St Barbara Ltd (Atlantic Gold) is seeking Environmental Approval for expansion at its Touquoy Gold Mine, a next step in its bid to develop more mines in prime salmon rivers. While described as a site modification to address some need for current operations, the additional information provided by the company to NS Depart of Environment and Climate Change shows this move is clearly about its aspirations to expand into the West and East Rivers of Sheet Harbour and the St Mary’s River. The expansion proposes to use the empty mine pit as an open air, unlined dumping ground for all current and future tailings from each new site. In this fractured bowl, St Barbara Ltd anticipates leaching events that will run into Moose River and has included an inadequate and short-sighted mitigation plan.

We are adamantly opposed to the creation of these mines at Beaver Dam, Fifteen Mile Stream and Cochrane Hill because of the unmitigable risk posed to the salmon and their habitat, the negative impacts on water quality, and the destruction of soils and landscape currently sequestering carbon. Touquoy Mine’s proposed modifications will open the door for all St. Barbara mining expansions and in doing so, it will essentially undo all of the extensive recovery work and conservation efforts on which we have worked.

Please add your voice. The final public Comment period is open and in the last stage for the Environmental Assessment of this expansion - deadline this Friday April 22.

Your comments can be submitted on the NSECC website https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/comments.asp