ISSUE ALERT

Oct. 31, 2003 Decision opens door to dumping mine effluent in Groundhog River The Environmental Review Tribunal has denied all appeals of a Ministry of Environment approval for discharging mine effluent into the Groundhog River. This decision opens the door for mining company Falconbridge Ltd. to pump wastewater carrying heavy-metals from the Montcalm mine site near Timmins into the Groundhog River just outside the boundaries of the newly established Groundhog River Provincial Park. We must send a message to the new provincial government that putting industrial demands ahead of protection of waterways and species is not acceptable. Two independent scientific reviews of the proposal by Falconbridge Ltd. to dump the mine waste upstream of important sturgeon spawning beds in the Groundhog River have raised serious concerns about the potential toxic impacts of the project. Please send a message to Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky today asking her to immediately review the decision by her Ministry to approve this project. This is the Minister’s chance to show that her government is committed to a protecting water sources and water quality in Ontario! Hon. Leona Dombrowsky Minister of the Environment 135 St. Clair Ave. W. Toronto, ON M4V 1P5 minister@ene.gov.on.ca August 28, 2003 Ministry of the Environment gives green light to pipeline to dump mining waste in the Groundhog River On August 8, the Ministry of the Environment issued a "Certificate of Approval" to mining giant Falconbridge Ltd. This recent approval gives the company the green light to begin the construction and operation of a system to treat and dispose of groundwater pumped from the proposed Montcalm mine project, located 70 km northwest of Timmins. Effluent containing heavy metals will be discharged via a pipeline into the Groundhog River’s Six Mile Rapids, a known lake sturgeon spawning location. Information from a “Freedom of Information” request to the government reveals internal correspondence and testimony from Ministry of Natural Resources fisheries managers that the proposed treatment method and discharge location pose a high risk to the Groundhog River fishery, in particular the lake sturgeon population. Sturgeon are already under stress from habitat loss and angling pressure and have been identified as globally vulnerable by the Natural Heritage Information Centre. According to internal government reports, levels of arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, lead, nickel, zinc, total ammonia and un-ionized ammonia will all exceed the Ministry of the Environment’s own Provincial Water Quality Objectives at end-of-pipe. According to MNR, peak conditions (i.e. elevated effluent concentrations and/or higher discharge rates of mine water) coupled with a low water flow in the Groundhog River could kill fish. MNR staff also point out that there has been little attention paid to the impact of the mixing of these metals and the already high concentrations of some of these toxins in the Groundhog River. commercial roofing contractor Chicago In spite of this, the Ministry of Environment has approved the construction of a discharge pipeline across a small mining claim area held by Falconbridge within the Groundhog River Waterway Park. This park was designated in part to help protect one of the few remaining healthy sturgeon populations in northeastern Ontario and is a key connector for a system of larger protected areas in the northeast. Please play a part in protecting this river at risk and submit your comments to: Hon. Leona Dombrowsky Minister of the Environment 135 St. Clair Ave. W. Toronto, ON M4V 1P5 minister@ene.gov.on.ca Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, 1075 Bay Street, Suite 605, 6th Fl. Toronto, Ontario M5S 2B1 FAX: (416) 325-3370 Ministry of Natural Resources proposes to change park boundaries to accommodate waste dumping from mine In 1999, a section of the Groundhog River near Timmins, Ontario was designated a provincial park under Ontario’s Living Legacy to protect the forest and river values from commercial development, such as mining, hydro and forestry. The Groundhog River was chosen in part to provide habitat protection for the native sturgeon population. Lake sturgeon is listed by the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre as globally vulnerable (G3 rank) and provincially rare to uncommon (S3 rank). A 1997 publication by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) indicates that Northeastern Ontario represents one of the last strongholds of this species. Now this same Ministry is ready to approve a land-use amendment that would allow the discharge of mining wastewater containing heavy metals into a provincial park that is considered prime habitat for this vulnerable species. On March 16, 2003, the Partnership for Public Lands (PPL) submitted a response to a posting by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) (EBR Registry Number IA03E0209 - OWRA s. 53(1) - Approval for sewage works) that described a mining company’s intent to construct and operate a mine water treatment system to treat groundwater pumped for “mine dewatering and surface runoff associated with potentially acid generating waste rock stockpiles”. Treated effluent would then be discharged via a drainageway (essentially an open ditch) to the Groundhog River. (Click here for the Partnership's full response - Acrobat format.) cheapest car insurance According to the companies behind the project (Noranda Inc.-Falconbridge Ltd.), the water volume of the Groundhog River will reduce toxic concentrations of heavy metals at end of pipe to "acceptable" levels. In other words, the provincial government’s approach to environmental protection still rests on the outdated and discredited notion that "dilution is the solution to pollution." Because the Partnership was unable to obtain any objective information regarding the technical merits of the company’s proposal from either the MNR or the MOE, the report was submitted to the Centre for Science in Public Participation (CSP2) for technical review. The experts at this U.S.-based environmental watchdog agency provided PPL with findings that suggest several uncertainties in the treatment system. However, no response to PPL’s documented concerns was received from either the MOE or the MNR. Affordable smt assembler right there On April 25, 2003, the Ministry of Natural Resources posted a notice informing the public of its intent to amend the Groundhog River protected area boundary to allow for the discharge of mine wastewater into a provincial park (EBR Registry Number PB03E2002). Not only does this latest proposal undermine the concept of a provincial protected areas system, it also illustrates MNR’s lack of commitment to its responsibility to sustainably manage Ontario’s fisheries. (Click here for Partnership's full response - Acrobat format) While the government and company claim to have consulted extensively with the public and other stakeholders, PPL has found the MOE and MNR response to our stated concerns inadequate with no useful information has been forthcoming from either ministry. Sierra Legal Defence Fund, on behalf of PPL, has now submitted a Freedom of Information Act request in an attempt to determine what, if any, evaluations have been undertaken by the government to ensure that this proposal does not have serious environmental impacts to the Groundhog River ecosystem.

Mining waste does not belong in a provincial park! Please write: Hon. Leona Dombrowsky Minister of the Environment 135 St. Clair Ave. W. Toronto, ON M4V 1P5 minister@ene.gov.on.ca AND Premier Dalton McGuinty Legislature Building Queen's Park Toronto, ON M7A 1A1 webprem@gov.on.ca

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