Short-term gain, long-term pain? Elmtree gold mine’s impacts outweigh benefits

The Elmtree Property Gold Mine is a proposed open-pit gold mine in an environmentally sensitive area near Beresford, New Brunswick.

The mine, which plans to operate for 1.5 to 2 years, carries the potential for destroying the headwaters of an Atlantic salmon stream and impacting the river downstream.

The mine carries the potential for acid mine drainage and could affect the water supply for the town of Petit Rocher and the water quality and quantity for nearby residents on wells.

Mining could also harm wetland habitats including uncommon white cedar swamp and culturally important black ash stands which host several rare plant species.

The Conservation Council of New Brunswick, Bathurst Sustainable Development, Mining Watch Canada, the Belledune Citizens’ Committee, Sierra Club of Canada-Atlantic and the Grand Lake Watershed Guardians are monitoring the project and participating in the Environmental Impact Assessment process.

On April 19, 2011, the groups requested that the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Elmtree Property Gold Mine be bumped up to a Joint Panel Review, which would mean greater public participation at both the federal and provincial levels. The groups have yet to receive a response to their request.

Three groups, Bathurst Sustainable Development, the Baie des Chaleurs Watershed Group (Bassins Versants de la Baie des Chaleurs) and the Intervention Committee for the Elmtree gold mine (Comité d’intervention de la mine d’or Elmtree) have received participant intervenor funding in the Environmental Impact Assessment process being conducted at the federal level.

A public meeting is being planned in Petit-Rocher on July 7th at 7:30pm at the Salle de conférence – Complexe Madisco (Bloc C – 3e étage), 702 rue Principale. Representatives from Mining Watch Canada, Bathurst Sustainable Development and other concerned organizations will be on hand to present information and answer questions.