To: The Hon. Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines

The Hon. Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP)

We, the undersigned residents and concerned citizens, call on the Province of Ontario to take immediate responsibility for the cleanup and remediation of the abandoned refinery and legacy mining site located in Coleman Township, near the historic Cobalt mining area.

This site, inactive since 2007, is contaminated, unsecured, and deteriorating. It poses significant risks to human health, the natural environment, and nearby properties. Hazardous materials, including chemical drums and an unmonitored tailings pond remain on-site. In September 2024, the MECP identified an illegal landfill on the property and applied D-4 Guidelines to nearby homes—forcing individual residents to undertake environmental assessments at their own cost.

Despite this, the Province has failed to provide appropriate environmental monitoring, containment, or remediation. We believe this site represents a serious failure of provincial oversight, particularly regarding legacy mining responsibilities and public health protection.

We stand united in demanding that the Province of Ontario:

            1.         Immediately assess and remediate the site, using authority granted under the Environmental Protection Act and through the Ministry of Mines’ abandoned site rehabilitation mandate;

            2.         Install proper environmental monitoring systems, including groundwater testing wells, to ensure community safety;

            3.         Cease offloading responsibility to private citizens and municipalities who played no role in creating the contamination;

            4.         Publicly disclose all findings and plans related to the site’s environmental condition and cleanup;

            5.         Coordinate inter-ministerial action to ensure this legacy mining hazard is addressed quickly and effectively.

We further call on the Ministers of Mines and the Environment to uphold the recommendations made by the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (2012–2013) and the Auditor General of Ontario (2015), both of whom affirmed that the Province must take responsibility for contaminated sites where the owner is absent or uncooperative.

The people of Coleman Township deserve a clean, safe environment and clear action from their government.

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