Joan Baxter with the Halifax Examiner covers the demerger of St. Barbara Ltd.
Here are my thoughts:
What has been called Atlantic Golds “string of pearls” consists of four large sites and many more leases along the Eastern shore has changed names so many times now that I am starting to lose track.
I believe that Nova Scotians should pay close attention to what is unfolding with now newly formed jr mining company Phoenician Metals.
St. Barbara bought 100% of Atlantic Gold back in 2020 for 536 million dollars. I believe soon after St. Barbara realized they were duped with the deal made and recently decided to split the profitable assets their vary large mining company owned from its not so profitable assets thus creating Phoenician Metals. Distancing their profitable company St Barbara Ltd from Phoenician Metals.
I’m sure Nova Scotia PC Premier and Ministers did not anticipate this demerger when they met with mining executive Craig Jetson who seemingly strong armed them into allowing a tailings dam wall heightening request at their Touquoy gold mine site along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia to be fast tracked through the system. It certainly doesn’t look good for the PC government!
Joan Baxter actually covers this very well in another article she wrote in 2022 which you can access here: https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/environment/no-need-to-lobby-newly-hired-bureaucrats-to-turn-environmental-assessments-into-environmental-approvals/
There is a story unfolding in New Brunswick right now that provides an example close to home of open pit mine aftermath. This story certainly highlights one reason why ecologically significant areas, such as the St. Mary’s River or even other large-scale mines like the Bristol Bay Pebble Project in Alaska, should not even be considered for mine production and why the Free Entry mining system in Canada needs to be overhauled.
The Caribou Mine, operated in Bathurst, has gone into financial collapse and it looks like the province of New Brunswick will now have to pay around 1 million per year to look after it. This mine went into what the industry calls “Care and Maintenance” just like the new Jr. mining company operating Touquoy gold mine plans to do along the Eastern Shore very soon.
Ecology Action Press Release today:
I am tired of our government bending to large scale industrial projects and not giving meaningful consideration into the ecological value. Nova Scotians deserve better.
If you are interested in responding to latest modifications for the Touquoy open pit here is some information.
The proposed modifications include use of the exhausted open pit to dump the tailings into, expansion of the waste rock storage pile area and clay extraction area; and changing the plant access road used to access the mill facility and administrative buildings.
This is the provincial site where information is gathered for this is gathered:
https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/Touquoy-Gold-Project-Site-Modifications/
Public can submit comments until February 9th, 2023 here:
Comments can be submitted online here: https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/comments.asp
Or by email at ea@novascotia.ca