Approval of the Detour Lake Contingency Power Project Environmental Assessment
The ministry’s approval of an environmental assessment for a project to install diesel-fired generators for the Detour Lake mine site.
Notice of approval
Proponent: Detour Gold Corporation
Environmental assessment (EA) file number: EA-03-03-02
Take notice that the period for requiring a hearing, provided for in the Notice of Completion of the Review for the above-noted undertaking, expired on November 4, 2011.
I received no requests for a hearing by the Environmental Review Tribunal before the expiration date.
Having considered the purpose of the Environmental Assessment Act, the approved terms of reference, the environmental assessment, the ministry Review of the environmental assessment and submissions received, I hereby give approval to proceed with the undertaking, subject to conditions set out below.
Reasons
My reasons for giving approval are:
- The environmental assessment was prepared in accordance with the approved Terms of Reference.
- On the basis of the proponent’s environmental assessment and the ministry Review, the proponent’s conclusion that, on balance, the advantages of this undertaking outweigh its disadvantages appears to be valid.
- No other beneficial alternative method of implementing the undertaking was identified.
- On the basis of the proponent’s environmental assessment, the ministry Review and the conditions of this Notice of Approval, the implementation of the undertaking will be consistent with the purpose of the Environmental Assessment Act.
- The Government Review Team has indicated no outstanding concerns that cannot be addressed through conditions of approval. The public and Aboriginal review of the environmental assessment did not identify any outstanding concerns which cannot be addressed through the conditions in this Notice of Approval or conditions of a subsequent approval or permit issued by the Ministry of the Environment.
- I am not aware of any outstanding issues with respect to this undertaking which suggest that a hearing should be required.
Conditions
Approval to proceed with the undertaking is subject to the following terms and conditions:
1. Definitions
For the purposes of these conditions:
- Aboriginal communities
- means the Moose Cree First Nation, Wahgoshig First Nation, Taykwa Tagamou Nation, Timmins Metis Council and Northern Lights Metis Council.
- Construction
- means physical construction activities, including, site preparation works, but does not include tendering of contracts.
- Date of approval
- means the date on which the Order in Council was approved by the Lieutenant Governor.
- Director
- means the Director of the Environmental Approvals Branch.
- Environmental Assessment
- means the document titled Detour Lake Contingency Power Project Individual Environmental Assessment - 10 MW Additional Diesel Generator Power Supply.
- Ministry
- means the Ministry of the Environment.
- Program
- means compliance monitoring program.
- Proponent
- means Detour Gold Corporation.
- Site
- means the identified area required for the undertaking, more specifically set out in the environmental assessment.
- Undertaking
- means the construction and operation of 10 megawatts of diesel-fired electricity generation, to support the development of a new mine at Detour Lake, and as more specifically set out in the environmental assessment.
2. General requirements
- The proponent shall implement the undertaking in accordance with the environmental assessment, which is hereby incorporated in this approval by reference, except as provided for in these conditions and as provided in any other approval or permit that may be issued for the undertaking.
- These conditions do not prevent more restrictive conditions being imposed under other statutes.
3. Public record and submission of documents
- Where a document is required for the public record, the proponent shall provide two copies of the document to the Director: a copy for filing in the public record file maintained for the undertaking and a copy for staff use.
- The Environmental Approvals Branch file number EA-03-03-02 shall be quoted on every document submitted to the ministry.
- For every document submitted to the ministry, the proponent shall clearly identify which condition the document is meant to fulfill.
4. Compliance monitoring program
- The proponent shall prepare and submit for the public record, a compliance monitoring program (program) for the undertaking.
- The program shall be submitted concurrently with the annual compliance report for the Detour Lake Power Project environmental assessment (refer to Condition 5.2 in Appendix A attached) the year following the date of approval.
- The program shall include monitoring of the proponent’s fulfillment of the provisions of the environmental assessment and the conditions in this Notice of Approval, including mitigation measures, consultation with the public and Aboriginal communities, and additional studies and work to be carried out. The program shall also include monitoring of compliance with all commitments made in the environmental assessment and the approval process for the environmental assessment regarding mitigation measures, consultation with the public and Aboriginal communities, and additional studies and work to be carried out.
- The program must contain an implementation schedule for all commitments and conditions set out in Condition 4.3.
- The Director may require amendments to the program.
- The proponent shall implement the program. If any amendments are made by the Director, the proponent shall implement the program as amended.
5. Compliance reporting
- The proponent shall prepare an annual compliance report which describes the proponent’s compliance with the conditions in this Notice of Approval and the results of the program and describes the results of the program as required by Condition 4.
- The annual compliance report shall be submitted for the public record, as part of the Detour Lake Power Project environmental assessment annual compliance report (refer to Condition 5.2 in Appendix A attached) the year following the submission date of the program, and shall cover all activities of the previous 12 month period.
- The proponent shall submit annual compliance reports until all terms and conditions of this Notice of Approval are satisfied, or until the Director indicates that the reports are no longer required.
- When all terms and conditions of this Notice of Approval have been satisfied, the proponent shall indicate in the annual compliance report that it is the final report.
- The proponent shall retain either on site or in another location approved by the Director, copies of the annual compliance reports for each reporting year and any associated documentation of compliance monitoring activities.
- The proponent shall make the documentation available to the ministry or its designate, in a timely manner when so requested to do so by the ministry.
6. Complaint protocol
- The proponent shall prepare and develop a protocol on how it will deal with and respond to inquiries and complaints received during the implementation of the undertaking.
- The proponent shall submit the protocol to the ministry before the commencement of construction for placement on the public record.
- The Director may require amendments to the protocol.
- The protocol, as amended by the Director, must be carried out by the proponent.
Dated the 7th day of March, 2012 at Toronto.
Minister of the Environment
77 Wellesley Street West, 11th Floor, Ferguson Block
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2T5
Approved by O.C. number 323/2012
Date O.C. approved March 22, 2012