Tribag Mine rehabilitation project
Learn about the environmental assessment process for the rehabilitation of mine hazards at the Tribag Mine.
Current status
Statement of completion
Project summary
The Tribag Mine (AMIS #08068) is a former copper mine, situated in Nicolet Township, approximately 100 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie and 26 kilometres north of Batchewana Bay, Ontario.
The mine operated from 1962 to 1974. It features:
- a mill site
- a tailings management area
- waste rock
- underground workings that span three mining zones
West Breccia zone
Situated in the southwest portion of the mine. The zone contains:
- three stopes to surface (a tunnel or space that is dugout to provide access to the orebody)
- two raises
- an adit
- multiple crown pillars
The mine openings provide access to the underground workings. The adit is blocked by a steel door, however the door does not fully eliminate access to the underground workings.
Bats use the underground workings as a hibernaculum (overwintering site).
Breton zone
Located east of the mill site in the northern portion of the mine. This zone features a shaft and three raises.
All openings within the Breton zone are concrete capped, preventing inadvertent access and use by bats. However, the caps do not meet the requirements specified in the Mine Rehabilitation Code of Ontario (O. Reg. 240/00).
East Breccia zone
Situated approximately 2.3 kilometres from the main mine workings and features a single exploratory adit.
Bats use the adit as a hibernaculum.
Purpose
The purpose of the project is to rehabilitate the mine hazards at the Tribag Mine to eliminate the risk to the public.
We rank this mine as a high priority for rehabilitation due to the risk to public safety.
The proposed rehabilitation activities will permanently prevent inadvertent access to all mine openings to surface.
Other features remaining at the site will be addressed as part of a separate Class Environmental Assessment at a later date, including:
- the tailings management area
- mill site
- building materials
- waste rock piles
Proposed rehabilitation activities
West Breccia zone
The proposed rehabilitation strategy for all hazards located within the West Breccia zone is fencing.
Two fence perimeters are needed, encompassing the following hazards:
- the adit, and its crown pillar, stope to surface and raise situated in the southern portion of the West Breccia zone
- the two remaining stopes to surface, their associated crown pillars and raise
The fence design will meet the specifications provided in O. Reg. 240/00. Fencing will minimize inadvertent access to the mine, while protecting the potential bat overwintering habitat.
The fencing installation will require vegetation removal extending approximately three metres on either side of the fence perimeter.
We expect the work to occur in the summer or early fall of 2024.
Breton zone
The proposed rehabilitation strategy for the mine openings to surface in the Breton zone is concrete caps.
The raise caps would be constructed over the existing caps so they can be used as framework. The caps will meet the minimum requirements specified in O. Reg. 240/00.
One crown pillar within the Breton zone is not long-term stable. The proposed rehabilitation strategy for the crown pillar is fencing. The fencing installation will require vegetation removal extending approximately three metres on either side of the fence perimeter.
We expected the work to occur in the summer or early fall of 2024.
East Breccia zone
The proposed rehabilitation strategy for the adit located within the East Breccia zone is the installation of a stainless-steel gate.
The gate will eliminate safety concerns related to access by the public, while still allowing bats to easily enter and exit the underground workings.
The work will occur in the summer months when bats are not expected to be actively hibernating within the mine.
Proponent
Ministry of Mines
Location
Nicolet Township, Algoma District
Type
Bulletin
Reference number
Environmental Registry of Ontario number: 019-8220
Contact
Michaela Haring, Environmental Planner
Mine Rehabilitation Section
933 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 6B5
Email: Michaela.Haring2@ontario.ca
Notice of opportunity to provide input on a category B project (2023)
We invite you to comment on the Tribag Mine rehabilitation project. The proposed rehabilitation activities are a category B project with low potential for environmental effects. The undertaking is being carried out in accordance with the Class Environmental Assessment for Activities of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines under the Mining Act (PDF, amended 2018).
