Community Engagement and Environmental Impact Assessment
On November 3, 2008, Shore Gold Inc., on its behalf and on behalf of its Joint Venture partner, Newmont Mining Corporation of Canada Limited, filed a Project Proposal with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment and federal agencies. Filing the Project Proposal commences an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to examine the impact of a possible open-pit mine at the Star Kimberlite, potentially a second open-pit mine at the Orion South Kimberlite, mining method, processing facilities and associated infrastructure to commercially extract diamonds. As well, the Project Proposal provides a conceptual site layout. The project description will be used by regulators to guide them in decision making and will form the basis for discussion with the public about what the potential project would look like. It will also provide the opportunity for input from the public. An overview of the baseline environmental information in the Fort à la Corne forest and an overview of Shore's community engagement plan are also provided.
Community engagement and feedback is a key part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process. To introduce the project and the EIA to the communities as well as provide an opportunity for input, Shore planned a series of Open Houses in Smeaton, Nipawin, Melfort and Prince Albert. The public was invited to attend the Open Houses scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to accommodate students, workers, families and social activities. The format was a series of displays, maps and a video mining simulation. There were four stations dedicated to Geology, Environment, Employment and Procurement, and Mining. Shore’s subject matter experts attended the Open Houses to staff the displays, answer questions and take comments.
The Open House meetings proved a successful excercise in conveying Shore Gold's plans for development and the impact on local communities. Over 1,000 people attended the Open Houses and almost every visitor had positive comments. It was clear that the public felt development should occur, under appropriate environmental standards (see News Release, February 11, 2009).
Open House Poster Board Presentation
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Open House Handout |
Welcome Station |
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Geology Station |
Mining Station |
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Environment Station |
Economy Station |
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Links:
Questions or Comments
Please submit any questions, comments or concerns regarding Shore Gold’s activities, effects on the environment or future community engagements by filling out the following form. Please note that your contact information is required in order to verify the comments provided and to provide transparency and accountability for Shore’s community engagement program. Shore will endeavour to answer any relevant questions posted in a timely fashion. However, please be patient, as it may take several weeks to answer the volume of inquiries.
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