Ontario’s Ministry of Northern Development and Mines has unveiled a $27-million program aimed at rehabilitating abandoned minesites throughout the province.
Work will begin immediately on up to 30 open shafts and other physical hazards. Some of the lands are near towns and communities and will be used for business and industrial development, including, in some cases, further mineral exploration.
During the first year of the program, work will focus on the Coldsteam site near Thunder Bay and the Timmins properties of Royal Oak Mines. Work at Coldsteam will include demolition of old buildings, grading and revegation. To address immediate concerns at the Timmins properties, the ministry will fence off the McKane site and do an engineering study of the McKane and possibly the Luzenac sites. Remedial options will be developed, which may involve drilling to determine the location and depth of old stopes.
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