We have identified several environmental effects associated with the undertaking, which can be mitigated using standard measures. A summary of negative environmental effects and proposed mitigation measures that would negate or reduce their significance is provided in the Project Description, which you can find with the supporting material for this project on the Environmental Registry of Ontario.
You are invited to provide input and express any concerns about this proposed project. For more information, or to submit comments, read the posting for this project on the Environmental Registry of Ontario or contact:
Michaela Haring, Environmental Planner
Mine Rehabilitation Section
933 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 6B5
Email: Michaela.Haring2@ontario.ca
Your privacy
Personal information you provide in a submission (such as name, address, and telephone number) and your views and opinions are being collected by the ministry under the authority of the Environmental Assessment Act for the purpose of engaging in public consultation and making decisions regarding the project.
Your personal information may also be shared with the Environmental Approvals Branch of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservations and Parks. The collection, use, and disclosure of this information are all governed by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Send questions about the collection of this information to:
Michaela Haring, Environmental Planner
Mine Rehabilitation Section
933 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 6B5
Email: Michaela.Haring2@ontario.ca
Statement of completion
We have completed our assessment for the proposed rehabilitation of mine hazards at the abandoned Tribag Mine (AMIS #08068). The mine is situated in Nicolet Township, approximately 100 kilometres north of Sault Ste Marie and 26 kilometres north of Batchewana Bay, Ontario.
The purpose of the project is to rehabilitate the mine hazards at the Tribag Mine to eliminate risks to the public. The mine is frequented by the public and is ranked high by the province as sites requiring rehabilitation due to the risk to public safety.
The rehabilitation activities will permanently prevent inadvertent access to all mine openings to surface. Bat acoustic studies completed at all mine openings to surface have confirmed that bats use the underground workings of the mine as a hibernaculum. The currently planned rehabilitation activities will not impact the long-term use of the bat overwintering habitat.
The rehabilitation activities will include the following:
- Fencing of all mine hazards situated within the West Breccia zone. The fencing will minimize inadvertent access to the mine, while protecting the bat overwintering habitat. Two fence perimeters will be completed:
- an approximately 250 metre fence encompassing the adit, adit crown pillar, stope to surface and raise situated in the southern portion of the West Breccia zone
- an approximately 350 metre fence encompassing two stopes to surface, raise, and the crown pillars associated with the stopes to surface
- The 3 raises and shaft within the Breton zone will be capped in accordance with the Mine Rehabilitation Code of Ontario. The crown pillar within the Breton zone will be fenced. The total fence perimeter is estimated to be 185 metres.
- The single exploratory adit within the East Breccia zone will be rehabilitated with a stainless steel gate. The gate will eliminate safety concerns related to access by the public, while still allowing bats to easily enter and exit the underground workings.
This undertaking has been assessed as a Category B, in accordance with the Class Environmental Assessment for Ministry of Northern Development Mines Activities under the Mining Act (PDF, amended 2018).
Consultation summary
We distributed consultation letters to government agencies, Indigenous communities and other interested persons on February 9, 2024. In addition, we posted a Notice of Opportunity to Input Bulletin Notice on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO #019-8220) and referenced it on the Mining Act resources webpage. We supported the notice and letters with a description of the project that included a summary of potential negative environmental effects associated with the undertaking and proposed mitigation measures that would negate or reduce the significance of the environmental effects. We provided all parties consulted with an opportunity to provide input and express concerns related to the project over a 30-day comment period.
The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), Species at Risk (SAR) Branch provided comments related to the projects’ impact on species at risk and compliance with the compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA 2007. We have provided the following summary of key comments received from the MECP SAR Branch and our response and resolutions:
- MECP indicated that the bat gate installation may qualify for registration under the conditional exemption Ontario Regulation 242/08 - Section 23.18 Threats to human health and safety (non-imminent). They recommended that the installation be completed between June 10 and July 10 when bats are most likely to be out of the hibernaculum. This timeline to complete the bat gate installation has been incorporated into the project documentation. The work will be completed in accordance with the regulatory exemption detailed in Section 23.18 of Ontario Regulation 242/08.
