2023, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the Government of Canada's guidance on the interim administration of the Impact Assessment Act (the IAA), following the recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada on the constitutionality of the IAA. According to the interim measures, advancing projects through the impact assessment process is at the discretion of the proponent. The Agency remains committed to collaborating with proponents to advance the assessment of projects and discuss the information requirements.

SOURCE Impact Assessment Agency of Canada