Post by Catdaddy on Jun 22, 2010 16:04:13 GMT -5
Shore Gold holds open house in Melfort
www.melfortjournal.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2634546
Posted By Myles Fish
Posted 1 hour ago
Representatives from Shore Gold were on hand at the Kerry Vickar Centre on Wednesday to answer the public's questions on the Star-Orion South Diamond Project.
The Melfort open house, which featured geology, mining and processing, environment, and economy displays, was part of a series of gatherings in the area. Shore Gold made stops in Meath Park, Choiceland, Nipawin, Tisdale, and Prince Albert as well, with over 600 people attending the events.
Many visitors were anxious to know just when the project would get under way, according to Eric Cline, Shore Gold's vice president of corporate affairs.
"They're anxious for the project to proceed but they want to see it proceed under proper environmental protections. They know that we're in environmental assessment; they know that that is going to take some time," explained Tobin.
"The average time for the development of a diamond mine is 15 years. The timing of this, though it seems very long, is not unusual at all."
Shore Gold is currently in the process of finalizing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which will then be submitted to the provincial and federal governments. The governments will assess the proposal and seek public input, after which they will render a decision on whether mining can move forward.
The EIA will be submitted soon and the governments will study it for over a year. Assuming approval, construction on mining facilities in the Fort a la Corne area could begin in late 2011.
Part of the EIS will include a description of what Shore Gold has done to inform the public and receive input.
At Wednesday's open house, rock samples, maps, video demonstrations, and a scale model were displayed and explained to attendees. A breakdown of employment opportunities and information from the recently completed pre-feasibility study were also presented.
The study estimated that 35 million carats of diamonds could be mined from the two proposed sites. Twenty years worth of material is estimated as the haul, with a proposed start date for mining of 2016.
Along with the pre-feasibility study, the last year has seen much continued analysis of samples from the area. Agreements facilitating discussion with the Red Earth First Nation and Métis groups have been signed recently as well.
Of the environmental concerns heard at the open houses, water protection was a major one. According to Shore Gold, the water they will be using in mining and processing is unfit for human consumption. It comes from deeper aquifers from domestic wells, which will not be affected in the process.
"Diamond mining is incredibly environmentally benign. In some open pit mines you end up with toxic lakes because the rock is acidic. Kimberlite itself is a very benign material. You can grow things in it and it doesn't have any toxicity or acidity," said Tobin.
At the completion of mining activity, the pits will be turned into lakes.
Tobin also made note of the central location of the proposed mine site, a rarity among mines in Canada.
"Instead of having your workers live in camps they would be living in the surrounding cities and towns. You don't have the same kinds of social problems as you do with people living far from home with lots of money to spend.
"Many people we talk to will tell us they are working in Manitoba, Alberta, or Northern Saskatchewan and that they'd want to live here if there was a good mining job around, or that their daughter is an environmental technician in Alberta who'd like to come back," said Tobin.
Shore Gold will work towards completing the EIA and a final feasibility study in the next year. Information presented at the open houses can be accessed at the Shore Gold website (www.shoregold.com) under the Community heading.
Article ID# 2634546
www.melfortjournal.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2634546
Posted By Myles Fish
Posted 1 hour ago
Representatives from Shore Gold were on hand at the Kerry Vickar Centre on Wednesday to answer the public's questions on the Star-Orion South Diamond Project.
The Melfort open house, which featured geology, mining and processing, environment, and economy displays, was part of a series of gatherings in the area. Shore Gold made stops in Meath Park, Choiceland, Nipawin, Tisdale, and Prince Albert as well, with over 600 people attending the events.
Many visitors were anxious to know just when the project would get under way, according to Eric Cline, Shore Gold's vice president of corporate affairs.
"They're anxious for the project to proceed but they want to see it proceed under proper environmental protections. They know that we're in environmental assessment; they know that that is going to take some time," explained Tobin.
"The average time for the development of a diamond mine is 15 years. The timing of this, though it seems very long, is not unusual at all."
Shore Gold is currently in the process of finalizing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which will then be submitted to the provincial and federal governments. The governments will assess the proposal and seek public input, after which they will render a decision on whether mining can move forward.
The EIA will be submitted soon and the governments will study it for over a year. Assuming approval, construction on mining facilities in the Fort a la Corne area could begin in late 2011.
Part of the EIS will include a description of what Shore Gold has done to inform the public and receive input.
At Wednesday's open house, rock samples, maps, video demonstrations, and a scale model were displayed and explained to attendees. A breakdown of employment opportunities and information from the recently completed pre-feasibility study were also presented.
The study estimated that 35 million carats of diamonds could be mined from the two proposed sites. Twenty years worth of material is estimated as the haul, with a proposed start date for mining of 2016.
Along with the pre-feasibility study, the last year has seen much continued analysis of samples from the area. Agreements facilitating discussion with the Red Earth First Nation and Métis groups have been signed recently as well.
Of the environmental concerns heard at the open houses, water protection was a major one. According to Shore Gold, the water they will be using in mining and processing is unfit for human consumption. It comes from deeper aquifers from domestic wells, which will not be affected in the process.
"Diamond mining is incredibly environmentally benign. In some open pit mines you end up with toxic lakes because the rock is acidic. Kimberlite itself is a very benign material. You can grow things in it and it doesn't have any toxicity or acidity," said Tobin.
At the completion of mining activity, the pits will be turned into lakes.
Tobin also made note of the central location of the proposed mine site, a rarity among mines in Canada.
"Instead of having your workers live in camps they would be living in the surrounding cities and towns. You don't have the same kinds of social problems as you do with people living far from home with lots of money to spend.
"Many people we talk to will tell us they are working in Manitoba, Alberta, or Northern Saskatchewan and that they'd want to live here if there was a good mining job around, or that their daughter is an environmental technician in Alberta who'd like to come back," said Tobin.
Shore Gold will work towards completing the EIA and a final feasibility study in the next year. Information presented at the open houses can be accessed at the Shore Gold website (www.shoregold.com) under the Community heading.
Article ID# 2634546