- MECP recommended that tree and vegetation removal required for the fence installation be completed outside of April 1 to October 15 to mitigate impacts to bats, migratory birds, and Blanding’s Turtles. We propose to complete the fence installation activities in the fall of 2024, which will overlap with this timing window. The fence installation work cannot occur in the winter months due frozen ground conditions, site accessibility and safety risks to on-site workers. The currently planned fence installation activities are not expected to contravene with Section 9 or Section 10 of the ESA. The work will be completed in accordance with the regulatory exemption detailed in Section 23.18 of Ontario Regulation 242/08. We will prepare a mitigation plan, and all work completed in accordance with the mitigation plan.
- MECP advised that no trees should be removed within 200 metres of the bat hibernaculum to ensure that the microclimate of the habitat remains unchanged. We will protect all vegetation situated at the hibernaculum entrance and will install the fence no closer than 20 metres from the openings. Due to the undulating topography of the area, location of the openings on the landscape and limited footprint of the trees to be cleared, we do not anticipate impacts to the microclimate of the hibernaculum.
- MECP recommended that general habitat description mapping be complete for Blanding’s Turtle to identify potential habitat and include an exclusionary fencing plan. We will complete general habitat description mapping as MECP recommends. The site is situated in the northern boundary of the Blanding’s Turtle range and there are no previous occurrences of this species within 500 metres of the mine. The risk of encountering this species during the completion of the work is considered low.
We will continue to consult with the MECP SAR Branch to ensure that project activities do not contravene with the ESA.
The MECP Environmental Assessment branch provided a letter acknowledging that the project is following the approved environmental planning process for a Category B project under the MINES Class EA. The updated Areas of Interest document (August 2022) was provided regarding the MECP’s interest with respect to the Class EA process. We have reviewed the Areas of Interest document to ensure we address all MECP’s interest with respect to the Class EA process. We provided the statement of completion to the MECP’s Northern Region EA notification email.
The Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism (MCM) advised that if the project exhibits archaeological potential, a licensed archaeologist will need to undertake an archaeological assessment. The screening we completed for this project identified no known or potential archaeological resources. We included the completed screening checklist in the Class EA report. We also shared the Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report completed for the site with MCM.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) indicated that there is no fish species information for waterbodies within the project area. However, there is a high probability that surrounding aquatic features are cold water ecosystems that support species such as brook trout. They recommended that we review the Natural Heritage Reference Manual for Natural Heritage Policies of the Provincial Policy Statement, 2005 (PDF, MNRF 2010) for mitigation measures, as applicable. Currently planned project activities will not occur directly adjacent to fish habitat or impact other natural heritage features defined under the Provincial Policy Statement. Mitigation measures, as applicable, have been incorporated into the Class EA report.
The claim holder provided comments related to the tailings area, hydrology of the underground workings and the mine openings to surface. The comments provided do not impact the currently planned work. The tailings management area and environmental liabilities of the site will be included as part of a separate Class EA.
The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) expressed concerns related to the rehabilitation of abandoned mines, such as the Tribag Mine, while simultaneously promoting critical mineral exploration and development. They requested a meeting to discuss how rehabilitation, reprocessing, mining, critical minerals and consultation will occur on the Tribag Mine. We provided an invitation for a presentation and meeting between our project team and MNO in a letter dated March 1, 2024. The meeting will provide an opportunity to share information and discuss the technical aspects of the rehabilitation, respond to any questions and hear any concerns, including concerns about the proposed project’s potential impacts to the exercise of established or credibly asserted rights recognized and affirmed under section 35 of Canada’s Constitution.
We received no other comments that would affect the currently planned project. We will implement the project as described in the project documentation.
Approved by:
April 12, 2024
Marc Stewart
Senior Manager, Mine Rehabilitation Section
Ministry of Mines
933 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
Email: marc.stewart@ontario.ca